Author's Note:
First of all, I just realized that it has been over a year since I first published this story (I'm 14 days late in noticing). I never expected it to be this long or to have gotten so many wonderful readers and reviewers so thank you so much! I write for you just as much as for myself. Thank you for your continued support!
I am very happy that Ron was there to support Harry as well. I think because Ron has known Harry for eight years at this point that he would understand better than anyone how much Harry didn't want it, especially because he was there standing beside him when Harry promised Remus that he wouldn't enter. That was just as important as most of you have realized how sacred a promise is between Harry and his fathers, that's not something that they would ever break intentionally. I do think that Harry needed that family support and wanting to cry, but not crying was just as important because he is fourteen and he's a young man now, but also still a kid and he's caught between the two. Zee gave him the opportunity to get snuggled and coddled without having to let the tears fall and I think that helped him a lot. As to Dean, I do believe he is always a bit of an ass and yes, he did go about it the wrong way, but the part that I wanted to focus on was that he just wanted his best mate to stop lying to himself and I think that he helped give Seamus the push that he needed, even if he went about it the wrong way. As for Remus being the perfect man, well I might agree a little there, but he's not Jamie Fraser lol — but he is perfect with Tonks. He loves her for who she is and I think that's beautiful about them.
Also shout-out to guest-reviewer Ana, miss your thoughts, where have you been? Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Reviews and Comments: To Moony The Sheep: Thank you for saying I write the love parts so full of passion. I believe Remus and Tonks are a very passionate couple. Thank you! To cha-chris: Nope, not Moody. Guess you'll have to keep guessing! Thank you for thinking it is getting suspenseful! To Steelcode: Ha, the anger radiating off Sirius would be enough to scare a horntail? I don't know about that, but he definitely wasn't impressed. Thanks for loving Seamus and Will! And yes, I hope the first task is fun! To Guest: Thank you! To coloredwords: I'm glad you liked the end note about Dean. I did want him to come off as an ass while still getting his point across. He loves Seamus. He is best mate and he hates that he can see he's not happy. Ron definitely was going to stick by Harry this time around! You know that hug meant everything to Harry! An interesting theory about Warrington on the internet? Hmm, I am intrigued. Thank you!
To purplevictory: Wow! Another amazingly long review! Thank you so much! I adore these! Ron is definitely one of my favourite characters so I am completely honoured that I changed your mind on him! I do think Harry having given his word to Remus with Ron standing right there made the moment more powerful. He promised not to enter and Ron knows how important Harry values keeping his word. Thank you for liking how I handled Harry's emotions, I agree, he doesn't want to be seen as weak, but being held by Zee gave him the comfort and the ability to know he wanted to cry and to hold them back at the same time! Yes, Harry was definitely looking at Ginny instead of Fleur (Cho in canon), he just doesn't know he was looking at her LOL. Harry hasn't figured it out yet. Thanks for loving Seamus' journey to self-acceptance. As to Dean's colourful way of handling the conversation, they do have a shared sexual intimacy on top of a strong emotional one. They are best friends and that was part of how Dean wanted to emphasize why he knew Seamus was hiding something. Not necessarily that he was hiding it from others, but hiding from himself. Thank you!
To SilverMidas: Thank you. Yes, Ron is not an ass and Seamus has finally admitted he's gay. To alix33: Thank you! To Lost: Nope, Harry and Ron will not be fighting over the tournament. To minerdude: Thank you! I appreciate you loving Ron supporting Harry! I have a soft spot for Ron Weasley and his bromance with one Harry Potter. To scrappy8: Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Thanks for saying it was a nice change of pace. You hope Neville takes Luna to the Yule Ball? We shall see. Thank you! To Guest: There are slow hints of Hinny beginning but as I have said, it will be a slow burn. Thank you! To nesciamema: Thanks for loving Seamus' road to self discovery and yes, Dean does usually come across as an ass all of the time LOL. To supersandman86: Imperfections are perfect and I agree. Remus loves Tonks just the way she is, as he should. Yes, Harry has the support and love he never had in canon and it makes a huge difference. You think Moody is definitely not Barty Crouch Jr? Interesting. McGonagall will definitely be asking them to speak to her class about their transformations, that is coming soon-ish. It's interesting to know this story is almost more words than all seven Harry Potter books combined LOL. That was unplanned, but very cool to know. Thanks for being excited about the first task. Thank you!
To ninaz08: Thanks for loving Ron as the supportive and loving friend that he is. It does make a difference that Ron knows a lot of the stuff already. Ron is an amazing friend. As to Harry having all of this adult love and support — I love it, too! He deserves it! I do love the long reviews! Please, never apologize! Thank you! To Sparhawk537: Thank you! To HGRHfan35: Thank you for saying for loving that Harry has real friends, one who is gay and admitting it, and two amazing friends in Ron and Neville. I agree, there should be more men like Remus. He is amazing! Thank you! To LifeonEarth: Thank you! That's so sweet! To Guest: Thank you! I think that's so important! That Tonks has the ability to look like anyone she wants and she doesn't make herself look like some supermodel. It says so much about who she is and Remus loves that about her. Thank you! To Wolf's scream: Sirius telling Harry he can win the tournament I think was mostly to help Harry know that he has support. Tom wanting Harry dead for a ritual is a very disturbing image. Thank you!
To speedsONEandONLY: Yes, I do often write things unintentionally LOL. The word casket is actually used in canon to describe the case the goblet is in and yes, I do think it is a bit foreboding. Zee definitely would have scooped him up and cradled him in her lap if he wasn't so much bigger than her! Neville will get a date to the Yule Ball, yes. Thank you! To xXMizz Alev VolturiXx: Aww, thank you! To Cf: Thank you for going back to review 160. I love that you love the Remus and Tonks scene! Ha, when Sirius was going on about clusterfucks and loopholes you thought duh, that made me laugh. Thanks for loving the Remus and Tonks scene. Thank you! To HinnyMe: I love that you fangirled when Ginny put her head on Harry's shoulder. Of course she was there to support him. Seamus and Will are becoming your new OTP, thank you! Yes, Remus is kind of the perfect man sometimes, isn't he? Thank you! To Guest: Thank you for saying the end author's note made the chapter sweeter for you! I love that! Yes, Tonks of course has her insecurities but she is confident in who she is and that's why Remus loves her. Thank you for saying that the way I had him "telling her while getting her off was both hot as fuck and beautifully written." Thank you!
To LeglessFishOnRollerskates: You're welcome for not making Ron a dick. I love Ron. I wanted him to hug Harry in support. Thank you for agreeing with everything I said about Tonks. Will and Seamus are so sweet. It will be eventual Deamus, yes, but right now, Dean doesn't like Seamus as anything other than a friend and Seamus has only just admitted that he's gay. Thanks for loving this story and thanks for the two reviews! To Guest: Thank you for loving this story so much! To trekkifulron: Ha, making plans to shag does invoke Murphy, but this time Seamus might be safe! Thank you! To Jmcglynn522: Harry definitely has so many people on his side! Thanks for thinking the fluffy was both steamy and sweet! I adore Remus adoring Tonks as well so I'm glad other people feel the same way. Dean does miss his friend and he did come across as an ass, but I think it was what motivated Seamus to take the next step. Thank you!
To leflemmeenrose: You're welcome for two chapters at once. Don't get used to it though LOL. Yes, who will Harry be taking to the Yule Ball? Thank you! To Thenorthernbaby: Wow! 5x! I am honoured! I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! I love Remus/Tonks as well and I feel that their story had so much potential. I think other than Hinny, right now I enjoy writing them the most. Thanks for dropping a review! feel free to just leave kudos as a review (I don't mind). Thank you! It is rare to find Remus and Sirius as amazing father figures to Harry that are not Wolfstar. I agree. Platonic Wolfstar is what I love, and reading them as being in love just doesn't work for me. I love their friendship too much. Thank you! To allison8090: Thanks for reading! Ramona Flowers as Tonks? Interesting. It's not my choice, but the best part about imagination is you can picture the characters however you want! Thank you! To odysse: Thanks for saying the last scene was so sweet! Thank you for reading!
Thanks to Steel for a few of these fun suggestions and for helping me verbalize my own thoughts more clearly.
The last scene — I've had it written since the middle of the summer and I've been waiting and waiting for the right moment to post it. Hope you all enjoy it — it gives me a chuckle every time! :D
And just to repeat: It kind of bothered me that the dates were wrong in Goblet of Fire, Halloween of 1994 fell on a Monday so in my story, I am keeping the date the same, but having Dumbledore alter the classes to make it fit because that just seems like something that he would do.
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO:
The One Where Drama Queen Sirius Learns About Pens
Harry woke up the next morning hoping desperately that last night had been a dream. He was alone in his dormitory when he crawled out of bed and he grabbed his toiletries, moving into the bathroom to take a long hot shower. He stood under the spray, letting the hot water beat down on his face, his hands against the cold tile.
He was going to compete in the TriWizard Tournament.
He was a Hogwarts Champion, chosen by the Goblet of Fire.
And someone had entered his name into the tournament in an attempt to get him killed.
He opened his eyes and let out a slow breath. Whoever it was sure knew what they were doing, he thought. He had no idea how he was going to survive this tournament.
He finished his shower, did a quick shave on his patchy chin and neck. He added a bit of deodorant and cologne before he attempted to fix his hair to no avail. He dressed in jeans and a red knit jumper before he slowly made his way down into the common room. Since they didn't have classes until this afternoon, he didn't want to wear his uniform yet. The common room was fairly deserted and he headed down to the Great Hall hoping that there was some scraps of breakfast left, but when he looked at his watch he knew that he had missed out so, he turned to head towards the kitchens instead.
The last thing that he expected to see in the kitchens was the house elf that he had freed two years ago.
"Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed happily, eyes wide and a huge ugly grin on his face.
"Dobby?" Harry asked in amazement.
"It is, Sir!"
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked him, surprise evident in his voice.
"Dumbledore is giving me a job, Sir! He pays Dobby one Galleon a month and he says that Dobby can wear whatever clothes Dobby wants, Sir!"
Harry nodded, his eyes taking in the rather assorted clothing that the elf was wearing. He had on bright red socks with the Hogwarts house elf uniform and a black knit hat perched between his ears. "That's great."
"It was hard for Dobby to find work, Harry Potter. No one is wanting a house elf who wants wages, but Dumbledore is understanding, Sir; Dumbledore says Dobby must have at least one day off a month, Sir. He insisted on three, but Dobby couldn't, Harry Potter, Sir, he couldn't!" he exclaimed, as if the process of too much freedom was more than he could possibly bear.
"Well, er, I'm glad that Dumbledore hired you then."
"And now Harry Potter has come to visit Dobby! Dobby is so grateful, Sir! What can I do for Harry Potter?"
Harry smiled at him. "You're welcome, Dobby. And actually, I kind of missed breakfast. Is there any chance that you could scrounge something up for me?"
Dobby beamed at him and five minutes later Harry found himself with a full breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, toast with grape jelly, and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh berries and brown sugar. He ate it all happily as he listened to Dobby explain what he had been up to since Harry had last seen him. When he heard Dobby say the name, Winky, his eyebrows shot up.
"You know Winky?"
Dobby nodded, his ears drooping. "Ah, yes, Sir. Poor Winky is distraught, Sir. She was given clothes by her master and she is ashamed, Sir! Winky loved her master."
"Yeah, I know, Uncle Sirius is trying to convince her to work for him, but I don't think it's going very well. She's still quite upset over what happened."
Dobby nodded. "Winky is very sad, Sir. She thinks that she failed her masters. But she will be all right, Harry Potter, Sir."
Harry smiled at him. "Good." He went back to his breakfast, eating every bite before he stood up. "Thanks for this, Dobby. I appreciate it."
"Anything for the Hogwarts Champion, Sir."
Harry blushed. "Er, right."
He said goodbye and made his way back upstairs, not really sure where he was going or what he wanted to do and when he found himself moving towards his father's Hogwarts suite, he wasn't really that surprised. The last thing that he wanted was to be around a school full of people who were convinced that he had put his name into the Goblet of Fire and somehow cheated the system.
"Harry!"
He turned and offered a smile for Ginny as she hurried towards him. "Hi, Ginny."
"Hey, we've been looking for you!"
He nodded and gestured for her to follow him through the open portrait hole. He plopped himself down on the sofa and she curled up next to him.
"I went down to the kitchens because I missed breakfast."
Ginny smiled at him. "Did you sleep all right?"
He shrugged. "As good as can be expected, I guess. Uncle Remus, Uncle Sirius, Tonks, Zee, and Professor McGonagall told me that they believe me and we're going to start having some form of private lessons to try to get me ready for this thing."
She reached out to touch his arm. "You can do this, Harry. If anyone has a chance at getting through this thing successfully it's you. We're all here for you."
"Thanks, Ginny, that means a lot."
"Now, what are you doing hiding out in here? Isn't Professor Lupin at home in his cottage until classes this afternoon?"
He shrugged and stretched his long legs out so that his feet were on the coffee table. "Yeah, he is. I just didn't really know where to go. I figured most of the school still thinks that I cheated somehow anyway and I didn't want to deal with it before I had to."
"So, you're hiding then?"
Harry merely looked at her from under his long lashes. "I wouldn't say hiding, exactly."
"I would say exactly hiding," she insisted, jumping to her feet. She held her hand out to him. "Come with me."
"Where?" he asked, staring at her outstretched hand.
"Let's go run around outside. It will make you feel better."
Harry stared at her for a long moment before he accepted the hand and stood up, tugging her into his arms. "Thanks, Ginny."
She hugged him back and smiled up at him, causing a little flutter in his belly that wasn't exactly unpleasant. "Anytime. Come on; everyone is already outside waiting."
He nodded and watched her lead the way out of Remus' living room as he wondered when exactly it had started to feel different when Ginny touched him and if he was starting to lose his mind. He decided that it would be better if he didn't think about it.
He had more than enough on his plate as it was.
~ ASC ~
Sirius sat on the couch in his living room, his legs stretched out and feet up on the coffee table as Zee sprawled out next to him. Her head was resting in his lap and her knees up so that she could write on the yellow legal pad that she had propped against her knee. She tapped her pencil across the top of the pad as she stared at the paper before her, biting her bottom lip in concentration.
"Don't understand why you can't just use a self-inking quill like normal people?"
"Oh, like a pen? Yeah, Muggles have those too," she said, grinning up at him.
He slapped her leg, making her laugh. "What do you have so far?"
"I've only written down what Papa suggested over the phone. Speaking of, I think that we need to install a telephone here."
Sirius frowned. "That weird Muggle thing? No way!"
"How is it any different than your communication mirror?"
"It just is," Sirius insisted, stubbornly.
Zee merely tilted her head back to look up at him. "Well, if I'm going to be living here, a telephone is mandatory so that I can talk to my family. Four of them are very much Muggles, Sirius. Plus, Mama and Papa keep a telephone as well so that I can call them whenever I want."
Sirius ran his fingers through her hair. "Is it a deal breaker on you moving in here?"
She smiled when he bent his head to capture her lips. "No, but we're still getting one."
"When did you suddenly become the boss of me, woman?"
Zee grinned. "You love it. I'll get the phone figured out later. First, I want to go over this list."
"Wouldn't it be easier if Misha just came out here?"
"It would be, yes, but he has to close the case that he's working on first. And Harry has us to teach him anyway. As long as we understand the concept of the spells, curses, jinxes, and hexes then, we can teach them to him."
Sirius nodded. "True." He let out a slow sigh, glancing up at the clock. "I thought that Moony and Tonks would have gotten back by now."
"Remus didn't go. As a Hogwarts professor he agreed that it would look too suspicious if any of the dragon tamers recognized him. Not to mention that he has to teach this afternoon. And Tonks could be wrong."
Sirius merely stared at her. "We both know that she's not wrong. Dragons have been used in the tournament for centuries and what else could Charlie Weasley possibly be working with our Ministry on?"
"It doesn't mean that he would have to fight one. Dragon slaying is illegal, Sirius."
"Anything to do with him facing a dragon isn't exactly comforting though, is it?"
Zee sighed, dropping the pad on her lap. "You're going to be a huge ball of stress until this tournament is over."
"How can I not be? We have no idea who entered his name! We have no idea why they entered his name outside of the very real possibility that they are trying to get him killed! We know that Voldemort wants him for some ritual and if we're too busy trying to get Harry through this tournament we could lose focus and slip up and leave him unprotected in some way and allow Voldemort to get exactly what he wants!"
"Breathe, baby," she said softly, reaching her hand up to stroke his stubbled cheek. "We will figure everything out. One step at a time, okay?"
Sirius let out a slow breath, turning his head to kiss her fingers. "I know. It's just… a lot to take in. Merlin knows the press is going to be all over this on top of it! Dumbledore already said that they would be all over Hogwarts with the tournament and when they get wind that The Boy Who Lived is a Hogwarts Champion… Zee, I've kept him almost entirely out of the limelight," Sirius told her, still running his fingers through her hair. "I don't want him being bombarded by the press!"
Zee smiled up at him. "We'll deal with the press. I have a friend in the editing department of the Daily Prophet and we can make sure that you get to approve anything posted about Harry before it's published."
Sirius nodded, looking a little relieved by this. "No, I… I mean, yeah, that would help a lot actually, yeah."
Zee smiled up at him as his fingers continued to stroke her hair. "I know you wish that he called you this morning."
He smiled at her. "You know me too well. I just can't help but think that he's probably going a little mad himself, trying not to think about it, and as a result probably only thinking about it. I mean, he has his friends — which is good. God, I hope that they're all on his side, being the support system that he needs."
"He has some pretty great friends, Sirius. I can't imagine that they'd be anywhere else."
"No, I know you're right. I know he has amazing friends and thank Merlin for that. I just… I want him to feel supported and I'm worried that with there being two Hogwarts Champions, he might not be. I want to know what the First Task is so that we can move on from there, and figure out how to get him through it successfully, maybe even help him win it," Sirius said with a grin. "He could win this tournament, Zacarias. He has the ability to do so."
"I would never bet against him," she said with a grin. She picked up her legal pad and pencil again. "But winning isn't the priority. We just need to get him through it. Even though we don't know for sure, I think that we can both agree that dragons are a very real possibility for the First Task. The weakest part of a dragon is their eyes, but the thought of Harry hurting a dragon is… I couldn't bear to watch him hurt a dragon."
Sirius smiled, his fingers still playing in her curls. He kept tugging on one, straightening it in his hand and then watching it spring back when he let go. "Your heart is so big, love. I don't want him to hurt a dragon either, but if it comes down to my boy or the dragon…"
She nodded. "I would always choose Harry."
He smiled as she lifted his free hand and kissed his palm. "I don't know what I would do without you, Zahira. I can't imagine not having you in my life; not having you here with me when I need you."
Zee kissed his palm again. "Good because I need you and Harry just as much and you are very much stuck with me." She sat up when the timer beeped from the kitchen. "Ooh, that's lunch. Why don't you call Harry and check in?"
"Well, I don't want to bother him if he's not ready to talk to me yet. Maybe I should wait until he comes to me?"
Zee only kissed his lips before she sauntered off to the kitchen. "Call him."
Sirius only watched the sway of her hips before he sighed and tugged out the mirror. The fact that she knew him better than he knew himself was oddly comforting, he thought.
~ ASC ~
Harry spent the rest of that morning running around in his animal form with his friends. Ginny had been right — it was exactly what he had needed. They chased each other around, running and jumping and playing before they transformed into themselves and stretched out on the cool grass, grinning at each other.
Harry dragged his fingers through his hair. "Thanks. I needed this."
Neville smiled at him. "Any time, mate. You know that we're all here whenever you need us."
"I know," he said with a smile. "And I appreciate it. The thought of being thrown into this tournament is a lot more daunting than you'd think, especially when I sure as bloody hell didn't ask for it."
Ron stretched his long legs out. "It's going to be fine, Harry. If anyone can get thrown into a tournament and make it through successfully it's you. Look at your Animagus! A wolf-dog hybrid; that's your leadership coming through, your strength and your tenacity, you can do this, Harry."
Harry smiled at his friend, a lump in his throat that surprised him. He was so grateful to all of them. "Thanks, Ron. It means a lot that you guys are all on my side for this. I know that not everyone in the school is going to believe that I'm innocent in this. It's nice to know that I can come out here and run around with you lot in our animal forms, even if we're still kind of babies."
"We're all getting bigger," Ron protested with a grin. "Don't know how much longer we can hide them from everyone to be honest."
Harry smiled. "Mine's not exactly hidden to begin with given that Uncle Sirius helped me and that I snuck out of Hogwarts to be with Uncle Rem during the last full moon."
Ron snorted. "I meant that not all of us have such well informed parents, Harry."
Neville nodded. "I haven't told Gran yet. I think that she'd be proud, but I wanted to master it first. Uncle Algie didn't exactly react well when he found a badger in the yard. He chased me with a pitchfork for almost thirty minutes until I managed to get far enough way to change back into myself. But then again, he didn't know that I was the badger."
Harry chuckled. "A pitchfork?"
Neville laughed. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried, Harry."
Hermione grinned. "I was practicing in the living room and when I changed into a fox, I was so excited that I ran under the kitchen table to show my parents and got stuck under my dad's chair. He had to get his tools and take the chair apart for me to get out. He thought that it was hilarious, but Mum was a bit horrified."
"Daddy only smiled when I came hopping down for breakfast," Luna said, her voice dreamy. "He told me that if I was a good girl he would give me lots of carrots and lettuce."
Neville snickered. "Sounds like he's already trying to plump you up."
Luna smiled. "He says bunnies are very independent and swiftly intelligent and that if I was to be anything else, he would deem it impossible."
"Sounds like your dad, Luna," Ginny said with a smile.
"Well, Uncle Sirius tried to get me into the treehouse so that he could help me focus on transforming back to myself, but I was too little to get up the stairs so, he had to carry me. He changed into Padfoot and carried me up by the scruff of my neck and then we played for a while in our animal forms. It was fun. Then he made me focus on changing back and he forgot to mention that the first time you change back you wind up completely starkers."
"Thankfully I was in my room when that happened!" Ginny said with a laugh.
Hermione nodded. "Dad had brought me to my room to try to sleep as it was late and I woke up in the morning as myself, but starkers. It was a surprise! I'm glad that my parents weren't around for that!"
Ron grinned. "I was out by the pond and had to sneak back into the house to try to find clothes. Took me almost thirty minutes and I only made it halfway up the stairs before the twins found me."
"They stopped making fun of him when he tackled them to the ground as a baby wolverine," Ginny said with a grin. "They were in shock and really impressed."
"What about you, Ginny? Did anyone find out about your form?" Hermione asked.
Ginny grinned. "Mum caught me trying to climb up my dresser and she was oddly cool about it. She said, 'Ginny, if you're learning to turn yourself into an animal now, the least you can do is learn outside!'"
"Typical Mum, wanting to keep the house clean," Ron said with a grin. "I haven't told her or Dad that I'm an Animagus as well. I want to have some fun with it first."
Ginny smiled as she remembered that her mother had genuinely surprised her with her calm reaction. After she had returned from Harry's, where she had snuck out without her mother's permission, Molly had been waiting for her in her bedroom.
"Hi, Mum," she said, nervously.
Her mother merely patted the bed next to her. "Sit, Ginevra."
She sat.
"Ginny, I know that the last two years have been a bit of a roller coaster for you. After everything that happened in the Chamber of Secrets and then speaking with Na'eemah most of the year… the fact that you decided to learn how to become an Animagus is amazing. That's very strong and advanced magic."
"You're not upset?"
"No," Molly said, softly. "I'm proud of the strong, beautiful young woman that my daughter is becoming." She reached out to brush Ginny's hair away from her face. "My little warrior princess, always trying to best her brothers."
"And succeeding," Ginny said with a grin.
Molly chuckled. "And succeeding." She kissed her forehead, hugging her close. "Now, let's see that little red panda again."
Ginny changed into her Animagus form and Molly smiled when she climbed into her lap and snuggled close.
"Oh my, you are the cutest little thing, aren't you?"
Ginny made a cooing sound in response.
"A little Blazing Flame of Fluff," Molly said. "However, Miss Blaze, all red pandas, no matter how adorable, will be playing in the garden only from now on. Am I clear?"
Ginny changed back into herself and hugged her mother tightly. "You're clear."
She shook her head as she remembered and smiled at her friends. "Mum said that she was proud of me because it's very advanced magic. Anything like that she would be cool with, but if she found out that I used my Animagus form to sneak out or something, I would be grounded for life."
Ron chuckled. "Accurate."
Harry smiled at his friends as they talked a bit more about what it was like the first few times that they had changed and how as they practiced throughout the summer, they felt more and more connected to their animal forms and by the time that they decided to go back to the castle for lunch, Harry felt a little better. Ginny hurried off with Luna to find Colin and he watched her go for a moment, thinking about how she had felt pressed up against him earlier. Her breasts had pressed against him, warm and soft and… bigger, he thought to himself with a grin. She had grown up and was… beautiful, he concluded and he wasn't sure how he felt about that realization.
He smiled at Ron when his friend slapped a hand on his shoulder, making him choke on his tongue. If Ron knew the thoughts that were going through his mind right now, he thought, slightly panicked at how his best mate might react. Neville pointed out to where Krum was looking out at the Black Lake and girls were crowded near him and giggling and Harry turned his attention there, taking his eyes off the dot of Ginny in the distance.
"They can't just leave him alone for a minute, can they?" Hermione asked in exasperation.
"He's famous, Hermione! Girls follow Harry around like that too or haven't you noticed?" Ron asked, pointing to the group of second year girls who were pointing at them and giggling.
"How long have they been following us?" Harry asked in bewilderment. He hadn't noticed this and it made him a little uneasy.
The one girl with dark black hair was very pretty and she was smiling at him and waved. Harry waved back unsure of what else to do.
"Why are they following me?" he asked, his eyes on his friends.
Hermione smiled at him. "They only appeared a few minutes ago. You're a champion now, Harry. There's been girls following Diggory, too. Are you sure that you're all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine… I just… I don't like people following me."
Neville grinned at him. "Look at this way, if girls keep following you around you won't even have to think about who to ask to the Yule Ball next month."
Ron made a face. "Who wants to go to a dance anyway? Sounds boring."
"I went to an American school dance in the summer. It was kind of fun," Harry admitted, looking back at the group of girls who giggled. "But this one is supposed to be all formal like, eh?"
Hermione turned at the sound of someone calling her name and she smiled at Lavender when she waved her over. "I'll see you guys in class."
Neville wrinkled his nose as she hurried off. "Does she help everyone with their homework?"
Ron grinned. "I think that she rather likes it. And maybe it's about something else?"
He and Neville looked at each other and grinned.
"Nah."
Harry chuckled as they stepped through the doors of the castle, the warmth engulfing them from the cool draft of November air. He felt the vibration in his pocket and he stopped to touch the mirror.
"I'll see you guys in there," he told them, slipping into alcove by the window and glancing around to make sure that the gaggle of girls had disappeared. He found that he was more than a little relieved to see his father's face. "Hi, Uncle Sirius."
"Hey, how you holding up today?"
He shrugged in response.
Sirius sighed. "I know it's daunting and terrifying, but we'll get through this just like always. How's everything there? Are your friends around?"
He nodded. "Yeah. The guys were waiting up for me when I got back to my dorm last night and we talked a bit and then I went for a run today with everyone by the forest. It was… calming to just be a dog for a while."
"I can relate to that," he said with a smile. "Anyone giving you grief about it all?"
He shrugged again. "I've been staying out of everyone's way. But classes this afternoon… I guess we'll see."
Sirius nodded. "Rem and I are both here anytime you need us, Prong-Harry. No matter what. Zee and Tonks too."
"I know," he said quietly. "I just… I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."
"I want you to just relax. To focus on your studies and nothing more until next Thursday night when we will focus on the tournament tasks, understood? Let me do all of the worrying for you."
Harry nodded, biting his bottom lip. "Uncle Siri?"
"Yeah?"
Harry stared at the mirror for a minute. He felt like he wanted to tell him something, anything that would help ease the big ball of worry from culminating in his gut, but he didn't have the words. He only shook his head. "Never mind."
Sirius only smiled. "I love you. If you need me —"
"— I know," he interrupted, not wanting to hear the spiel. "See you."
When he put the mirror back in his pocket he felt a little lighter, but was still worried. He knew his father meant well, but he needed it to just be over already.
He made his way down to the Great Hall, sitting down in between Ginny and Seamus to help himself to some food. Colin was on the other side of Ginny and Neville on the other side of Seamus. Ron, Hermione, and Dean sat across from them. He filled his plate as he listened to Hermione tell Ron about how she planned to talk to some of the Hogwarts house elves; to try to convince them to be set free and it reminded Harry of Dobby.
"Dobby works here now," he said, making Hermione turn to look at him.
"Dobby? The elf that you freed?"
"That mad elf who blocked the barrier and set a Bludger on you in his attempts to save your life?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide. "That elf?"
Harry chuckled. "One in the same. I met him in the kitchens this morning. Dumbledore hired him on. He said that it's been impossible for him to find a job in service as no one wants to pay a house elf. Not that he's being paid much, mind you. The thought of too much freedom and riches seems to terrify the poor elf. You should have seen the look of horror on his face when he told me that Dumbledore tried to insist that he accept more than one day off a month."
Hermione looked horrified. "One day off a month? That's barbaric! It's still slavery!"
"Hermione, house elves — love — to — work!" Ron exclaimed for the umpteenth time. "I don't know how many more times we can tell you this before it sinks in."
Harry looked up when the shadow came up over him and he nodded at Will as he stood behind Seamus and Neville at the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, Longbottom, did Sprout find you this morning?" he asked, his hand resting on the table between Harry and Seamus.
Neville shook his head as he looked up at him. "No. What's up?"
"That Thaumatagoria you planted is finally starting to bloom. Sprout mentioned something about wanting to re-pot it and see if she can plant more. It's the first real sign of development it's shown since we first seeded it. That's the one you brought back from Brazil, right?"
Neville nodded eagerly, his eyes wide in excitement. "It is! Matthews, that's the plant that's supposed to add incredible magical properties to any potion! If it's starting to bloom that means it might actually be usable! I heard that it can take years for it to even bloom into anything at all!"
Will grinned at him. "I might tag along. We haven't had anything good to play with in the greenhouses since Sprout let us help her with that Devil's Snare last year."
Neville beamed at him. "Sounds great."
"I'll meet you after dinner then and we'll head down to greenhouse six?"
"Perfect, see you then."
Will nodded, turning to smile at Harry. "By the way, congrats on becoming Hogwarts Champion, Potter. I'll be cheering you on."
He moved his hand from the table as he turned to go, but Seamus linked fingers with him, stopping him in his tracks. To Harry's surprise, Seamus reached his hand up, tugged Will's face down to his and kissed him.
Will's eyes were wide as he licked his lips. "You can come play in the dirt with us tonight if you want?"
Seamus smiled at him and shook his head. "No, thanks. But come find me after, yeah?"
Will smiled at him, moving back to the Ravenclaw table, a huge grin on his face.
Ron leaned across the table. "So, he's the mysterious someone? Seems like a nice bloke. Are you sure that you're ready to give him your, you know?"
Seamus blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm completely sure." He looked over at Will, the tops of his ears flushing when he realized that his boyfriend was staring back at him, a goofy grin on his face and his eyes full of lust. "Totally, completely sure."
Harry grinned at him. "Good on you, mate. Can you pass the potatoes?"
~ ASC ~
Tonks stepped into the dragon reserve late Tuesday evening, her eyes peeled for the Weasley red hair among the crowd. It had taken her most of the day to secure an international portkey to Romania; not to mention how long it had taken the International Magical Office of Law to authorize her passport for a day trip to the dragon reserve and how she had to explain to Kingsley why she had to miss work.
The entire thing had been a headache and now she had less than four hours to do what she came to do before she had to be at the portkey location to get back home.
She marched through the reserve, weaving between the small stone buildings, as she searched for him and she smiled when she recognized the sound of his voice, stopping in her tracks and back tracking towards the forested area on the right.
"No! Careful Trotsky! The last thing we want is for them to be uncomfortable during transportation! It's hard enough to move them as it is! Aims, can you help?"
Tonks stayed behind the fenced off area, her eyes wide as she watched a group of ten witches and wizards work to get a dragon into the large cage that was waiting for her. She was pretty sure that the dragon in front of her was a Chinese Fireball and she had to admit, she was rather beautiful.
"Damn it, Trotsky! What did I just say?" Charlie roared as the Fireball blew fire and lit up eight trees in the distance, barely missing a dark haired wizard with large glasses as he fell to the ground in fright.
"Weasley, the nest is secure!" a blonde woman called out and Charlie nodded.
"Get the nest inside now! Show Ya Mei that her children are safe before she sets all of you lot on fire!"
A few people scrambled around and then a large nest was carefully levitated over to the mother where four large eggs in a beautiful red and gold shells were nestled. It took another ten minutes for the nest to be secure next to the mother.
Tonks watched Charlie wipe sweat from his brow as Ya Mei made herself comfortable inside of the cage and sat on her eggs, keeping them safe.
"Aims, Santana, you're in charge of transport. Once Ya Mei is safely secure and in place we'll discuss moving Rhiannon. Get the proper dosage of sleeping draught needed. She'll need to have drunk it all in time for transport. Everyone else can close down for the night."
There was some hustle of movement as they all shifted to do their respective tasks and Charlie shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to head out of the padlock. His eyes widened when he saw Tonks near the fence.
"Tonks!"
She laughed when he picked her up and spun her around in a circle, hugging her tightly. "Hi, Charlie! Put me down, you fool!"
He kissed her cheek and grinned at her before placing her back on the ground. "This is a pleasant surprise! Want a tour?"
"Absolutely!"
He grinned widely as he showed her around the reserve, explaining where they kept the different dragon breeds and why, how they kept them fed, how they kept them safe, where the different homes were, and how certain areas were built around dimensional portals to keep the dragons safe and to help them travel easily.
"And you're moving some of them, nesting mothers?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, four of them. Why?"
Tonks let out a slow breath. "You wouldn't be transporting them to Scotland for the champions of the tournament now, would you?"
Charlie frowned. "Why would you ask me that?"
"Harry's name was picked last night, Charlie."
His eyes widened. "What? Really? Fuck!"
Tonks quickly explained what had happened and how Sirius and Remus were convinced that someone had tricked the goblet into spitting out his name in an attempt to hurt him.
"I know that you're sworn to secrecy and you can't tell me what's going on with the First Task but… are the dragons part of it?"
"I don't know the First Task, Tonks. That's not something that I'm privy to. What I do know isn't anything secretive, but last March, a few members of the Department of Magical Games and Sports came up to the reserve to talk about reserving nesting mothers — three precisely — for November of this year," Charlie said, carefully. "It was important that they had eggs waiting to be hatched and instructed us to try to breed the dragons if necessary. Last night we received an urgent message demanding that a fourth nesting mother was needed. My team is transporting the four dragons to Scotland with their eggs."
Tonks paled. "Why would they want nesting mothers?"
Charlie shook his head. "I couldn't tell you. But four dragon for four champions. Ya Mei is being transported tonight and hopefully by Friday we can get Rhiannon over there, she's a Welsh Green. I'm hoping Tilde goes easily by Sunday or Monday. She's the Swedish Short-Snout and usually pretty well mannered. The problem is going to be Ilka. She should be arriving next Thursday. She's the only nesting mother we had left and she's an absolute demon. Hungarian Horntails are always a bit vicious to begin with, but she's the devil incarnate, I swear. Whatever they have planned for these dragons I know that the champions are each going up against one and trust me, whoever gets Ilka…"
Tonks swore under her breath. "Any place around here a girl can get a drink?"
Charlie wrapped an arm across her shoulders and grinned. "I know a place or two. Come on; you can tell me what the bloody hell's going on."
Tonks let out a slow breath as Charlie led her away from the paddock. "If only I knew."
~ ASC ~
When Monday came around, Harry realized how much he couldn't avoid the rest of the student body. The last few days, after his name had been picked, he had tried to go to his classes and be quiet and it had mostly worked out as people were still in shock over Hogwarts having two champions, but by the weekend, people were constantly pointing at him and mumbling things under their breath. It reminded him of second year when the school had thought that he had been the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. He was thankful for his friends who seemed to have decided to work together in making sure that he was never quite alone. People who had always been nice to him were now giving him dirty looks.
And everyone from Hufflepuff seemed to think that he had stolen their champion's thunder.
The Ravenclaws seemed more torn over their support. A few of them had mentioned to Harry that he was a goner and a few of them had made their animosity show a little stronger. The Slytherins however, had genuinely surprised him.
Theo and Blaise had made it pretty clear that they didn't really care who the Hogwarts Champion was and had actually started an underground gambling ring to bet on the Champions — Krum and Delacour included. Theo had slapped him on the back in Defence Against the Dark Arts class and whispered that he had bet on him to come out on top in the First Task so that he wasn't to screw it up. Harry felt oddly elated at the thought that Theo had that much confidence in him and a strange sense of relief at the thought that he'd somehow gained another ally.
It was Potions class on Tuesday afternoon however, when Draco had approached him.
"So, now you need to sign up for trouble?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "You aren't actually stupid enough to believe that I signed up for this."
Draco snorted, sliding into the seat next to him so that they could finish the potion that Snape had assigned the two of them to work on in last class. "No, I know you didn't. You're dumb, Potter, but even you aren't that dumb!"
"Gee, thanks," Harry muttered as he pulled out his textbook.
Draco grinned at him. "Look at this way, if you get killed in the tournament at least you won't have to worry about all of the other shit that's happening."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Not comforting."
"Wasn't trying to be," he said, smartly.
They didn't speak again until they had their potion boiling as Harry carefully stirred it counter clockwise.
"Father says that it was intentional."
Harry's ears perked up, but he didn't dare look back at Malfoy. "What was?"
"What do you think?" he scoffed.
"What do you know?"
"Nothing else," he whispered. "But Father says that there won't be a play for you until later on."
Harry stared at him. "You know that they are planning on making a play for me?"
Draco shrugged. "What you said about the ritual that he wants to do, it made me think. You'd be the one he'd want in the end, wouldn't you? The one who got away? If someone threw your name into the ring it wouldn't be to let you get killed. They want you to succeed, to be distracted."
"For me to let my guard down," he finished.
Draco nodded. "So, don't fuck it up."
Harry only nodded. "And don't let my guard down. He can't touch me, physically that is, it hurts him," he whispered under his breath.
Draco only stared at him. "Ever thought that maybe he's doing this ritual so that he can?"
Harry's eyes widened before he caught himself, turning his attention back to their potion.
"Just something that I was thinking about. And try to actually do good, Potter; Theo conned me into betting fifty Galleons on you coming out on top in the First Task. If I lose, I'll make your life hell."
Harry grinned at him. "Hey, your gamble, Malfoy."
He looked up when the door to the Potions classroom was opened, surprised to see Colin Creevey standing there, looking nervous.
"Yes, Mr Creevey?" Snape asked, oily.
Colin gulped. "I'm here to collect Harry Potter, Sir."
"Potter still has forty minutes left of Potions Class."
Colin nodded. "I was sent by Professor McGonagall, Sir. Harry is needed in the Trophy Room with the other Champions, Sir."
Snape scowled and waved his hand.
Harry grabbed his bag, shrugging at his friends before he followed Colin out of the Potions class.
"What does Professor McGonagall need me for, Colin?"
"The Weighing of the Wands Ceremony," Colin said with a grin. "She's letting me stay to watch so that I can take photos. Harry, I'm the new photographer for the Hogwarts Herald, isn't that great?"
"Yeah, that's brilliant, Colin. Ginny says that you're a fantastic photographer."
Colin beamed. "I love it. It's what I want to do after school; travel the world maybe and take photos. Did Ginny show you the photo that I gave her for her birthday?"
"No," Harry said, looking down at the smaller boy. "What is it?"
"It's her on a broom on the Quidditch pitch. She just looks amazing and so at home. I think I captured the essence and the sense of freedom and happiness that she feels when she's out there," he said with a grin. "Anyway, don't worry, Harry, any photos that I take of you will not be published in the paper without your approval."
"Thanks. I, er, didn't actually know that we had a school paper."
"Apparently it hasn't been run in a few years. Not since, Marcella Hobbs left two years ago, but Juliet Rinaldi from Ravenclaw and Damien Winters from Slytherin decided to bring it back this year. They've been working to get the first issue out before Christmas. I'm the only photographer, which is great, plus they have two more writers on board. I think that it's going to be fun!"
Harry only nodded as he let Colin ramble on. A school paper didn't sound like too bad of an idea though it did depend on what the paper was posting, he thought.
They arrived at the Trophy Room and Harry followed Colin inside. Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor were already there along with a platinum blonde in a green dress with a plunged neckline that left almost nothing to the imagination. A man with a blue mohawk and nine earrings in each ear stood behind the camera.
"Harry!" The woman exclaimed in excitement, grabbing his arm, her long nails painted in a dark green digging into his arm as she tugged him over. "Let's get you here for the photos! Bozo, I want individual as well as group, you hear?"
"I hear," the man with the blue Mohawk exclaimed.
Harry took off his Hogwarts robe as instructed, loosened his Gryffindor tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to stand back to back with Cedric, who had done the same. Next he crouched down next to Fleur, noticing that she smelt like vanilla before he stood in between Viktor and Cedric with Fleur sitting in front of them for the final photo. The individual photo sessions seemed to have lasted longer.
Bozo made Harry pose straddling a chair, his chin resting on his forearms and his suspenders dangling down his legs; standing near the window, one leg resting back on the wall and arms crossed casually in what Harry liked to think was a typical Sirius Black pose; sitting in a chair, legs spread casually and arms behind his head, which made him feel oddly exposed, but made the woman shout with joy. He watched as Bozo made the other three champions do similar poses before the woman, who had been introduced as Rita Skeeter, tugged him into the supply closet.
"Now, this is much more private, isn't it?" she asked, sweetly, tapping on her notepad.
"It's a closet," Harry answered, dryly.
She smiled sweetly at him. "I'd love to get your story, Harry. I want to know what makes you tick. The youngest champion, thrust into this tournament without a choice. How are you coping?"
Harry's eyes were on the quill which was moving across the notepad of its own accord.
"Don't look at the quill, Harry, look at me," she said, bending over to sit on an overturned bucket and giving Harry a full look down her dress all the way to the red knickers she was wearing. "Now, how did you feel when your name was called?"
"— Er," he said and watched in fascination as the quill began to write.
Harry Potter's bright green eyes sparkle like emeralds, a glimmer of tears in them as he tries to explain his complete fear at the idea of being forced to compete in a tournament meant for older and wiser contestants.
"I don't have a glimmer of tears in my eyes!" Harry exclaimed.
Skeeter smiled. "Ignore the quill, Harry. How do you think your parents would feel about you being in this dangerous and deadly tournament? Do you think that they would be proud of you?"
Tears fill his eyes at the mention of James and Lily Potter…
"I'm not bloody crying!"
The door to the closet opened and McGonagall stuck her head in. She glared at Skeeter. "Didn't realize that you had permission for one-on-one-interviews, Rita?"
She smiled, sweetly, her quill and notepad disappearing into her dragon-hide purse. "Harry and I were just getting to know each other a little better."
McGonagall put her hand on Harry's arm as he stepped out of the closet. "She's a viper. Be careful what you say to her," she whispered.
Harry only nodded. "I didn't say anything."
McGonagall smiled. "Keep it that way, trust me," she warned as she led him back over to the other champions.
Harry was surprised to see Mr Ollivander there. Dumbledore stepped into the room followed by Bagman and Crouch. Harry noticed that Madame Maxime and Karkaroff were already present as well. A dark-haired girl in Ravenclaw robes was standing next to Colin, a notepad in her hands. Harry assumed she must be Rinaldi.
"Welcome, welcome to the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony," Bagman exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. "This is just to make sure that all of your wands are in proper working order so that you are ready and prepared for this tournament. Miss Delacour, would you like to begin?"
Fleur stepped forward, tossing her silvery blonde hair over her shoulder before she presented her wand to Mr Ollivander.
Ollivander smiled kindly at her. "Ah, yes, yes. Nine and half inches, Rosewood, excellent choice and a Veela hair core, if I'm not mistaken."
"Oui, it iz from my grandmére," she said proudly.
Ollivander nodded and waved it around and a beautiful bouquet of red roses poured out from the tip. "It is in excellent working order, Miss Delacour."
She accepted it back with a smile as Ollivander turned to Krum.
He examined the wand carefully and smiled. "Ah, a Gregorovitch! Wonderful craftsmanship! Ten and a quarter inches, Hornbeam with dragon heartstring." He waved it around and a fountain of water spurted out the end into a gold basin. "Perfect."
When Cedric handed him his, he beamed. "Ah, one of mine! Of course, I remember when you bought this from me six years ago! Twelve and a quarter inches, Ash wood and unicorn hair."
He waved it and red fireworks erupted from the end.
Harry handed him his wand next, pulling it from his holster and handing it over.
Ollivander smiled, his eyes seeming to glow as he examined the wand. "Ah, yes, Mr Potter… nice and supple, eleven inches, Holly, and possessing the core of a phoenix feather. It seems to be in excellent working condition." He waved it and blue birds flew from the end to fly around the room, chirping cheerfully.
Bagman grinned. "Well, Barty, looks like we have four wand-ready Champions!"
Mr Crouch only nodded. "Seems so. Just a reminder, the First Task will be on the twenty-fourth of November. Best of luck."
"Maybe I could have just a few more words with Mr Potter?" Skeeter asked, eagerly.
McGonagall put her hand on Harry's arm and steered him towards the door. "You may not."
He grinned at her once they were in the hall. "Thanks, Auntie Minnie. Talking to her made my head spin."
"She likes to distort things. Bright witch, but be careful what you say to her, Harry. Go on, the dinner bell should be going off soon."
He nodded and hurried off to throw his book bag up in Gryffindor Tower before he made his way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The bell rang just as he arrived outside of the door and the sixth year class filed out quickly. Harry went inside as the last student left and watched his father pack up his papers to put into his briefcase.
"Uncle Rem, you have a minute?"
Remus smiled at him. "Always. What's on your mind, Harry?"
Harry closed the classroom door behind him and moved to perch himself on the end of Remus' desk. "I talked to Draco again today and he made me realize something."
Remus merely arched an eyebrow.
"What if… what if this ritual thing that Voldemort is trying to do to — to come back, what if it's so that he can hurt me? Because remember when I touched Quirrell, he… he couldn't bear it and maybe that's why he wants… me."
"Harry, we're going to do everything that we can to make sure that never happens, you know that, right?"
He nodded, looking up in the whisky coloured eyes so full of concern and love. "I know. It's just that Draco said that me being in this tournament — it is intentional, and that they aren't going to make a play for me until later in the game."
Remus reached up to put his hands in his hair. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Well, I wasn't too keen on it myself when I heard it," he admitted.
Remus smiled. "What else did Draco say?"
"Nothing. He doesn't know anything else, but he told not to let my guard down."
"You already know not to do that." He reached out to gently squeeze Harry's shoulder. "Did you tell Sirius yet?"
Harry shook his head. "I kind of figured that he'd implode on impact and voted you were the safer choice to relay the information to."
Remus chuckled and tugged him close, kissing his forehead. "You might be right about that." He sighed. "All right, let's sit on this for a few days, just the two of us and we'll figure out what it could mean and how to tell Sirius together, deal?"
"Can we tell Tonks?"
Remus grinned. "Yes, I'll fill her in tonight."
Harry nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Uncle Rem, this wand weighing thing, what would have happened if one of our wands wasn't in order? Would we not be able to compete?"
Remus smiled. "No. Competing is mandatory as you know, but you would have to be issued a new one before the First Task and then it would have to be inspected."
"Oh," Harry said, scratching his chin. "Do wands stop working after a while?"
"Not usually and definitely not an Ollivander wand, but accidents do happen. Look what happened to Ron's wand two years ago," Remus supplied. "We should talk about getting you a second wand though. Sirius and I keep meaning to."
Harry frowned. "Why?"
Remus sighed. "Because of your wand core."
He merely raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it."
"Your wand has a phoenix feather wand core. In fact, the feather inside your wand once belonged to Dumbledore's phoenix."
"Fawkes?" Harry asked in surprise. "Really?"
Remus nodded. "Yes. Harry, do you remember when Sirius and I told you all about the Horcruxes and about Voldemort and about Operation FUVP?"
"Yeah."
"Do you remember us telling you that Voldemort's wand also contains a phoenix core?"
Harry thought back for a moment. It sounded familiar, but they had thrown so much information at him in terms of the Horcrux, the operation, Voldemort's past, the prophecy, if they had mentioned it he was pretty sure it had completely slipped his mind. He wasn't sure why that would be something important enough for him to remember.
"Yeah, is that a big deal? Don't lots of wands have similar cores?"
"Kind of," Remus told him. "Lots of wands have similar cores that is true, but the reason why yours is unique, Harry, is because the phoenix feather that resides in Voldemort's wand also comes from Fawkes."
Harry's eyes widened. "What?"
Remus nodded. "Fawkes only gave two feathers and one is inside of your wand and one inside of Voldemort's wand which means that if you were to ever duel him, your wands wouldn't act against each other."
"Does that mean if he tries to kill me, I won't die?"
"No," Remus said, carefully. "He can definitely still hurt you. It just means that your wands may act up or even connect. If that were to happen it would be a phenomenon known as priori incantatem where the wands would connect and force each wand to regurgitate its last spells used, essentially rendering them useless in a fight. So it might not be a bad idea to pick up a spare wand to have on you in case something like that ever happens. Also, it never hurts to have extra protection."
"I'm only allowed one wand in the tournament," Harry told him.
Remus nodded. "I know. But it's something that we can keep in mind for the future, yeah?"
He grinned as his stomach grumbled.
"Get down to dinner. I'll see you in Defence Club tomorrow."
"Thanks, Uncle Rem."
Remus only smiled at him as he watched him hurry off. He was really growing up into an amazing young man. He was incredibly proud of him. But as he grew up, he was also starting to really question things and Remus had a terrible feeling that Harry was right. If Voldemort somehow used Harry's blood in his ritual, he would be immune to the protection that Lily had left her son which would pit Harry, an innocent teenager, against the darkest wizard to have ever lived, and that was something that definitely couldn't happen.
And if Harry tried to fight him and their wands connected…
He really didn't want to be the one to tell Sirius about it, he thought.
~ ASC ~
Sirius used his towel to wipe the steam away from the mirror as he grabbed a comb to fix his hair Thursday evening before they went to Hogwarts to meet with Harry. He brushed it through and then squinted in the mirror, his eyes widening in horror.
"ZAHIRA!"
Zee ran into the bathroom, still tugging her jumper over her head. "What? What is it? Are you okay?"
Sirius closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. "Tell me, this is not what I think it is."
"Tell you what?" she asked, frowning. "Sirius, you're scaring me? Did Harry call? Did something happen?"
Sirius shook his head, his lips tightening as he slowly pointed to his head.
Zee stared at him in confusion and then she caught it in the light and she snorted earning a scowl from him. "Is that a white hair?"
"I am too young to have white hair!"
Zee had busted into laughter now, holding the doorframe of the bathroom for support. "You can get white hair at any age, Sirius."
Sirius had picked up the single hair now, leaning closer to the mirror to inspect it. "This is Harry's bloody fault! If his name hadn't come out of the Goblet of Fire, if he keeps finding himself in these situations that almost … he's lucky I haven't had a bloody heart attack yet with everything that's bloody happened to him! Look at my hair! It's ruined!"
Zee was still giggling as she moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, kissing his shoulder blade where the tattoo of the Marauder crest sat. "It's not ruined, you big drama queen."
She tugged his head down, plucked the hair between her fingers and yanked.
"BLOODY BUGGERING HELL! WAS THAT NECESSARY, WOMAN?"
Zee simply grinned. "Apparently it was. Look, you're white-hair free now. Calm yourself."
She made to go and he tugged her back against him. "You are a sadist."
She laughed. "Oh, I am, am I? You're lucky the white hair was only on your head. Just wait until I find one a little lower," she said, her hand slipping down his happy trail. "I'll tug it out too."
Sirius dipped his head to kiss her. "I love you, but if anyone is taking care of those white hairs, it's going to be me."
Zee chuckled against his mouth. "Finish getting dressed. We'll have a quick bite to eat before you go meet Harry for his first training session. You can tell him that he's ruining your hair."
Sirius only scowled at her in response.
End Author's Notes:
As many of you have noticed, I may not have the entire story planned, but what I do have planned, I attempt to foreshadow. For example, Will's love of Herbology, a small and very little name drop back in chapter eighty-seven about a third year Ravenclaw boy who worked with Neville to help fit the Mandrakes along with Professor Sprout… just saying, I am sneaky like that. And yes, Neville's plant will prove important, but I don't know how yet.
Thanks for reading and please review!