I got the spells in this chapter from lordwar's:

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Change

Quotes may be rearranged or reordered.

Direct book quotes are bolded. Paraphrased quotes are not bolded.


Chapter 4


Harry got up on Sunday morning and made his way to the Great Hall, where she was eating breakfast with Ginny. Feeling too queasy to eat, Harry waited until Hermione had swallowed her last spoonful of porridge, then dragged her out onto the grounds to plan out what to research for the next two days. They took another long walk around the lake before going back to the library and holing up almost until curfew that night.

Harry barely slept that night, his mind running too quickly over the spells he had learned from his previous schooling, as well as each of the useful spells he had learned in his training binge.

His new spells focused more on raw power to conclude combat situations than the more precise and low-powered spells he had learned in his previous years at Hogwarts.

Ossis Fragmen: the first of the bone curse series, Fulminis:a bolt of lightning which couldn't be deflected using armor (Harry thought it looked wicked), Absolvo Ancile: an extremely powerful white shield bubble that Harry could only keep up for five seconds before he was exhausted (but which should also protect him from almost everything for those few seconds), and finally Aegis: a less powerful silver shield bubble (that he learned when he realized his problem with Absolvo).

It was an impressive list of powerful spells for him to have learned in a little less than a month, given that he could only try or practice each of them a few times before he was exhausted, but Harry knew, he KNEW, that he didn't stand a chance against whatever was coming in the first task. Seventh years had died regularly in the tournament in previous years, and he was only a fourth year, no matter what spells he knew. With that depressing thought in mind, he finally fell into a restless sleep.

When he awoke on Monday morning, he seriously considered for the first time ever just running away from Hogwarts. But as he looked around the Great Hall at breakfast time, and thought about what leaving the castle would mean, he knew he couldn't do it. It was the only place he had ever been happy...well, he supposed he must have been happy with his parents too, but he couldn't remember that.

He finished his breakfast and started to Herbology. As Harry was leaving the Great Hall, he noticed Moody moving quickly to intercept him.

"Come with me, Potter," he growled.

"Er - Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology -"

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please..."

Harry followed him, wondering what Professor Moody wanted from him. What if he wanted to know what his plan was? He didn't even have a plan except 'survive'!

Harry resigned himself for the worst and followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one.

"Sit down," said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around.

He had visited this office under two of its previous occupants, but now the office was full of a number of exceptionally odd objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in the days when he had been an Auror.

On his desk stood what looked like a large, cracked, glass spinning top; Harry recognized it at once as a Sneakoscope, because he owned one himself, though it was much smaller than Moody's. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial. It was humming slightly. What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus.

"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?" said Moody, who was watching Harry closely.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial.

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies...no use here, of course, too much interference - students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff," he added in a growl.

"And what's the mirror for?"

"Oh that's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk."

He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It had seven keyholes in a row. Harry wondered what was in there, until Moody's next question brought him sharply back to earth.

"So, do you have a plan for the first task yet?" He growled out.

Harry hesitated. He'd been afraid of this.

"It's all right," said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."

"I didn't cheat," said Harry, looking at the man oddly.

"And I have a plan." Harry added with more confidence than he felt.

Moody grinned. "I wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human."

Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swiveled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it.

"I'm glad you've got a plan," said Moody with a nod, "Care to share?"

"No," replied Harry bluntly.

Moody laughed.

"Well, I can't fault you there," said Moody with a twisted grin. "Constant Vigilance! You never know when somebody might use information against you. But I have a piece of general advice for you- play to your strengths, not theirs."

"Isn't that a good plan for anything?" asked Harry before he could stop himself.

"Damn right it is," growled Moody, "Hit'm where they're weak, like the eyes. Don't even try going through the breastplate- that's where they're strongest. Keep hitting them even when they're down, things can get right nasty when they're hurt."

"My second piece of general advice," added Moody, "is to use a nice, simple spell that will enable you to get what you need."

Harry looked at him blankly. What did he need?

Cognizant of Moody watching him very closely and waiting for an answer, he spoke.

"Thank you for the advice Professor."

"Anytime boy." Moody said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you figured it out boy." Moody called after Harry as he turned and walked out of the office.


He forced down some dinner after Divination, then went to an empty classroom to practice with Hermione. They kept at it until past midnight, then they used the Invisibility Cloak to avoid the teachers. They would have stayed longer, but Harry and Hermione both agreed he needed to be rested for whatever the task was.

When Harry awoke on the following morning, the atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Afternoon lessons were canceled, giving all the students time to get down to where the first task would be held.

Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing "We'll have a box of tissues ready, Potter" as he passed. It was a state of resigned and resolved determination that he made his way through the day. He had done everything he could to prepare, he couldn't do anything but relax at this point and enjoy his morning classes.

Just as he was finishing lunch, the message he had been expecting came.

"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now...You have to get ready for your first task." Professor McGonagall told him firmly.

"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"

"Yeah," said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.

He heft the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head...We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand...The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you...Are you all right?"

"Yes," Harry heard himself say. "Yes, I'm fine."

She led him around the edge of the forest and when they approached a clump of trees, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the location of the task from view.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there...he'll be telling you the - the procedure... Good luck."

"Thanks," said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry went inside.

Fleur Delacour sat in a corner on a low wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When Harry entered, Cedric gave him a glance like a caged tiger, which Harry returned with an expression of bland indifference, feeling the muscles in his face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to remain still.

"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too...ah, yes...your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Harry glanced around. Cedric had blinked several times in confusion at the proclamation, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this...

And in no time at all, Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack.

"Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.

She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon.

Harry nearly fainted at the sight.

'Dragons? DRAGONS? Holy shit!' Harry thought with dismay as he sat down and closed his eyes for a moment. 'I have to take an egg, from a mother dragon… Oh my God… I'm going to die.'

Harry opened his eyes to examine the model Fleur had pulled.

It was an emerald green one, with the number two on a placard around its neck. In that instant Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise but rather a determined resignation, that she had somehow known what was coming.

As he glanced around again, he noticed that the same held true for Krum as he pulled out the scarlet one. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.

When Cedric, on the other hand, put a trembling hand into the bag and out came a blueish-gray one, the number one tied around its neck, he practically fell over right there. He sat down shortly thereafter, though whether that was because of fear or resignation was difficult to say.

He felt a rush of rage at the unfairness of the whole situation. 'Promoting international cooperation'- HA! Those bastards knew what was coming and didn't even bother to mention it to us!

Knowing what number was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out a demonic looking black one, with spikes all over and mean yellow eyes, wearing the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs as it tried to attack his thumb.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now...Harry...could I have a quick word? Outside?"

"Er...yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face.

"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"

"A lawyer." croaked Harry.

"Er- A what?" Bagman asked, looking at Harry like he was some sort of exotic animal.

"I need a lawyer." Harry said after licking his suddenly dry lips. "Do you know anyone here today who is a lawyer?"

"Er, yeah, I'll send them right over then." Bagman said as he hurried off. A few minutes later, a whistle was blown somewhere.

A few seconds after that, a very pale man dressed in all black and wearing large sunglasses walked over.

"Mr. Bagman said you wanted a lawyer Mr. Potter?" He said in a smooth voice that sent shivers up Harry's spine.

"Yes actually," Harry said with far more calmness than he felt as the crowd roared, meaning that Cedric must have started the task, "I would like to make a will."

The pale mans' eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. The crowd was screaming, gasping a whatever show Cedric was putting on. The man grabbed a pair of folding chairs leaning on the side of the tent and set them down, gesturing for Harry to sit. Harry flopped down gratefully.

"I am Sanguini, and I will have to ask you a few questions before we can start."

The man suddenly had a briefcase in his hand which he promptly set on his lap and opened, drawing forth an official looking piece of paper, all scrolls and gold-leaf on the edges, and pulled a fountain pen from an inner pocket on his coat.

"Have you ever had a will before Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head. Sangini only nodded at this, and he began to write.

Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he listened to the Bagmans' commentary. There was only the faint scritch-scratch of the pen to distract him from the shouts of excitement.

"I have finished transcribing the standard opening, would you like me to read it to you or would you like to write the rest of the will first?" Sanguini asked, giving no inclination to his preference.

"I-" Harry swallowed dryly, "I think my will is going to be simple enough to do before we read the opening. One reading at the end is fine."

Sanguini nodded, then poised himself to write.

"I want a thousand galleons to go to Cedric Diggory, since I noticed he got shafted nearly as badly as I did with the other schools' cheating in this stupid tournament and wanted to let him know there weren't any hard feelings between us. He's been a right sport about this whole botched up thing. I want another thousand to go to Fred and George Weasley for their joke shop. There should be enough in my trust vault alone to cover that."

"I want everything else to go to Hermione Granger, a Muggleborn witch currently attending her fourth year at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. She is the daughter of Emma Granger nee Wilkins and Daniel Granger, both muggles." Harry said hoarsely, "I also name her heir of House Potter and heir to any other houses I control."

Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"

But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Sanguini looked up from the paper.

"We need two witnesses to verify the will. Do you have suggestions?"

Harry's nod was more of a spasm.

"Neville Longbottom and Professor-" Harry paused. Dumbledore was busy judging the others. "-McGonagall." He finished.

"They're out in the crowd…I'll go get them then?" Sanguini asked calmly. Harry nodded jerkily.

He set out two more chairs and then sat, listening to the crowd roar and the Bagman yell excitedly.

"What did you need me for Harry?" Neville asked as he appeared, walking the starter tent. "That man said it was urgent."

"I need you to witness my will."

Neville halted with a look of shock on his face.

"Y-you think you are going to die?" Harry nodded an affirmation. Neville sank slowly into his seat with a look of absolute horror on his face.

Professor McGonagall came around the edge of the tent in a rush, followed closely by Sanguini.

"Thar was an emergency?" She asked, looking around with a little frown.

"I need you to witness my will." Harry said again.

"Ye ain't gonna ta die Mr. Potter. I'm sure Albus hae many safty mea'rs in place." She said with a much deeper frown.

"I want you to witness my will anyway please. Take it as something to relax me if you have to." Harry stated.

McGonagall gave him a long look, then nodded and took her seat. Sanguini read the will as the crowd exploded from another successful challenge.

I, Harry James Potter, being of sound mind and body, do declare that this document is my last will and testament. This document was, created and witnessed on November the 24th in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-four A.D., and this document hereby supersedes any will I have previously made.

I declare that my estate is to be distributed in the following way:

Sanguini Drakul is to receive a fifty galleon fee for penning and ensuring execution of the will.

Cedric Diggory is to receive one thousand galleons. I wish you to know I held no hard feelings for you. I would also like to give you compensation for the cheating I observed from the other schools in this ill-conceived tournament.

Fred and George Weasley are to jointly receive one thousand galleons, or separately receive five hundred each, for the purpose of founding your joke shop.

The remainder of my properties, money, magical and legal inheritances, and everything else that I own I bequeath to Hermione Granger.

I also hereby name Hermione Granger heir to House Potter, as well as heir any other houses I unknowingly control.

Sanguini Drakul- Executor of will

Harry James Potter- Executee of will

Neville Longbottom- Witness

Minerva McGonagall- Witness

Sanguini and Harry signed it beneath the watchful eyes of McGonagall and Neville, and then the two witnesses signed the document wordlessly. They both turned to Harry, but the whistle blew before they could speak.

It was time.

Harry stood smoothly, his previous nervousness crushed beneath a wave of adrenaline as he walked through the tent and into the dragon enclosure.

He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream. There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the dragon, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do...to focus his mind, entirely and absolutely.

'Hit'm in the eyes.' Moody's voice called from his memory. 'Do simple stuff.'

Harry raised his wand and cast, already walking towards the dragon.

"Reducto!" Harry roared, aiming for one of the eyes. The red light of the curse struck the dragon in the leg instead, Harry still too far away to hit a target that small accurately, and glanced off like bouncy-ball hitting a stone wall.

Harry stopped walking and gaped for a moment.

'Blimy, I knew they were spell-resistant, but that's just bollox.'

"Stupify, Rictusempra, Tarantallegra, Reducio, Furnunculus!" Harry cast at the head of the creature in morbid fascination. They all bounced off or vanished without a trace into the dragon's skin.

"Ossus Effergo!"

The grey bone-breaking curse bounced off just like the others had. Harry was starting to panic.

"Fulminis!"

A bolt of lightning ripped across the open ground between him and the dragon, seeking out one of its' eyes. It struck the dragon on the nose, and the dragon roared in protest at the shock. Something akin to primordial hatred began to glint in those evil, yellow, eyes.

Harry nodded as he noted the effect of the spell on the dragon. Harry began running towards it, seeking to keep the few boulders scattered about the arena between them. He got to within twenty feet of the dragon before it decided he was a worthwhile threat and sucked in air, clearly about to breath fire.

Harry jumped behind the nearest boulder just as the dragon breathed.

He closed his eyes and screamed as the roaring flames began to blister his face and hands, even though the beam of flame ('and who the hell thought of that as 'breathing fire'?! It's a freaking laser!') was diverted around the rock in a cone of white-hot destruction. He cast Aegis on reflex and sighed with relief as the heat vanished.

He opened his eyes to one of the coolest (and scariest) sights he had ever seen- a roiling tube of flame, rushing backward from the boulder nearly twenty feet before petering out.

Everything outside the sphere of his shield was on fire, shimmering drunkenly through a heat haze so powerful that it looked like a van Gogh painting. He couldn't even hear the crowd over the roar of the flames.

Harry poured some more magic into his shield as it started to flicker out. It was awe-inspiring. Even hidden behind a rock and not directly in the path of the main concussive force of flames, his shield was starting to fail. It was failing just from the ambient heat!

It was nearly thirty seconds before the flame-beam ended.

Harry dropped his shield and was struck by an incredible wave of heat as he stood. He absently cast a flame-freezing charm on himself as he examined the changes in the terrain created by the dragon's breath.

There was a three foot moat of bubbling stone on both sides of the boulders' shadow, the boulder itself was glowing red on the back and was dripping off the edges and was appreciably smaller than it had been before the blast, and there were long gouges in the still-solid (though glowing red) rocks at the side of the new moat.

Harry took a running leap and jumped over the lava moat to the right, sprinting for the next closest rock.

The dragon's neck reached out after Harry and it snapped at his heels as he dove behind the next boulder, which was just barely outside the dragon's reach due to the chain around the base of its neck.

Harry laughed at the hatred evident in the dragons' eye as it tried to figure out how to turn its' head just a little bit to attack behind the rock without losing that last foot of reach necessary to get to Harry. It was a bit closer than Harry had estimated, but he was still safe at the moment.

The dragon's head withdrew, probably giving up for now.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes as he gathered himself. Suddenly the crowd roared and Harry's eyes popped open to the sight of a spiked and whiplike tail rushing around the boulder.

'How did I forget that the tail is longer?' Harry wondered as the tail impacted his head and everything went black.


Finally, the first loop is done. Don't worry if you weren't fond of this loop, things will pick up a bit.