Chapter 18
Harry had expected his father to show up after he got the message from Remus, but he had not expected the 12 Elven armed guards that accompanied him. As they marched into the Great Hall during dinner that night, Harry groaned and tried to hide his face behind Hermione's bushy hair.
"What's going on?" Ron asked. "Why are they here?"
"I have a feeling it was my mother's idea," he said. "Since she's pregnant, my father probably wouldn't let her come, so she sent them instead."
Ron snickered, and Harry's face turned red.
"Harry, that's not so unusual," Hermione said. "I mean, you're an Elven prince. Of course they're going to want to protect you. Somebody put your name in the Goblet, so there's a very good chance that your life's in danger. In the Muggle world, the royal family always has guards near by. No one's going to think anything about it."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Of course. In fact, when I found out you were a prince, I was surprised that you didn't have an entourage. That's what people expect in our world."
Ron looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but she kicked him under the table before he could say anything.
Harry let out a loud sigh. "That's a relief. I was afraid everyone would think I was a coward or something."
"Of course no one thinks that, Harry. You're a prince. That's all there is to it."
"Well, I guess being a prince is good for something. At least it hides the fact that I have an overprotective mother."
"Hey, if my mum could afford an entourage, I'd have one, too," Ron said. "I know what it's like to have an overprotective mum."
The hall quieted as Dumbledore stood to make an announcement. "Queen Thespa of the Elven Realm has been good enough to send a group of her guards to help Professor Black with the security of the school during the Triwizard Tournament. Please extend to them every courtesy while they are here."
Harry felt much better as the students filed out of the Great Hall to go to their common rooms for the evening. He was grateful to the headmaster for making sure that everyone knew the guards were for the entire student body and not just him.
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The first task was scheduled for Tuesday, November 25. Harry had no idea what the first task was, but he had a feeling his father had found out. Mithrael and the guards were camping near the Forbidden Forest behind Hagrid's hut. His father often accompanied Sirius on security checks at the school, or they walked through the halls during and between classes. Harry did notice that they always seemed to be in the area where he had class, but they were not obvious, so he didn't mind too much.
One afternoon, he met his father near the Quidditch pitch when he and Ron went out to fly.
"Your methara will be here for the first task," his father told him.
Harry frowned. "But, Daka, won't it upset her? I mean, she's pregnant, and the task might be dangerous."
His father grinned at him. "Oh, I do not think it will upset her, Seth. I do not think you will find the first task much of a challenge."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I do, but I am not allowed to say. You must wait and find out when the others do."
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Harry sat alone inside the tent waiting for his turn to face the first task. To his relief, he had discovered that all they would have to do is face a dragon. Of course, they were to retrieve a golden egg out of her nest, which contained her real eggs, but Harry was not concerned about that. He was just relieved that his methara would have nothing to be concerned about.
From outside the tent, shouts, screams, and groans had been heard, and then the sound of applause. Cedric and Fleur had collected their eggs, and Victor was still trying to get his. He heard another loud groan from the audience, and then applause. Victor had his egg, so it was time.
Harry stood at the opening of the tent and waited for the whistle, which was his signal. At last, the whistle was blown, and Harry walked out of the tent and through the forest to the enclosure where the Hungarian Horntail was sitting on her nest. As he entered the enclosure, he bowed to her, and looking up into her eyes, spoke to her in his mind.
Great Mother. Do not be afraid. The Wizards mean you no harm.
The large dragon lowered her head until she and Harry were nose to nose. There were loud gasps from the crowd and some of the girls screamed.
Why are you here, Elf Child?
The Wizards have placed a golden egg in your nest, and I am to retrieve it. It is not one that contains your young. When I have retrieved the egg, the Wizards will take you and your young back to your home. Neither you nor your eggs will be harmed.
The Dragon got off her nest and turned to examine her eggs. When she saw the golden one, she carefully raised a long, thick talon and rolled it out of her nest. It landed at Harry's feet.
Thank you, Great Mother.
She settled herself back on her nest. Harry bowed to her, picked up the egg, and walked out of the enclosure.
The crowd sat in stunned silence, then suddenly burst into deafening applause.
"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" Ludo Bagman's voice announced over the noise of the crowd. "The dragon practically handed him the egg! Three minutes, and not a mishap or injury! What an amazing feat! It's up to the judges now, but my guess is that this will put Harry firmly in first place."
Harry couldn't understand their surprise. Then again, Wizards did not talk to magical creatures in their minds the way Elves did, so he supposed it might seem quite amazing to one who did not know any better.
He saw his parents and grandparents in the crowd and waved to them. They waved back, large smiles on their faces.
Harry looked up as his scores were revealed. Madame Maxime, Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman all gave him a 10. Karkaroff only gave him an 8, but it didn't matter. Harry was in first place.
Harry's parents and grandparents, along with Sirius and Remus, accompanied him to the Gryffindor common room where a party was being held in his honor. Underneath his arm, he carried the golden egg, which Mr. Bagman had told them would contain the clue for the next task. He would not worry about that now. He would enjoy the time with his friends and family.
When they reached the common room, they could hear the celebration from outside. He gave the password to the Fat Lady, and she let them in.
"Harry! It's Harry!" the crowd shouted when Harry entered with his family. Fred and George ran over and lifted him up on their shoulders. The crowd begged him to open the egg in the common room so they could all hear the next clue. Finally, Harry relented. When the egg was opened, the most horrible screech sounded, causing everyone to cover their ears. Fred and George dropped Harry from their shoulders.
Getting up from the floor, Harry's eyes met his fathers. They grinned at each other, having recognized the awful noise. It was the sound the merpeople who lived in the lake in the Elven Realm made when they stuck their heads out of the water to scold Harry for throwing rocks into the lake. He knew the only way to understand it was to open it while submerged in water. Tomorrow, he would go out with his father to the lake and listen to the clue.
When the celebration was over, Harry walked with his mother to the Forbidden Forest where the portal would take her and his grandparents back to the Elven Realm.
"You did well, my son," she said. "The next task will be after the baby is born, so she and I will come to watch you together."
Harry smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for coming, Metha. I will take good care of Daka until we return for the birth of my sister."
She smiled and stroked his hair. "You do that, my son. And come home safe to me."
"I promise that I will," he said.
She gave him another kiss and a long hug, and then Harry hugged his grandparents while his father and mother said their goodbyes. After they had left, his father walked him back to the school.
"You recognized the voices from the egg," his father said.
Harry nodded. "Yes, I've heard them often enough. Daka, can we go into the lake tomorrow to listen to the clues?"
"Yes. We will do it before breakfast so the others will not see what you are doing."
"When the weekend comes, may I sleep in the camp with you and the others?"
"You must ask the headmaster for permission," he said. "His rules are the ones that matter here."
"All right, Daka. I'll ask, and I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, my son."
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Early the next morning, Harry met his father at the camp near Hagrid's hut. They walked to the lake, and after Harry placed warming charms on them both, stripped out of their clothes, and waded in. When they were in the water, Harry opened the egg.
Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour, the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
Harry and Mithrael rose from the lake, gasping for air. "That was a long clue," Harry said, taking in deep breaths of air.
"Do you understand it?" his father asked as they waded ashore and began to dress.
"Yes. There must be merpeople in this lake, also, Daka. And they will take something that is important to me. I'll have to go to the village of the merpeople to find it, and I'll only have an hour. Daka, I'm going to need some of the gillyweed that grows by the lake in the valley!"
"Do not worry, Seth. I will go to the Elven Realm and gather it for you."
"Please bring back enough for me to explore the lake so that I can find the village before the task. Do you think I should do that? It's not cheating, is it?"
"I do not think it is cheating. Otherwise, there would be no reason to give you the clue, except for you to prepare to spend an hour under water. I will bring enough back for you to explore the lake."
"Thank you, Daka."
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In transfiguration class that afternoon, Professor McGonagall announced that there would be a Yule Ball on Christmas day. Harry would have to wear dress robes and invite a girl to go with him because he and the other champions would be opening the dance.
"I don't envy you," Ron told him as they walked to dinner that evening.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Having to dance in front of all those people. Who are you going to ask to be your partner?"
"I was going to ask Ginny," Harry said. "Who will you ask?"
"I don't know," Ron said. "I haven't thought about it."
"Why don't you ask Hermione, and then we can all go together as friends? It'll be more fun that way."
Ron looked thoughtful. "All right," he said finally. "I'll ask her at dinner."
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"Uncle Sirius! Uncle Sirius!" Harry ran down the hallway to catch up with his godfather.
Sirius stopped and turned quickly, watching his godson rush toward him. "What's wrong, Harry?" he asked, concerned.
Harry stopped in front of him, breathing heavily. "No-nothing's wrong. I need some dress robes for the Yule ball. Can we go shopping?"
Sirius grinned. "Who are you taking to the ball?"
"G-Ginny Weasley," he said, putting his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "I ran all the way from the Great Hall."
Sirius laughed. "Can you dance, Harry?"
"No, but Ginny's going to teach me. She's going to write to her mum tonight to ask her to send her some dress robes."
"Tell Ginny not to do that. Tell her that I'm going to take you both out for dress robes this weekend so that you'll match."
"All right," Harry said. "Thanks, Uncle Sirius."
"Don't mention it, Harry. Oh, by the way. Who is Ron taking?"
"Hermione. We're all going together, but Ginny and I have to open the ball with the other champions and their partners, so I want to look decent and be able to dance well."
"Why don't you invite Ron and Hermione to go shopping with us, then? Tell them their dress robes are on me. It'll me my Christmas present to them."
"Oh, good. They'll like that."
"Have you figured out your clue for the next task yet?"
"Yeah," he said leaning close to his godfather. "It's going to be in the lake in the village of the merpeople. It shouldn't be too difficult."
Sirius gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good for you, Harry. I knew you'd win."
His godson grinned at him. "Well, if I have to compete, I may as well win," he said. "I've got to go tell the others about the dress robes. See you later, Uncle Sirius."