Disclaimer: Nope and never will.

AN: Again, I thank you for the reviews. I would also like to especially thank Cateagle and Aealkat for their suggestions and help as I work things out in this story. I've tried to write Harry to show him coming out of his emotional black hole. Cedric played a part but it is largely due to Megan and her unwavering support of him. The love of a good woman can do many things and she is gently pushing Harry into being the man he needs to be.

I would also like to add that my version of the third task takes on a different flavor than the rest of the story and I hope you don't totally hate it. It was time for James' genes to finally show themselves.

Chapter 8

The rest of the morning was spent wandering around the grounds as the adults told stories from their days at Hogwarts. Cedric and Megan's parents even added some about Harry's parents which he was very grateful for. The stories he had been told in the past were always slanted to show how heroic they were but never told about the people they really were. As they talked, Harry began to think that Poppy was right and Megan was really a lot like Lily.

At one point during the morning, Megan pulled Luna aside and said "I don't know what you did but thank you. I expected Harry to be rather hard to calm down."

"It was easy, I just shooed the nargles away and he calmed immediately."

Megan glared at her before Luna added "I was happy to. He wasn't so bad when I got there but I think you need to make some alone time for him. I get the feeling that something about that wand left him unsettled."

Megan pulled Luna into a hug. "I will."

Lunch time quickly approached and the champions were called back into the anteroom. As they made their way, Harry tensed up in expectation of another confrontation. He soon found Reginald placing his hand on his shoulder and asking "You want us to scout it out before you go in there?"

Harry nodded his head and muttered "Yes, thanks."

Luckily, none of Harry's 'family' stayed around for another round and the meal was enjoyed by all. The only detraction from the whole dinner was when the judges decided it would be a good idea to spend the time in the company of the champions and their families.

When Dumbledore sat directly across from Harry, he had flashbacks from the memories the wand and cloak had shown him and he immediately stiffened. Harry had an epiphany that it wasn't Harry's life he was trying to ruin but that of the Potters in general. He had no proof but he now felt that Dumbledore was somehow involved in the death of his parents. The question was did he do it himself and blame Tom or did he point Tom in the direction he needed him to go. From the lessons with Daphne, Megan, and Cedric, he made a leap in logic and came up with the theory that Harry's life was being maneuvered so that he would die. With Sirius out of the picture and Albus firmly in place as his guardian, he had probably placed himself as the beneficiary of the Potter estate. The problem was that he couldn't get the answers to his questions until he was able to take control over his house. He fully expected to see a will signed by him giving Dumbledore everything including the title of Lord Potter.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became so that finally he couldn't stomach looking at the man. Harry shot Albus a look of pure loathing and then excused himself. As he stood, Megan excused herself as well and grabbed his hand before he made it out the door. Once they exited, Luna jumped up and said "I'll go chaperone."

Cedric's extended family realized that Dumbledore's presence was the reason for Harry's hasty departure and they shut him out of the conversation and refused to answer any questions he posed to them. The foreign families were well aware that something was going on beneath the surface and opted to stay out of it by conversing in their own language.

The Great Hall was full of boisterous students who were excited to have no classes the rest of the day. The talk was of the third task that would be held that evening and who they thought would come away with the win. Most of the students were caught by surprise as Harry burst out of the door to the anteroom and made his way quickly to the doors leading to the entrance hall. Some of Harry's housemates looked rather down as he made his way past them without even acknowledging their presence and at least they had the sense not to push the matter. Hermione was a different matter. She tried to use his appearance to her advantage and stood and stepped out in front of him. She said "Good luck Harry. I know you'll do great."

Harry was in no mood to deal with her and tried to sidestep her only to be blocked once more. Harry sneered at her and said "If you're so sure of my performance, I hope you used your hard earned money to place a bet on me and maybe increase your savings."

"But Harry?"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say Miss Granger. It's all about the choices we make. You and your friends chose to not believe me and then made me an outcast. I have decided to return the favor and nothing you say to me will ever make a difference. A true friend wouldn't do that." Harry and Megan stepped around her and continued on leaving Hermione standing alone.

The words cut through her and she realized at that point that nothing she could say would ever change his opinion of her. She thought back to her short visit with her parents this morning and how they told her that Harry said that he knew her well to know that no one could ever make her do anything unless she wanted to. They made it quite clear that her excuses were not going to work with either him or them. Hermione knew she was falling in love with him at the end of last year. When they reunited after summer holidays, she knew that he felt the same way and was giving him time to say something when the Goblet happened and she had thrown it away. It was his words that told her he was fully aware of her betrayal and there would be no going back. If one thing was obvious, Harry had moved on and was starting to thrive with his new friends and girlfriend. Maybe it was time for her to do the same so she was now going to seriously consider taking her parents offer and finding a new school for next year. She only hoped that she would get accepted after news of her actions got out.

As with all things Harry Potter, their exit did not go unnoticed by most of the occupants of the Great Hall. Daphne saw it and considering how close Harry and Megan were getting, damn that lucky girl, she guesses that they were going to spend some time alone before the task. Daphne really didn't think anything about it until she saw Luna moving quickly and with purpose not too far behind them. She knew Luna well enough to know that she never moved like that unless something was up. She waited a few minutes before finishing up and exiting the hall as well. As she stepped out the doors of the castle, she saw the little blond heading down to the lake and followed her to what she knew was Harry's rock.

Harry looked up at her approach and said "Good, I was trying to figure out a way to get you out here. I need all of your help working through some things."

"No offense Luna but do you think she needs to be here for this Harry? I know she won't reveal anything, well not that anyone but you could probably understand but secrecy has worked well for us so far."

Harry looked at Luna for a minute before saying "Yeah, I think she does. I don't understand some of it and Luna's unique way of looking at things may give us the insight we need."

Luna stuck her tongue out at her cousin before sitting next to Daphne.

Harry said "It all started with the wand this morning. That glow was weird and I actually felt the wand bond to my core. It wasn't anything like when I got my holly wand."

Luna asked "May I see your wand Harry?"

He snorted at her but pulled it out of his wrist holder. When he handed it to her, she studied it for a minute before saying "This wand has a very old magic feel to it. When I found you earlier, you said you were in a trance. What did it show you?"

He hesitated for a minute before saying "I saw the history of the wand as it passed through different hands through the ages. The older ones were a blur because they went by so fast but I could almost feel joy from it every time it was in the hands of a Potter."

Luna looked dreamily off in the distance and said "The Potters are descended from the Peverells. Did it react with your cloak?"

"Yes."

"May I ask what the cloak showed you?"

"It has never left the Potter line except once. Dumbledore had it after dad's death. How he got it I don't know but it was given to me in first year. I don't think it ever worked for him."

Megan asked "Has anyone else ever used it?"

"Not without me. I have two things of my father's and I don't just lend them out."

Daphne said "This is all interesting Harry but there's got to be a reason for your needing to talk."

"Are there any stories of how Dumbledore got this wand?"

Megan said "Rumor says he won it from Grindelwald."

Harry sighed "Well, that may be what he told everyone but, he killed my grandfather trying to get it from him. My grandfather used his last bit of magic to banish it to the Potter vault so that Dumbledore wouldn't get it."

Daphne said "Yet he somehow managed to gain possession of it and kept it until you took it from him."

"Yes, the wand showed me a lot of things but not everything. It slept in the vault until it was awoken by Dumbledore with Bearclaw watching. They did something to force it to serve the Headmaster. The only problem is that I have no time reference to go by. Was it before or after my parents were killed?"

Megan was following his thinking and said "You think Dumbledore set up your parents to be murdered so he could get control over you and the family vaults. He made sure there was no resistance to his plans and everyone who could have taken over your guardianship managed to be incapacitated in some way."

Daphne said "Whoa now, that's a pretty big leap."

Harry said "You're not operating with the complete set of facts either. Could all this be real?"

Luna replied in a soft voice "Men have been willing to do anything to have possession of that wand."

Daphne asked "Elder?"

Luna just nodded her head.

Megan said "Those are just children's stories."

Luna said "And yet we have a wand that has a long and bloody history. We have the perfect cloak that has been passed down from father to son for generations and yet it has never lost its abilities. And we have an old coot that has always been interested in the subject. He even talked to my father about it one evening and if I remember right, he was asking his opinion on what the stone could be."

Harry asked "What are you talking about?"

Megan said "The Deathly Hallows. They are supposed to be three incredibly powerful magical artifacts that when united would give the holder the power over death."

Luna said "Let's assume you have two. Can you feel the third?"

"I feel my magic pulling me back towards England."

Daphne said "If Dumbledore killed to get it once, he might try again."

Harry said "It's possible but I don't think that will be the case now. The look in his eye this morning when it bonded to me was one of resignation and he knows that I have possession of both items now and they both work for me. Maybe he thinks they'll give me some protection from death already. That's what I needed to talk to you about. I think he has been setting me up to die since my parents did and I keep surviving somehow. I have a feeling that even if he got his hands on the objects now, they still wouldn't do what he expects. He may try to force them to work for him but it wouldn't be the same as the objects bonding to him."

Luna said "So you think that the power of the Hallows would die when the last person in the Peverell line dies."

Harry looked down and said "I don't think the power would die. Maybe it needs the Peverell blood or magic to activate it. Maybe giving me the cloak was an experiment to see if it would work for me."

Daphne said "He's probably set up a will in your name and named himself as your beneficiary. He wants control over House Potter who is technically the last great light house. The presence of Bearclaw half way confirms this."

Luna said "No, he wants House Peverell. That would be the key but it wouldn't be that easy or else he would have never given you the cloak."

Harry asked "So do you think this is too far fetched?"

Megan answered "Everything he has done to you reinforces the theory and the fact that he killed you grandfather supports it. If we had proof about your parents, I'd say it would be definite."

"So what do we do about it?"

Daphne said "I don't know Harry. Let's give it some thought but it's not really something I think you would want to be known. I'm honored that you would trust me with this."

Harry smiled "Why wouldn't I trust you Daphne, you're my friend and friends help each other. All of you have done so much for me so I think I should repay the favor."

Daphne said "You know you don't owe us anything."

Harry said "I know but you and your families have been the first real support I have ever had. I wouldn't feel right about destroying your family fortunes."

Megan gasped out "What are you talking about Harry?"

"Tell your families that they need to start quietly moving everything out of Gringotts this summer. They are up to their necks in this whole thing and if I have my way, House Potter will no longer associate itself with them any longer than I have to which means I will be taking everything I am entitled to out of their hands."

Daphne said "That would be problematic for them. I don't know numbers but rumor has it that they use Potter money to fund most of their endeavors. It was an agreement set up in the beginning when they helped the Goblins get their start just like they have done for many families."

**LC**

They got up from the rock and began walking around the grounds lost in thought as the final task approached. Luna led them to a small tent and said "I think we need to be here. Go inside."

Megan stuck her head in the tent flap and then with a smile, quickly tugged Harry inside. Once the four stepped in, they found a large conference room where all of their families were talking. As soon as they were noticed, Reginald jumped up and said "Ah there you are. We were hoping we'd get a chance to speak again today. We would like your input on a few things before we make any moves."

Harry replied "I'm sure I would be fine with anything you decide as long as Megan, Cedric, and Daphne agree to it. They have done a really good job of preparing me but as this afternoon showed, I still rely heavily on their advice."

Megan took Harry by the hand and personally introduced him to each and every person that Harry didn't know. When she sat down, she said "I thought it would be easier if Harry was not talking to strangers. We've all had the advantage of knowing each other for years where Harry has not. I apologize for this Harry but his biggest fear is looking like a fool in front of you and you thinking he's not worth your time."

Cecelia Diggory rose and walked over to Harry. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said "You never have to worry about that. Our children believe in you and we know how ill prepared you are for all that you face. If that isn't enough, James and Lily's son could never be unworthy in our eyes."

Reginald Jones said "Yes Harry, don't worry about that. My daughter seems to be making her intentions quite clear so you'll at least always have House Jones to back you up."

Megan blushed as several people chuckled at his comment. Harry merely nodded and took them by surprise. "The day Megan came into my life was the day my life started turning around. I would be lost without her."

As a joke, Cedric said "Look out Uncle Reg, you'll be writing up a betrothal contract before long."

Playing along with Cedric, Harry said "That may not be a bad idea but it will have to wait until I have more say in the affairs of my house."

Megan stared at him with a wide smile. Daphne laughed and said "Our families don't do that kind of thing anymore Harry. We just told you about them in case you had to deal with one for being from such an old family. You just basically said you intended to marry Megan. Do we need to go back for more lessons because I know you were taught to watch your words more carefully?"

Harry gave Daphne that smirk that infuriated her and said "I learned my lessons well my dear sister."

As soon as she processed what had been said, her eyes grew wide and the room got very quiet. Harry had made two very pointed comments regarding Megan and now Daphne. His referring to her as his sister publicly was the closest thing to an adoption between the ancient houses without actually sharing blood especially when he made the claim in front of several Lords including her father. Megan reacted by giving him a passionate kiss in front of the whole group and after they finished, it was quite clear of her thoughts on the matter as she could have been facing Harry's horntail and the smile still wouldn't have come off her face. When Megan was finished with him, the normally stoic Daphne was out of her seat and pulled him into a hug as well. She said "I feel the same way about you to. The brother I never had."

Megan turned to her mother and said "By the way mother, the next time you decide to try and convince me of something, make sure you aren't contradicting yourself. You and Aunt Cecelia used that particular example when you were talking about the arcane magic tied to Most Ancient and Noble Houses."

Kathleen sputtered and Cecelia just chuckled at her. When Reginald gave her an inquisitive look, Luna said "Aunt Kathleen tried to convince my cousin that the Potter bond wasn't real but yet we have Megan here who has never acted as a girl in her whole life now being all girly and prettying herself up."

Harry emphatically said "I thought she was beautiful before she did all this."

Megan kissed him once more and said "Thank you Harry."

He pulled her close and said "You said we had some things to discuss."

Jonathan Greengrass said "I'm impressed daughter. You three have done a remarkable job."

Daphne nodded at the compliment and replied "We were fortunate to have good stock to work with."

Reginald said "Well, now that I've got my voice back, I think we will leave that discussion for later. That is my daughter you are talking about and she is only fifteen. I think that is far to early to be considering that, bond or no bond."

Harry smiled and said "Yes Sir. I completely understand as I'm sure Megan will be giving me the same look Kathleen is giving you now when I react to some young man nosing around our fifteen year old daughter."

Kathleen stopped her glare at Reginald and looked at Harry with a smile that went all the way up to her eyes. "Oh well done Harry!"

Harry flashed her a grin before Reginald cleared his throat. "Yes well getting down to business, we have been approached by several families due to our association with you. Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones came to me in the hope that we could repair the damage that has been done. They made it very clear that they are not happy with the actions of the heir and heiress of their houses and seek your forgiveness. They are willing to offer considerable concessions to avoid the termination of their alliances with House Potter. In short, they will amend their wills and grant you stewardship of both houses until an acceptable heir comes forward if their own heirs do not repair the rift between your houses."

Harry looked to Megan with raised eyebrows. She said "Merlin Daddy, Harry may have done well but you have to remember all this is maybe two months old to him. My Harry is no Crabbe or Goyle but you need to speak a little plainer for now. What he said baby was that Amelia and Augusta said that if Neville and Susan don't get their head out of their arse and fix things between you that they will assign a kind of guardianship of their houses to you when they die and it will be up to you to name the Lord or Lady of the house from Neville's and Susan's children."

Harry asked "Isn't that a little harsh just for pissing me off?"

Amos said "Not in their eyes Harry. The loss of the alliances would be a very bad thing. They would lose respect and become outcasts with no one willing to take a chance at trusting them. I doubt they would ever recover from it. A good example of this is the Weasley family. They violated an alliance several centuries ago and the family still has not recovered. Arthur is a good man but the stigma will forever be attached to the name. Their association with Dumbledore was helping to repair their image but the actions of the younger Weasleys have just reminded everyone of their previous betrayal. I find it amusing that the Weasley who caused their family's downfall in the first place was named Billius."

Harry looked into Megan's eyes and asked "What kind of a man would I be if I caused the same thing to happen to them as what happened to me this year?"

Kathleen said "A human one."

Harry asked "What do you think love?"

"That's an answer I can't give you but I will support you in whatever you decide."

Harry closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, the parents could start to see the strong young man their children had said was inside of him beginning to emerge. "You said you wanted me to help you make our world a better place. I don't see how destroying two powerful political allies would make a good example of House Potter even though they may deserve it."

He smirked "In Daphne's world domination plan, she said the more people we could get to think like us; the easier it will be to effect those changes… Tell them that if they were to support the decisions of House Potter in the future, I will leave the alliances intact until we have time to discuss the matter further. Susan and Neville can't take their titles for two more years and that should give us more than enough time to come to some sort of agreement."

Lord Moon said "But neither can you Harry."

Harry's answer was just to smirk at him.

Lord Davis asked "Does this mean you are going to shift House Potter to the neutral camp?"

Harry said "Lord Davis, I'm not so naïve to believe that your help does not come with a cost. (Harry held up his hand to stop the protests.) I meant no offense by that and I know your intentions are noble. I really do appreciate all you have done and will do in my behalf but the fact remains that all of you want me in the neutral camp and that would be part of the cost of your continued support. I get that you need my house to further your plans and I'm alright with that. In fact, from everything I've learned of your views, I would support you anyway."

"It helps that your heirs have been upfront about it but they also made it clear that their help was not conditional on my choices. (He looked at Megan.) Well one may be. The ability to choose how I live my life was something that has always been denied to me. I'm probably not being very clear so it all boils down to this one thought. The Light and Dark houses are responsible for taking my choices away so allying with either of them is unacceptable to me. That leaves joining the neutrals or standing alone. I've been alone long enough and it's not a place I choose to be anymore."

Reginald said "So you intend to force the alliances to follow you into the neutral camp?"

"Absolutely. I think it's only fair that if they want to stay in my good graces that they accept my point of view. I just have one question. Other than the whole sharing your view on things, what do your houses want from House Potter? What kind of debts or oaths are you trying to get out of by helping me?"

Lord Greengrass stood and applauded. "Bravo Harry. I'm not trying to embarrass you but that was very well thought out and spoken and at the same time, tactful but yet blunt at the same time. At that moment, I saw a lot of Charlus in you."

Harry responded by blushing. Daphne chuckled and said "Yes, very well done brother. If you continue in this manner I may not have to disown you. We will be having more lessons which include how to take a compliment without acting like Goofy and kicking then ground while saying 'Garsh'."

Harry shot her a glare for second before saying "You know my dear sister; you can be a right bitch sometimes."

Daphne laughed and replied "Why thank you Harry. I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"What really bothers me is that I missed this for almost four years." Harry said as he waved his hand around.

Megan said "That was because you weren't raised in the magical world although everyone believes you to have been. You came to Hogwarts and acted completely different to how we expected, you didn't dress your station, and you hung out with muggle-borns and blood traitors."

Harry looked at her sternly and said "I've never heard you say something like that before. That sounded just like Malfoy."

She looked hurt and Daphne jumped in. "You need to apologize to her now Potter. The Weasleys are considered blood traitors because they broke the alliance all those years ago. Is it a nice thing to say? No. But it is the truth and she didn't say it in an insulting manner."

Harry looked at her and said "Please forgive my ignorance love. It seems you still have a lot to teach me."

Megan gave him a half smile and said "No, I know how you felt about that phrase and I said it anyway. I should have used oath breaker or something similar. Forgive me?"

Daphne huffed "Oh please you two. Why don't you stick your fingers in your tea to sweeten it?"

Megan shot her a look and said "You're just jealous so shut it."

Daphne said "Getting back on topic, if you had grown up in the magical world, you would have come to Hogwarts already knowing most of the students except for the muggle borns. You, Neville, and Susan would have been practically siblings and you wouldn't have come hoping to find a friend and latching on to the first people to show you any attention."

Harry looked hurt at that comment. "I'm sorry my dear brother but you came as an enigma to all of us and any attempt to try and talk to you was met head on by Weasley and Granger. We wanted to be your friend but were pushed away every time."

Megan said "In a large way, they're responsible for the way Susan acts toward you. She tried that whole first year to get close to you and was told that you wanted nothing to do with her. Neville is just Neville and won't show enough initiative to make himself heard."

In a very small voice Harry said "They were paid you know."

Daphne asked "What was that?"

Megan answered "Dumbledore paid Weasley and Granger to keep everyone away and to report every thing Harry did."

"How do you know?"

Megan looked embarrassed. "Dumbledore isn't the only one with loyal spies."

Daphne chuckled "You mean Dobby told you. Harry, I don't know if you want us to do it but we can use this little bit of information to repair a lot of damage that has been done over the last few years. Most of us can clearly remember the harsh words used to keep us away from you and we all know now that they never came from your mouth. If anything, our friendship proves it. It won't fix everything but I'm sure Susan will eventually get over her crush on Cedric and pull her head out of her arse long enough to be willing to have a fresh start with you."

Cedric added "Leave me out of this. I tried getting through to her just as much as Megan did."

Harry replied "You are the political one. Do what you think is right. I trust you and it's not like I can really hide anymore. I also recognize the fact that to succeed in changing the world, it would be better if I made friends now."

The parents were watching the conversation being held and just sat back and listened. It was their hope that they could expand their group and planned to assist them in whatever way they could. In their eyes, they were watching the future unfold as the kids embraced the dream of literally changing the world. Jonathan Greengrass watched his daughter with pride as she set a new goal for herself.

Lord Moon finally asked "Who's Dobby?"

Harry called out "Dobby."

With a pop, he appeared right beside Harry. "Yes Harry?"

"Have I told you how awesome you are today?"

"No but you did say Dobby was the best after fixing Master Cedric's bad kitty."

"These people want to be my friends. What do you say to that?"

Dobby walked around the room looking at everyone. When he came back to Harry, he said "Dobby approves. Theys good people. Dobby thinks yous needs to watch out for the blond with big eyes. She bes trouble."

Harry laughed and said "Oh, I already know about Luna. She just may be my best friend but don't tell her I said that."

Luna spoke up "We are not friends Harry Potter. I already told you that I don't want you ruining my reputation."

"I love you Luna."

"I know."

"Hey, we've already talked about that."

She just smiled sweetly back at him.

Harry sat there for a minute before saying. "You once told me that Hogwarts was created not only as a magical school but also as a place to form friendships and alliances along with strengthening the current ones. The truth is I don't have a problem with most of the students at Hogwarts and now I find out that it is basically my fault for not making other friends. Did I like the way I was treated most of the time? Not really but other than whispering about me, most of them left me alone and my skin is not so thin that it really bothered me. My problem was with the people who claimed to be my friends and then weren't."

Tracey finally spoke up and said "Now that we have an explanation of why Harry Potter is the way he is. We can help."

Rebecca Greengrass said "The truth of the matter is that in most cases, the girls were sent to Hogwarts for the sole purpose of finding husbands. While the boys were making friends, so were we girls. Even though our husbands will never admit it, it is us ladies that hold the alliances together and create new ones because we like to visit while our children play with each other. It's these early friendships that spur closer relations between the houses. Don't they dear?"

Jonathan chuckled and said "Of course my love. I would be nothing without you."

She smirked "And don't you forget it."

"How could I my love, you remind me of it quite often."

Reginald leaned forward and whispered loudly to Harry "The secret to a happy life is to always make sure the wife is happy cause if momma isn't happy…"

Amos cut in and said "Ain't nobody happy."

Harry laughed "I learned that during week two. How long did it take you to figure it out?"

Kathleen laughed as she heard her husband mutter "A little bit longer that that."

Harry quietly asked "Were…did my parents act like you?"

Cecelia said "They were worse Harry. The bond made them very close and they loved each other a whole lot."

Kathleen added "They flirted so badly with each other even after they married that there was more than one occasion I had to go splash water on my face to try and cool down the blush. They even made Sirius blush on occasion."

Harry nodded and Lord Greengrass asked "Speaking of Sirius is there any truth to the rumor that you are listed as the heir to House Black?"

He realized he had made a mistake by the stormy expression that formed instantly on Harry's face. "I wouldn't know anything about that just like I really don't know the full details about House Potter. Is Sirius Black my godfather? Yes! Is he innocent of the charges against him? Yes! Does he have any children? Not that I know about but we are talking about Sirius. Do I plan to ever have anything to do with him again? No! He wasn't directly responsible for my parents' deaths but he had his part in it. He also hasn't been there for me my whole life. I blame him for your having to educate me of my station in life."

Lord Greengrass asked "What do you mean?"

"I realize he was in Azkaban for twelve of those years but when my parents were killed, he handed me off to Dumbledore so he could chase and get revenge on the real secret keeper. Last year, I saved him from the Dementors and he repays me by ignoring my pleas for help when my name came out of the cup. All Sirius Black has shown me is that he is a self centered child who didn't care enough about me to do what he promised. He's also shown that he will defer to Dumbledore and will not stand up for me at all. At this point, he, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew are traitors to the Potter family and will never be accepted as anything but."

Reginald said "Peter Pettigrew is dead."

"Then it amazes me that the rat was standing in front of me last year breathing just as I am now and confessing to his crimes against my family."

Megan shouted "Please drop this subject. We don't need it today. We can hash this out over the summer."

Amos said "I agree. Cedric and Harry need to go into this thing without all these burdens weighing them down. There are some other matters we need to discuss but we can do that over the summer. Judging from the sound of things, we may need to bring Amelia in on part of it."

Harry said "I have no problem with that. It will be a good test to see how badly she really wants to save the alliance. For that matter, invite Augusta Longbottom as well. It would be good for them to hear the depths to which Dumbledore was willing to go to control me."

Megan turned to him and said "Drop it Harry. Just leave it alone for now. And the rest of you, if you bring up anything else that will upset Harry; I will take him and leave this tent."

After a moment of uneasy silence, Kathleen asked "So Cedric, what is this symbol you and Harry have on your backs?"

Celeste said "As long as you've been around him and you never paid any attention to his comic books. It's the sign of the punisher."

Rebecca asked "Oh, does it mean anything?"

Cedric smirked "To Viktor Krum it might."

Harry said "I still say we conjure a cross and nail his arse to it."

Daphne said "Just leave his bits alone. I want Mandy to have the chance to remove those."

Lady Greengrass said "Daphne Elaina Greengrass! I will not have you speak like that."

Tracey snorted and said "Little miss perfect finally got caught."

After Daphne shot a glare at Tracey she said "Yes, Mother. My apologies for my crude language but it doesn't change the fact that it would be only right."

A small house elf popped into the room and stood beside Lord Greengrass. "Milord, you have visitors at the door."

"Do you know who it is?"

"Yes Sir, he announced himself as Jean Delacour and family."

Jonathan smiled "Well by all means show them in."

Jonathan stood and approached the door as the Delacour family entered. Jean stuck out his hand "It is good to see you again Jonathan."

"You as well Jean, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I was hoping to have a quick word with Mr. Potter and then maybe discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement between my family and your coalition. But first, let me introduce my wife, Appoline, and my daughters, Fleur and Gabrielle."

Jonathan returned the courtesy by introducing everyone in the room. As he finished, Harry stood with Megan right beside him and asked "What can I help you with Mr. Delacour?"

"Jean, please, I wanted to thank you personally for what you did for both my daughters during the last task. It is the mark of a great man that willingly puts himself at risk for his fellow man. The closest description I could give would be a warrior like the Knights of old."

"I was glad to do it but I am no Knight. I am just happy that things turned out as well as they did."

"But surely Mr. Potter, such a selfless act that caused grievous injuries to you should not go unrewarded."

"Jean, my injuries would have happened whether or not I helped your daughters. The nature of them was of a personal vendetta towards me by Viktor Krum. As far as selfless actions, I don't see it that way. I saw a problem that I was fully capable of dealing with and I did. If I had not and something worse had happened, I would have suffered with the guilt of it for many years to come. It was thanks enough for me that they were safe and happy."

Fleur stepped forward "Mr. Potter, I wish to formally apologize for my attitude towards you at the beginning of the tournament. I have no excuse other than I am a bitch to people I do not know."

Megan and Daphne snorted at that comment. Megan made light of it by saying "Do you want to join our club?"

Fleur smiled "Thank you, I might. Still I gave no reason for you to help me and yet you did anyway. For that I am grateful and offer my sincere gratitude. Hindsight has also shown me that I refused your first offer of help and my stubbornness led to my failure. My first memory when I awoke was of you kissing me and in a life and death situation for a Veela that would normally lead to an unbreakable bond between us. I have yet to understand how that did not happen."

Harry chuckled "Well, I had the ability to help you by breathing for you. I never thought of it as a kiss or I would have put a lot more effort into it."

She blushed but smiled in return. Megan looked at him in shock. Harry chuckled again "The bond didn't form because I was already bonding with someone else."

Fleur looked to Megan and said "So it is true. You do love him."

"With my whole heart."

"Then I am happy for you both. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call."

Gabrielle stepped forward "I just wanted to say thank you. I never had any problems like Fleur because I knew I would be fine because Harry Potter was down there with us."

Harry smiled and got down on one knee. He held out his arms to her and Gabrielle rushed into the hug. Fleur asked "Where was my hug?"

Harry looked to Megan who nodded her head. When he hugged Fleur, she said "Do not worry, your lady put me in my place months ago."

Harry was hugged by Fleur's mother and thanked again by her father. Jonathan asked "You said there was another matter you wished to discuss?"

Jean said "Yes, this is directed towards all of you. I have heard rumors of problems facing House Potter and would like to offer my family's assistance in this matter. For me, it is a matter of honor for what Harry has done for my daughters as well my respect for his father. I was part of the contingent of French Aurors who came to assist during the war. I found James to be a kindred soul and would like to help in memory of that friendship."

Lord Davis said "I mean no offense but this is a British matter. In what way could you help?"

"I am the French representative to the ICW. If the matter managed to make its way that far, I would be glad to tie it up in discussion until the issue was resolved. I assume that the whole issue is protection until Harry can assume his titles."

Amos said "That is part of it but there seems to be many irregularities involving Harry's life. We are trying to make sure nobody takes away what should be his in a few years."

"And it wouldn't hurt if House Potter shifted back from the staunch Light side that Dumbledore has propagated these last fifteen years?"

Harry asked "Back?"

Jean smiled "Yes back, the political history of the Potters were more neutral than light even though they were always considered a Light family. I found that Charlus, James, and I shared similar views and I am most definitely considered neutral. My choice of mates has the purists on both sides shunning me where as the neutrals accept me and my family. The Potters may have been light but they were never Dumbledore followers. It still amazes me that James and Lily ever went to him in the first place."

Harry stared at him for a minute before sharing a glance with the three girls he had talked to this morning. "According to some information I received, the subject of Dumbledore was one of the few topics that ever caused my parents to argue and if you can believe it, it was my father who defended him. As I am still a child in the eyes of the law, I'll leave all these decisions to the more experienced minds of our little coalition."

Reginald said "Jean, why don't you and your family sit and relax with us and enjoy the time before the final task?"

"Thank you; it would be a most pleasant way to spend the rest of the afternoon."

As they sat, Fleur asked "What is with the skull on the back of your vests?"

Everyone in the room started laughing at her question until Daphne explained it. Fleur looked up and said "If you could arrange it, I would like one too. That bastard did the same to one of our girls as well. The only reason no one knows about it is because Madame Maxine sent her home."

Megan pulled Harry over to an armchair in the corner and sat him down and then climbed in his lap. With one arm around him and the other running through his hair, she made him relax and go into a meditative trance to mentally prepare for the task ahead. With her eyes closed as well, everyone thought they were taking a nap. They heard a small pop and saw Dobby appear and wave his hands to form a dome over the two young lovers. He then sat down cross legged on the floor as if he was guarding them.

**LC**

It was finally time for the task and six people made their way to the entrance of the maze together while their families went and took their seats. Megan and Cho were wrapped tightly around their men while Gabrielle walked beside Fleur holding her hand. Fleur's father had vetoed the idea of her getting her own punisher outfit so she was dressed as her Headmistress directed. Harry and Cedric no longer cared what their school thought but evidently their girlfriends were happy with it.

Harry stood and held Megan tightly. They expressed their love for one another and then sealed it with a passionate kiss. The catcalls were just enough to aggravate Harry and he showed his appreciation with a one fingered salute behind her back.

Cho had gotten better but was far more dramatic than Megan and it showed through the tears rolling down her cheek. After on last kiss, he said "Relax, I'll have Harry with me. We've got a plan so we'll be fine."

Harry said "I still vote for running into the maze, falling down and scraping my knee and sending up red sparks."

Cedric deadpanned "Well it's good we have a plan b then."

Megan held Harry's hand as long as she could and they broke apart as the girls turned to go to the stands, she said "Come back to me."

"Always, I promise."

The cannon blast went off for Cedric to enter and he turned and said "I'll be waiting." He stepped into the maze and vanished from everyone's sight.

As Cedric took a look around for a few minutes until he heard the second blast announcing Victor was in the maze. Cedric stepped back into the shadows just before Viktor passed. The look on Krum's face was more of a hunter than someone wanting to win the tournament. It was obvious that he was going to lie in wait and take out his opponents as quickly as he could. Five minutes later, the cannon fired once again signaling Fleur's entrance into the maze. As Cedric heard her approach, he stepped out from the shadows in time for her to see him. In a quiet voice he said "Watch out for Krum. I think he's going to try and take us out one by one. Harry and I will be right behind you so we'll keep an eye out for you."

"Merci, I don't trust him." With a small smile, she took off into the maze.

It was another five minutes before the cannon sounded once again and Cedric knew Harry was in the maze. He stayed in view and once Harry appeared, they wordlessly set off into the maze. They knew the points didn't mean anything in this task because it was all about getting the cup. It wouldn't have mattered anyway because all they cared about was getting out of this task alive. They did the research with Megan and knew this task was going to be brutal.

Their first obstacle was a boggart that revealed itself as a scene of horror for both young men. It was the broken body of Megan lying in a pool of blood. Her eyes were staring up at them without the normal sparkle. While it did affect them both momentarily, that quickly changed as Harry got pissed off. His new wand came out and an incendio was launched from it without a single word being uttered. The spectators grew quiet as a huge ball of flame rose above the top of the maze accompanied by a horrified scream.

Megan leaned over to her Mum and said "Something just pissed Harry off."

"How do you know? Is it the bond?"

"No, the explosion. He likes blowing things up with his wand."

"I'll warn your father and you young lady will be going on the potion tonight."

Back inside the maze, Cedric said "Um…Harry, you can't destroy a boggart like that. Fire spells won't hurt it. It's one of the rules we were taught in defense."

Harry was still looking at his wand in disbelief when he raised an eyebrow as the ashes that were once the boggart floated to the ground. "Rules smules. I'm the son of the only true Marauder and I make up my own rules. Cool wasn't it?"

Cedric laughed. "This might be fun."

Harry replied "Damn straight it will be. Now let's go destroy something else."

They started to walk off when Harry said "Hey do me a favor."

"Yeah"

"Just don't start quoting rules of magic or some such crap to me. And if you quote Hogwarts a History to me, I'll probably burn the whole maze down with you in it just to prove that book wrong."

"Don't worry; the Granger Bible is not on my list of preferred reading."

They rounded the next corner and heard a human scream. As they hurried through the maze, they ran headlong into one of Hagrid's blast ended skrewts. Harry said "I haven't been in class since November. Did anyone ever figure out how to deal with these things?"

"Yeah, stay the hell away from them. If the claws don't get you then that fiery fart will. You know, when this is over, I'm going to turn that bastard in for ever creating something like this. It has to be illegal."

Harry said "I've got an idea. Get its attention."

"Oh, I see, you're gonna feed me to the damn thing and then run past. I thought we were better than that."

"Just trust me or I'll have Dobby come in here and change you vest back."

"Dick"

"Not my thing but hopefully it's your sister's."

"I'm gonna tell her you said that."

"Whatever now draw its attention."

"Who are you?"

"Oh I didn't tell you? When Megan had me meditating in the tent, I thought about all that had been said about me and why I didn't have friends and I realized that I never encouraged anyone with me being just as self centered as I accused Sirius of being so I left the broody and serious Harry at the entrance of the maze. You're looking at the new and improved Marauder Harry who will make sarcastic and witty remarks while trying to create as much havoc as I can. The only thing I care about is seeing Megan again in that that thong I had the pleasure of seeing this morning."

"That's my sister you're talking about."

"Yep, now go on."

Cedric started and then stopped. He turned and said "I can't believe you'd say that about the girl you said you wanted to marry. I thought you loved and respected her."

Harry gave him a glare. "I do love her with my whole heart. As far as respect, I respected that arse so much this morning that I stood at attention and saluted it."

"Are you going to be like this all the time from now on?"

"Of course not, I know there's a time and place for this."

"And you think now is a good time for this?"

"Well now is better than if we had been in the tent talking about it. I'd hate to think what her parents would think of me if I'd said that then. Now, are you going to distract that skrewt or are you going to continue to talk about this until that damn thing comes over and farts on us."

Cedric moved away and the skrewt turned with him. Harry thought to himself 'Mum better have been right…um…Godric's sword, will you come here…please?'

A moment later, the sword appeared in his hand and he leapt into action. The right side claw was quickly lopped off and the skrewt started making a screeching noise. Harry tossed the sword in the air at Cedric who grabbed it and took the other claw off. The skrewt reacted by turning to its other mode of defense and turned its back to them. They could both see the creature was building up towards letting loose a fiery fart and Harry did the only thing he could think of. He fired an overpowered suturing spell that Poppy had taught him and sewed the orifice closed. The resulting fiery explosion scattered skrewt guts three rows over and gave the spectators a great show.

Kathleen turned to her daughter and said "Yes, you are definitely going on the potion tonight."

Megan looked at her mother and then giggled. "He's really good with his wand too. I'd bet they'd classify him as a mage with the way he handles it."

Kathleen put her hands over her ears and started saying "LALALALALA". Reginald was thinking the excitement was getting to be too much for his wife and hoped she would make it through the task. If he had known what his wife and daughter were talking about, he would have fainted dead away or else went into the maze after Harry.

As Harry and Cedric came around another corner, all fun and games stopped as they saw Krum had Fleur bound and had ripped her pants off. He was in the process of pulling down his pants when he heard two screams and saw the two Hogwarts student running towards him. Harry and Cedric's wands were out and firing spells before Krum could bring his up to defend himself. Cedric's spell connected with Krum and immediately tied him up in ropes with his pants still around his ankles. Harry didn't even cast toward Krum and Cedric saw why as a crucifixion cross grew out of the ground.

Cedric said "Um...Harry?"

"I don't want to hear it Ced. The bastard's going to pay!"

Harry went over to Fleur and released her from the body bind. He then waved his wand and conjured a robe to protect her modesty. As he helped her off the ground, she started sobbing and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and said "Its okay, you're safe now."

They remained like that for a while before Harry passed her off to Cedric. He then started stalking towards Krum when Cedric said "Are you sure you want to do that Harry?"

"What if it had been Megan or Cho or Luna for that matter? No, he's going to pay for what he did."

Harry cast a sticking charm to the cross before levitating Krum to it. A quick wave of the wand released the body bind and then Harry quickly used two more sticking charms to stick his arms to the cross beam. As he stepped away to finish the deed, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Not like this Harry. You're not a murderer."

Harry looked away from him and said in a low voice "What about what he did to me? What about what he tried to do to Fleur? Do you still think Mandy was a willing participant at this point?"

Fleur stepped forward and said "I will not have you killing him on my conscience. Just like you couldn't leave me, I won't let you do this. You both showed up before he could do anything except admire my goodies."

The serious moment passed as the three of them snorted at the same time. Harry asked "Goodies?"

Fleur smiled "Well would you prefer I said hoohoo as we do to my little sister or would you prefer the slang versions? I won't let you kill him but he's not going to get off without some scars. Harry, banish his cloak and shirt."

As soon as he did, Fleur's hand glowed for a minute with blue flames and her hand transformed into a fiery claw. She stepped up to Krum and used her talon to carve 'RAPIST' into the flesh of his chest. The flames also had the benefit of cauterizing the cuts as they were made and the scars could not be easily removed.

As soon as she returned to them, Harry asked "What do you want to do?"

"I'm in this thing to the end. He will not make me give up."

Harry chuckled "What about your pants?"

"What about my pants Harry? Do you want to see my goodies too?"

Harry shook his head and called for Dobby, when the little elf appeared, Harry asked "Can you go get Fleur some pants?"

When he nodded Fleur said "Black leather ones lying on my bed."

Once Dobby returned, she shimmied into her pants which both young men tried hard not to look at.

She smirked "Rethinking the whole bonding thing now Harry?"

"Not really but its hard not to appreciate a work of art. I'm just debating whether I would be able to concentrate if I were to take up the rear when we go." Cedric just nodded.

"Merci, but what do you want to do about him?"

"Leave him for everyone to see. If we shoot sparks and they come get him, they'll try to cover the whole thing up."

Cedric said "Come on, let's get this over with." They started to walk off but Harry stopped and turned around. As he approached Krum, Cedric asked "What are you doing Harry?"

Harry just reached for Krum's wand and then used his own to transfigure it into a dagger. He then took the dagger and stabbed it through Viktor's snitch catching hand and into the wood of the cross.

As he walked back over to his two staring companions, he said "I don't care what you say; the bastard is still getting off too easy."

As they ran through the maze, they were immediately thrown upside down in some kind of weird distortion charm. Fleur said "I've heard of this, just keep moving forward and we'll be okay."

Harry called out "Hey I've got a question. If we puked, which way would it fall?"

Fleur was in the lead as they went through that obstacle so that by the time Harry was in its full effects, she was already upright again and Harry was face first to her bum. He said "Hey Fleur, you know from this angle, your bum looks like a perfect heart."

Fleur laughed and replied "Still having second thoughts about the bonding?"

"I don't know. Do you wear thongs? I kind of like those."

She giggled and said "I'm sorry Harry, but I usually don't wear underwear. I don't like to cover my goodies if I can help it."

Harry smirked at Cedric and said "I can respect that. I salute you for it."

Cedric groaned and said "Will you two knock it off and focus on the task? And Harry, would you talk like that in front of Megan?"

"Not if I wanted my bits to remain where they are."

"Then knock it off."

"Yes Dad."

They progressed quickly through the maze as no obstacle or creature made an appearance until they came upon a sphinx. When she challenged them, Harry just pulled his new wand and tapped his arm with it. The sphinx took one look at the wand and felt the power that flowed out of it. She bowed to him and then stepped out of the way to allow them to pass.

Cedric whispered "What the hell was that?"

Harry replied "I don't know, maybe she heard about the boggart and skrewt and decided it wasn't worth it. I just pulled my wand in case she attacked."

As soon as they passed the sphinx, they found themselves in a clearing with the cup at the far end. As they walked, the hedges started closing in on them and they had to start running. Cedric moved ahead of them with his long legs and right into the path of an acromantula. Just as the spider was about to bite Cedric, Fleur conjured a fireball and hit it right between the eyes. The giant spider squealed in pain and ran away.

Harry and Fleur ran to Cedric to help him but he jumped up and said "Something has to be done, that man is a menace."

Fleur asked "Who?"

Harry said "Hagrid. He thinks things like giant spiders and those skrewt things are cute and cuddly. He might have the skin of a giant but none of the rest of us does."

Fleur chuckled "No wonder Maxine likes him so much. She won't be able to kill him during sex like she did her four husbands. He'd probably find her cute and cuddly as well."

Harry and Cedric looked at each other and said "EWWWW!"

They started walking again and stood before the cup. Harry asked "What do you want to do?"

Fleur said "You saved me from Krum so you both deserve it."

Cedric said "Well Fleur saved me from the spider so that knocks me out as well."

Harry said "Oh hell no. You aren't making me do that by myself. As long as Krum didn't get it I'm happy. I do not want to have to stand up there with those Bozos."

Fleur asked "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Harry said "Nah, we'd all be trying to lose and we would be stuck here all night and I've got plans."

Fleur asked "I'm hurt that you don't want to spend the night with me."

"Sorry, can I at least take a shower? I don't feel all that romantic covered in skrewt guts."

Cedric and Fleur both laughed and Cedric asked "All at the same time?"

"I'm not falling for that either. I'd grab it and you wouldn't. But I will tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm going to sit down and rest a bit."

The other two shrugged their shoulders and sat down as well. As soon as they leaned up against the pedestal, they were grabbed by a portkey and whisked away.