Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. If he did, the first book would have sold eight copies. (Thanks, Mom!)
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Champions' Tent
Thursday, 24 November 1994
12:37 pm
As he sat and listened to the crowd react to Viktor Krum's attempt at the First Task, Harry really wished that someone had thought to put a Silencing Charm on the Champions' tent.
It was bad enough that he had to sit and wait while the other three participants… 'Champions', Harry corrected himself. 'I'm the only participant'…while the three Champions exited the tent and confronted their individual dragons. What made the waiting far, far worse, however, was listening to Ludo Bagman's frenetic commentary, accompanied by the screams and gasps of the crowd as they reacted to the efforts of each Champion. His imagination had been in overdrive ever since Cedric Diggory had been the first to exit the tent. At first, Harry had been able to distract himself by watching Fleur Delacour pace and Viktor Krum scowl, but now those distractions were gone.
Suddenly, Harry heard the crowd roar. "AND HE'S GOT IT!" Bagman shouted. "But he's caused quite a bit of damage to the other eggs in the nest! Let's see how that affects the judges' scores!"
Harry took a deep breath and blew it out. He knew, from the same sequence of events happening with Cedric and Fleur, that the judges would take a minute or two to award Krum his scores. About fifteen minutes later, a whistle would blow, indicating that it would then be Harry's turn to enter the stadium and face one of the largest and most vicious predators known to the magical world.
A minute later, Harry heard the crowd applaud and cheer for Krum's scores, then fall into a murmur of conversation that was barely audible in the tent. With nothing to distract him, Harry began going over his plan once again, listing contingencies and strategies over and over, trying not to focus on the one part he couldn't control—how would the dragon react? He and Hermione had come up with several different possibilities, some good, some bad, all of them exceedingly dangerous.
Harry was so focused on going over his plan that he was startled when he heard the whistle signaling that it was his turn to enter the stadium, even though he'd known it was coming. The nervousness that had been held at bay by his ruminations now threatened to overwhelm him. As Harry stood up from the bench he had been occupying, he could feel his heart race and his legs begin to go weak. Harry gulped and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly, then repeated the process twice more. Opening his eyes, he was pleased to note that he felt calmer. Squaring his shoulders, Harry strode out of the tent, down a wooden passageway, and into the stadium.
The first thing that struck Harry upon entering the stadium was its sheer enormity. He knew that it was big, having seen it from the outside as he walked into the Champions' tent. However, seeing the inside was even more awe-inspiring. He now stood at the edge of a circle that was wider than the school Quidditch pitch was long. Surrounding half the circle were rows and rows of seats that seemed to climb halfway to the sky. The seats themselves were filled with wizards and witches of all ages, at least a three thousand in all. Harry hadn't seen a bigger magical gathering outside of the Quidditch World Cup. The floor of the stadium was bare dirt, with a number of boulders spaced here and there, presumably for cover, Harry mused.
But even as Harry was subconsciously taking in the details of the stadium and the crowd, his conscious mind was completely overwhelmed by the seriously, ridiculously, simply colossal dragon in front of him. At least fifteen meters long from tip to tail and three meters tall at the shoulder, the dragon was covered with pitch black scales, and crouched protectively in front of her nest. Harry could see the golden egg laying atop the other eggs in the nest, partially concealed behind the dragon's left hind leg. The same leg had a cuff around the ankle, connected to a thick chain that kept the dragon in place, preventing her from charging Harry. The dragon's blazing yellow eyes were narrowed in fury and her teeth bared in a challenging snarl. 'Oh, good,' Harry thought. 'She's already extremely pissed off. Capital start!'
Just then, Ludo Bagman's Sonorous-amplified voice boomed out. "MR. POTTER! YOUR TIME STARTS…NOW!"
The crowd roared. In response, the dragon drowned out the crowd with an ear-splitting roar of its own. Harry, meanwhile, swiftly took cover behind the nearest boulder and raised his wand.
"ACCIO BAG!" Harry shouted.
Harry knew that the wards protecting the spectators from the dragons would allow objects to pass through. Moody had told him as much during their conversation three days ago, as it would have been otherwise impossible for Harry's broom to reach him. Despite this, Harry felt a flood of relief when he caught sight of the bag he had asked Dobby to stash in the Forbidden Forest sail over the wall of the stadium. If the bag hadn't made it through the wards, Harry had no idea what he would have done. It wasn't something he needed to worry about, however, as a second later, the bag was in his grateful hands.
Harry snuck a peek around the side of the boulder while his fingers hurriedly unknotted the leather ties of the large burlap sack. The dragon obviously knew where Harry was, as she was watching the boulder that concealed him with a gimlet eye. Seeing Harry's head appear caused the dragon to growl deep in her throat. Thankfully, the dragon was chained up far enough away that Harry was in no danger at the moment.
Harry quickly ducked back behind the boulder and thrust his hand into the bag, drawing out what appeared to be a roughly hewn ball of hard clay. He tapped the ball with his wand and said, "Activate!"
Harry said a silent prayer before leaning around the boulder and throwing the ball to land halfway between him and the dragon. Harry watched the ball hit the ground with a soft thud and roll for a few inches before coming to a stop. For an eternal second, nothing happened, before suddenly, the ball began changing shape and color before flattening and spreading outward in an ever-expanding circle. Harry ducked back behind the boulder and let out a quiet "Yes!", accompanied by a single fist-pump.
'Step one complete,' Harry thought to himself. 'Thank you, Gred and Forge!'
-HDSI-
Thanks to the Marauders' Map, Harry had tracked down Fred and George to an unused classroom on the fifth floor. After clearing the map and tucking it back in his bookbag, Harry rapped sharply on the door. A second later, Harry's excellent peripheral vision, a large part of his success as a Seeker, caught sight of something below him. He looked down and saw what appeared to be an all-too-lifelike eyeball on a thin string, looking up at him. Harry was momentarily repulsed until he remembered who was likely on the other side of the eye. Harry grinned and gave the eye a jaunty wave. The eye blinked once before vanishing back under the door.
A moment later, the door cracked open just wide enough for two pairs of hands to reach out and unceremoniously yank Harry into the room beyond, before it was silently slammed shut.
"Harry!" The nearest twin (Fred, Harry thought) greeted him effusively "What can we do for our favorite non-Weasley brother?" the twin-who-might-have-been-Fred continued.
"Aw, that's sweet of you to say," Harry said as he took a seat on a chair near the door. "And just for being so nice, I won't tell Lee you said that."
"Yes, well, we may have known Lee longer…" said the twin-who-might-have-been-George.
"…but he didn't save our baby sister…"
"…our only sister, Gred…"
"…from a bloody great basilisk."
"Or save our brother from Sirius Black…"
"…not that he technically needed saving…"
"…but you definitely get credit for the effort, mate."
"Indeed you do. So, do tell us, Mr. Potter…"
"…what happy circumstances have caused you to seek out our company?"
"This room is secure, right?" Harry asked.
"As secure as it can be," responded the twin on the left.
"If one of the teachers wanted to get in, they could do it, of course, but we'd have a couple minutes to hide the evidence," added the twin on the right, waving his hand behind him at a broken professor's desk that was covered with materials that would be sure to earn the owners at least a month's detention with Filch.
Harry nodded and leaned forward in his chair. "I came here hoping to conduct a little business," he said in a firm voice. "And I wasn't terribly keen to do it in the common room."
The twins leaned forward. "Ooh, this sounds good, Forge," said the twin on the left, rubbing his hands together.
The twin on the right nodded. "We've been known to conduct a bit of business on occasion."
"And considering that he seems eager to avoid catching the attention of our beloved Head of House…"
"…it sounds like something we just might be interested in." The twins looked at Harry expectantly.
"Ron told me about the portable swamp you two were working on before I came to the Burrow this summer," Harry began.
The twins made identical grimaces. "Yeah, it didn't exactly work as expected, unfortunately," one twin said.
"Too true, brother of mine. Mum was right put out with us about it."
Harry grinned. "Ron said it came out as a lake—or a big pond, at any rate—instead of a swamp?"
The twins nodded. "That's right," said one.
"The charms we used to make it…well, swampy…didn't mix with the water, so all the mud sank to the bottom of the pond…" added the other.
"…which meant that none of the plants took hold."
"They just kind of withered away."
"Why do you ask?" the twins asked simultaneously.
Harry smiled grimly. "Well, you might have heard that I've been entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"
The twins gave identical sympathetic frowns. "I do believe…" led off one.
"…that we'd heard rumors to that effect," finished the other.
"Well, I just found out what the first task is facing a dragon…" Harry began.
"Cor blimey!""Merlin's bollocks!" the twins exclaimed simultaneously, interrupting Harry.
Despite the specter of an imminent giant lizard-induced death looming over him, Harry couldn't help but laugh at the twins' reaction. "I think that's the first time I've seen you two shocked out of your twin-speak."
The twins' expressions were identically somber. "Well, it was a bit of a shock," said one twin.
"Indeed, brother mine," the other nodded. "So, Harry, what can we do to help?"
Harry looked at each twin in turn. "Do you have any more of those swamps?" he asked.
"Yeah, we've got one, but it has the same spells on it as the other one, so it won't work," said the twin on the right, a surprised look on his face.
"It may not work as intended," Harry corrected, "but it is something I'd like to have for the first task."
The twins looked at each other, silently communicating for a moment, before one nodded at the other, who then moved over to the pile of materials on the old and broken professor's desk at the front of the classroom. He rummaged about for a bit before pulling out a lumpy brown ball.
"Here you go, Harry," he said, tossing him the object.
"Ordinarily, we'd say that you didn't get from us…" said the other twin.
"…but seeing as you're using it in the first task…"
"…we really don't think a warning is necessary."
"Right. Thanks, guys," Harry said, turning the ball over in his hand and examining it closely. "Err…how do I work it?"
"Tap it with your wand…"
"…say, 'Activate'…"
"…and throw it on the ground."
"It'll expand automatically to about…how big do you reckon, Forge?"
"I think the last one was about twenty meters across, Gred."
"What shape?" Harry asked.
"Last one came out as a rough circle."
"And how do I get rid of it?"
The twins exchanged sheepish looks. "That's kind of why Mum was hacked off at us."
"We weren't able to dispel it. Had to wait for Dad to come home from work and deal with it."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, hopefully that won't be my problem. So, what do I owe you, gents?"
The twins both held up their hands. "On the house, Harry," one said.
"Considering all you've done for our family…"
"…it's the least we can do…"
"…and we always try to do…"
"…the least we can!" the twins finished boisterously, enormous grins on their faces.
Harry was touched. "Thanks, guys. I truly appreciate it."
"Don't mention it," the twins said at the same time.
"Is there anything else…" one twin started.
"…we can do for you?" the other finished.
Harry carefully put the portable swamp in his bookbag and made sure that it was closed securely. He then turned to the twins and said, "Yeah, actually, a couple things…"
-HDSI-
Harry listened carefully to the surprised gasps and cries from the crowd as he crouched behind the boulder. When the noise subsided some, he risked another peek around the edge of the boulder. As he had hoped, the twins' not-quite-a-swamp had created a roughly circular pond, although it looked closer to twenty-five meters across than twenty. The nearest edge of the pond was less than half a meter away from the boulder that Harry was currently crouching behind.
Harry nodded in satisfaction. He then pointed his wand at the water and concentrated on pouring as much of his magic as he could into the spell.
"Glacius."
Immediately, the large pond in front of Harry began to freeze over. After about thirty seconds, it had turned into a sheet of smooth, glassy ice that Harry was fairly sure was thick enough to hold his weight.
"Time for step two," Harry muttered to himself. Steeling himself, Harry palmed his wand so that only the tip was visible past his fingers, picked up the bag he had summoned, and stepped out from behind the boulder to stand at the edge of the now frozen pond. He quickly checked the length of the chain that held the dragon and noted that while he was out of range of tooth and claw, he was likely in range of the dragon's fiery breath.
Harry was relieved to see that the dragon did not seem to be overly aggressive at the moment, although it was definitely watching him closely. Straightening to stand as tall as he could, Harry dropped the bag at the edge of the ice, then paused for the briefest of moments before dramatically throwing off his robes. The crowd gave a collective gasp as they took in Harry's colorful garb…
-HDSI-
"Is there anything else…" one twin started.
"…we can do for you?" the other finished.
Harry carefully put the portable swamp in his bookbag and made sure that it was closed securely. He then turned to the twins and said, "Yeah, actually, a couple things. Who's the best in NEWT classes at Transfiguration?"
The twins said nothing, merely turned and regarded each other silently for a moment before turning back to Harry.
"Well, you'd have to ask Oliver about seventh year…" said one twin.
"…but in our year, it's a bloke in Ravenclaw, name of Oglethorpe," finished the other.
"Although our lovely Angelina is right behind him."
"Right you are, Fred."
"I thought you were Fred?"
"No, I was Fred yesterday."
"Okay," Harry interrupted before the twins could get going. "Is Angelina good at the practical bit, or at the theoretical part?"
"Both," the twins replied together.
"Perfect," Harry said, happy not to have to ask a favor from a student he didn't know. Plus, Angelina was Muggleborn, so she should have the necessary background knowledge for what he needed.
"And the other thing?" the twin on the right asked.
Harry quickly explained what he wanted.
The twins both grinned. "Done," said one twin.
"No charge," said the other.
"Happy to help."
"Thanks, guys," Harry said with some relief. He stood up and moved to the door. "Then, as our business is concluded, gentlemen, I bid you good day."
The twins smirked and bowed in an overly elaborate manner.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, good sir."
"Now that you know where our premises are located, do come back if you have further transactions to conduct."
Harry grinned. "I'll do that," he said. He quickly checked the map, and seeing no one in the vicinity, quickly left the room.
Ten minutes later found Harry in the Gryffindor common room, searching for Angelina's long braids among the crowd of students relaxing or doing homework. He finally spied her at the far side of the room, seated at a table beneath one of the room's many windows and talking with Alicia. Harry made his way over and stood near the table, not wanting to interrupt his teammates' conversation. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long, as Alicia looked his way almost immediately.
"Hey, Harry. What's up?"
"Hey, Alicia, Angelina," Harry said, nodding to each girl in turn. "Angelina, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor. But I can come back if I'm interrupting."
"Don't be daft," Angelina replied. "Pull up a chair."
Harry did so, placing it as close to the table as possible. He sat and leaned forward, his demeanor stating louder than words that he wished to keep the conversation private. Angelina and Alicia exchanged a look and leant their heads close to Harry's.
"So, what's the favor?" Angelina asked in a low voice.
"Well, the word on the street is that you're a dab hand at Transfiguration," Harry said, equally quietly.
Angelina grinned at Harry's praise, or perhaps his turn of phrase. "I do all right," she said modestly.
"How are you at transfiguring clothing?" Harry asked.
"What kind of clothing?"
Nonplussed, Harry paused. "Ahhh…I hadn't really thought about it. A set of school robes, I suppose?"
Angelina shook her head. "There's too many charms on the school robes to hold a transfiguration. I could do some of your Muggle clothing, as long as you don't want it to hold for more than a few hours."
"That should work," Harry said, relieved. "I've got an old shirt you can use."
"What do you want me to transfigure it into?" Angelina asked curiously.
Harry told her.
Angelina's took on a speculative expression. "This is about the first task, isn't it?" she asked shrewdly.
Harry smiled smugly. "You know what MI-6 likes to say, right? 'We can neither confirm nor deny…'."
Angelina laughed while the pureblooded Alicia just looked confused. "All right, Harry, fair enough. Let me ask you another. What do you want it to look like?"
Harry said nothing, just looked bemused. "I…hadn't really given it much thought." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before finally looking back at Angelina. "Would a picture help?"
Angelina grinned. "That'd be brilliant, yeah."
Harry stood up and scanned the common room. Seeing one of his roommates talking to a familiar brunette, he shouted, "OI! Dean! Are you doing anything right now besides chatting up Katie?"
Dean looked over at Harry and grinned. "Other than planning to smother you in your sleep? Not at the moment."
The other students in the common room laughed, including Harry. "Listen, can you get your drawing pad and colored pencils and come help me and Angelina with something? Shouldn't take long."
Dean shrugged. "Sure, Harry. Be right back." A few minutes later, he was seated at the table with the others, nodding and drawing as Harry explained what he wanted. Fifteen minutes later, Harry was grinning in satisfaction as he looked at the drawing that Dean had made to match Harry's description, with suggestions from Angelina.
Dean tore off the sheet with the drawing from the pad and handed it to Harry, who took a final look and said, "Thanks, Dean. I owe you one." He then turned and handed the drawing to Angelina. "So, can you do this? I'll make it worth your while, of course."
Angelina waved her hand dismissively as she studied the drawing closely. "Yeah…yeah, I can do this. Might take me a bit of practice first." She turned away from Dean's drawing and regarded Harry with suspicious amusement. "I assume you'll want this Thursday morning?"
Harry smiled gratefully. "Yes, please. You can make it last for a few hours?"
"Yeah, no problem," Angelina replied confidently.
"Great," Harry said, sitting back in his chair in relief. "I assume you'll need a pair of my trainers, as well?"
"That would be easiest, yeah."
"All right. I'll meet you in the common room before breakfast on Thursday. Let me get some stuff out of my room. I'll be right back."
Harry hurried up the stairs to his dormitory, soon returning with an overly large shirt and a pair of trainers that he had outgrown but not thrown away. "I made sure to get a clean shirt," he said as he handed the shirt and shoes over to Angelina.
"Much appreciated," Angelina said dryly.
"See you Thursday, then." Harry stood and said his goodbyes before heading once more up the stairs to his dormitory.
-HDSI-
Harry had indeed met up with Angelina before breakfast this morning. She had handed him a paper bag, once again waving off his effusive thanks and offers to pay her for her time.
"We're Gryffindors, Harry," she said simply. "We take care of our own. Plus, McGonagall gives extra credit for outside projects if we write up the process and the results. This project should net me an Outstanding, no problem. Now go try it on, then come back down and I'll see if it needs adjusting." Harry had returned a few minutes later, his expression sheepish and his cheeks tinged with red. He was still wearing his school robe.
"How's it fit?" Angelina asked.
"Fine," Harry mumbled, desperately hoping that Angelina would be satisfied with his answer. He really hadn't thought out his choice of outfit, he realized.
"Well, come on—let's see it," Angelina said eagerly.
Blushing fiercely, Harry removed his school robe and was immediately greeted with catcalls and whistles from several girls in the common room.
"Looks good," Angelina remarked. "Now turn around and let me see the back," she continued, making a twirling motion with her hand.
Harry blushed even harder, but obediently turned in a slow circle, only to whip around as the whistles returned, with a couple girls making rather loud and complimentary remarks about Harry's attributes to one another.
Angelina grinned at Harry's discomfort. "Oh, yeah," she said, her eyes dancing. "It fits."
Harry mumbled his thanks, threw his robe back on and dashed out of the common room, clutching the paper bag and doing his best to avoid eye contact with what seemed to be the entire female population of Gryffindor.
Now, standing in front of a nesting Hungarian Horntail, as well as thousands of witches and wizards, Harry stood straight and tall, maintaining eye contact with the dragon. He remembered a story Remus had told him about a prank the Marauders had pulled in the Great Hall during fifth year, stressing the importance of making a good show. Some half-bloods and Muggleborns gave shouts or laughs of recognition when Harry had thrown off his school robes, while most of the older purebloods in the crowd were scandalized by the skintight unitard that covered Harry from neck to ankle. It was pure white and covered in loose strips of fabric in a riot of colors, which stirred gently in the breeze. Regardless of blood status, however, most of the teen witches had reactions similar to those heard earlier in the Gryffindor common room, though not all gave voice to their thoughts.
Harry half turned away from the dragon, making sure to keep her in his peripheral vision. He surreptitiously drew his wand and cast a Switching Spell on his right shoe. A pure white ice skate appeared on his foot, already laced tight. Harry repeated the spell on his left shoe and tucked his wand back into the wrist holster that Sirius had sent him for his birthday. He turned to the stands and spotted Fred and George sitting in their previously agreed-upon location. He gestured to the twins, who nodded and stood, drawing their wands and pointing them into the air.
"Symphonia!" the twins cried in unison.
From seemingly nowhere, a clarinet trilled the opening bars of a tune that Harry remembered from music class at his Muggle elementary school. He wondered briefly how and where the twins had discovered Rhapsody in Blue before taking a deep breath, and stepping onto the frozen pond.
As soon as Harry's skates hit the ice, a dreamy lassitude came over him. In the back of his mind, Harry knew exactly what was happening, and had to fight the impulse to throw off the effects of the Imperius spell he had put himself under yesterday.
-HDSI-
It had been Hermione, of course, who had come up with a solution to the main problem—how to give himself directions after casting the spell, as Harry was both the controller and the intended controlee of the Imperius. Hermione's father had bought a couple of books on self-hypnosis shortly after her birth, to help him quit smoking. Hermione had read them, of course, years later, as she had read apparently every book in her house.
At Hermione's suggestion, Harry had first written out his commands on a piece of parchment. He had then spent a good deal of time in relaxing his body and mind, though he continued to loosely hold his wand in his right hand and the parchment with directions in his left. Harry drifted deeper and deeper into his relaxed state while simultaneously concentrating on the fact that he would need to cast the spell at Hermione's signal. When Hermione, who was observing, had judged Harry to be relaxed enough, she had softly said, "Now, Harry!"
Harry had reflexively cast the Imperius on himself at Hermione's direction. A minute later, Harry woke to find himself sitting in an old armchair in an empty classroom, Hermione observing him closely.
Harry blinked and re-oriented himself to reality. "Did it work?" he asked.
"I think so," Hermione responded uncertainly, biting her bottom lip. "Your eyes went all glassy and then you looked down and read the directions. When you were done, you…came back, I guess is the best way to put it."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. "It feels like it worked," he said after a minute.
"I wish we could have tested it," Hermione frowned.
Harry shook his head. "Doing it once was bad enough," he said, feeling vaguely dirty at casting an Unforgivable, even if it was only on himself. "Besides," he continued with a grin. "The smartest witch of her age came up with how to cast it. What could go wrong?"
Hermione had blushed and looked away, a pleased smile on her lips.
-HDSI-
Now, gliding smoothly across the ice, Harry's conscious mind was relegated to the role of spectator. Hermione's plan had worked to perfection. Harry didn't have to consciously remember the moves of the figure skaters he'd caught glimpses of on the telly, Hermione had explained to him. What he had seen was buried deep in his subconscious memory, and the Imperius would respond to Harry's self-command to imitate what he glimpsed the skaters doing on the ice.
And so Harry sped about the ice, leaping and spinning in ways that he would never be able to perform if not under the effects of his self-directed Imperius. His conscious mind, still clinging to its sense of self-preservation, kept one wary eye on the dragon. The Horntail had recoiled at first, almost as if it had been surprised, reminding Harry of Hildegarde Crimple's description of the Yeti experiment. As Harry continued skating, however, the Horntail had cautiously moved her head closer, her sinuous neck moving back and forth and her great yellow eyes tracking Harry's every move without blinking. Harry idly thought she might have been moving to the music.
Seeing that the dragon showed no signs of attacking him, Harry's conscious mind soon relaxed. Harry watched as his Imperius'd subconscious led his body through graceful sweeping turns, powerful leaps, and dizzying spins, all in perfect time to the music.
After a few minutes, Harry turned into a spin with his arms out. He slowly brought his arms in to his body, causing him to spin faster and faster, until the music reached a crescendo. Harry put one skate edge into the ice, halting his spin at the very moment that the music stopped, and throwing one arm dramatically into the air. He stood on the ice, facing the dragon, though still a respectful distance away, his chest heaving, muscles burning. Harry could hear applause from the stands behind him, but he ignored it, maintaining eye contact with the dragon. It was her reaction that would determine his success or failure.
The dragon had drawn her head back at the end of Harry's routine, her neck curved much like that of a swan. She regarded Harry with an attitude that seemed to be almost judgmental, to Harry's mind. Finally, she gave a kind of huff and lowered her head in a manner that was wary, but not aggressive.
'She sounds…pleased?' Harry mused. Seeing that the dragon was behaving in a non-threatening manner, Harry pushed himself backward, still maintaining eye contact with the dragon, until he reached the burlap sack he had left at the edge of the ice.
Harry stepped off the ice and quickly Switched his skates back to trainers, before picking up the sack and reaching his hand in. His arm went far deeper into the sack than should have been possible (at least without magic), indicating to all watching the space expansion charms that must have been cast upon it. Eventually, Harry drew his arm out of the sack, his hand clutching an entire leg of mutton, which he dropped to the ice at his feet. The dragon took immediate notice, her gaze falling from Harry's face to the meat laying in front of him. Harry watched the dragon closely as he slowly drew his wand. He stopped immediately when the dragon's eyes snapped back to Harry's face and she gave a low growl. Harry carefully pointed his wand at the mutton in front of him and quietly cast a Banishing Charm, sending the sheep's leg sliding across the ice. It stopped when it hit the hard-packed dirt on the opposite side of the frozen pond, directly in front of the dragon.
The dragon watched the mutton as it traversed the frozen pond. When the leg stopped in front of her, she gave Harry a suspicious look, then slowly lowered her enormous muzzle to examine Harry's offering. After several cautious sniffs, the dragon was apparently satisfied that the meat was safe, and proceeded to open her jaws and take the entire leg into her mouth. The dragon noisily crunched twice, then swallowed.
'It worked!' Harry exulted. 'Thank you, Dobby!'
-HDSI-
"Dobby!" Harry called.
Dobby immediately popped into being in front of Harry, who was sitting on his bed, having made sure that none of his roommates were present.
"What can Dobby be doing for the great Master Harry Potter sir?" the excited elf asked, vibrating with happiness at being in Harry's presence.
Harry suppressed a sigh at Dobby's fulsomely praising name for him. "Dobby, I need a favor…" he began.
"Anything, Master Harry Potter sir!" Dobby exclaimed in a paroxysm of gleeful worship.
Harry smiled. It was impossible not to like Dobby, despite his overenthusiastic nature.
"Dobby, if I give you a letter of authorization, can you get money out of my Gringotts vault?"
Dobby's eyes slid sideways and he squirmed a bit as he nodded his head. "Oh, yes, Master Harry Potter sir. Dobby can be doing that."
Harry noticed Dobby's slightly odd behavior, but decided to ignore it as he exhaled in relief. "Great!" he said, reaching into the inside pocket of his robe and drawing out a sealed envelope. "I want you to take this to Griphook at Gringotts. Or if he's not available, find another goblin who can help you."
"Right away, Master Harry Potter sir!" Dobby said, reverting to his previously manic manner, reaching for the letter.
"Wait, Dobby!" Harry said, holding the letter above his head. "If you don't mind, I'd also like you to do a bit of shopping for me. Is that okay?"
At Dobby's frantic nod, Harry continued. "I need you to go Diagon Alley and buy me a bag with space expansion charms on it. Hermione said she saw some at Cartwright's Trunks, but that they're really expensive. After that, I need you to buy five whole legs of mutton. I don't know how much all that will cost, so I'm trusting you to withdraw what you need from my vault. Can you do all that, Dobby?"
Dobby continued nodding frantically, his ears flapping noisily against his skull. "Oh, yes, sir! Dobby can be doing all that, Master Harry Potter sir!"
"Good," Harry replied. "Last thing—when you have all that done, I want you to put the mutton in the bag under a Stasis Charm, then bring it here to me, so I can put one more thing in it. Then I need you to store it some place safe and put it at the edge of the Forbidden Forest that's closest to the stadium that's been built for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The first task starts at 11 a.m., so the bag needs to be there by 10.45. Have you got all that, Dobby?"
"Oh, yes, Master Harry Potter sir! Dobby will take care of everything!"
"Right, thank you, Dobby. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Dobby burst into tears and shot forward to hug Harry around his shins. "Great Master Harry Potter sir asks if he can do anything for Dobby! Master Harry Potter sir is the bestest wizard!"
Harry hemmed. "Yes…well…all right," he said, awkwardly patting the tearful Dobby on his head. "Anyway…here's the letter. Let me know when you've got everything done."
Dobby sniffled and wiped his runny nose on the tea towel he wore. "Yes, Master Harry Potter sir. Don't worry. Dobby be taking care of everything!" He took the letter from Harry's hand and with a pop, disappeared from the dormitory.
Harry flopped back onto his bed and exhaled noisily. He liked Dobby, he really did, but Merlin, the little bugger was exhausting!
-HDSI-
Upon seeing the dragon swallow the leg of mutton, Harry grabbed the bottom of the burlap bag in both hands and upended it. Four more legs of mutton tumbled to the ice in front of Harry. He swore he could see the dragon's eyes light up at the sight.
Harry pointed his wand at the mutton leg furthest to his left and Banished it. This time, he aimed the mutton not directly at the dragon, but at a point about three meters to the dragon's right, still within easy reach of the giant predator.
This time, the dragon only gave the leg one cursory sniff before devouring it, then looked expectantly back at Harry. Harry smiled and Banished another mutton leg across the ice, aiming it even further to the dragon's right, forcing her to shuffle away from her nest just a bit in order to reach the tasty morsel.
While the dragon's attention was focused on scarfing down Harry's latest offering, Harry had started moving much more quickly. He first pointed his wand at one of the two remaining mutton legs and Banished it as far to the dragon's right as he could without placing it completely out of her reach. He then pointed his wand at the golden egg.
Harry held his wand steady and remembered what Professor Lupin had taught Harry's third-year DADA class about the importance of aiming spells long-distance. "Casting spells against dark creatures isn't like Transfiguring an object, or casting Charms at it," he had informed the students. "For those, you can take your time and actually touch your wand directly to whatever it is you're casting a spell on. With dark creatures, if you can touch it with your wand, it's likely too late. You need to be able to hit it with a spell from a good distance away."
Harry sighted along his wand at the golden egg laying on top of the dragon's nest. He quickly cast Finite three times, in order to give himself the best possible chance of hitting his target. He then quickly stooped and picked up the remaining leg of mutton. Holding it at arm's length, he angled his wand slightly upward and sent the most powerful Banishing Charm he could at the leg. Harry sighed in relief as he watched the mutton sail through the air and land on top of the dragon's eggs.
The dragon, who had shuffled as far to the right as the chain on her leg would allow, stretching her neck to reach the last leg of mutton that Harry had sent skittering across the ice, whipped her head around at the threat to her nest. Seeing the severed sheep's leg laying atop her eggs, she turned to glare at Harry, who had quickly put his wand away and was now standing with his hands empty and off to his sides, palms facing the dragon in a deliberately non-threatening display.
The dragon stared angrily at Harry for a moment longer before she snorted and trundled back towards her nest. She gingerly removed the mutton from her nest and gulped it down.
Harry held his breath. 'Come on,' he thought silently. 'Notice. NOTICE!'
The dragon remained impervious to Harry's silent exhortations, however, as she swallowed the last of Harry's ovine treats. Harry's shoulders sagged, his hopes dashed beneath thirty tons of angry lizard. He cursed internally, and wondered what in blazes he was supposed to do now.
Suddenly, however, the dragon stilled. Whether it was the sudden lack of raw meat aroma filling her nostrils, or some other factor, something in her nest had clearly caught her attention. She leaned forward to sniff at her eggs, then immediately jerked her head back and growled, deep and dangerous.
When the dragon turned her baleful glare upon Harry, he pointed without hesitation to the judges' box with his right hand. He knew there was no danger of the dragon successfully attacking the stands, given the powerful Ministry wards Moody had told him were in place; otherwise, the she-dragon might have been able to roast the nearest spectators like so many marshmallows.
The dragon raised her head, glowering murderously at the judges' box and the insignificant humans therein for several long moments, before giving what Harry swore was a snort of derision. The dragon then turned to stare at Harry with a look that was almost calculating. Harry had returned to his non-threatening stance, palms out and open, and unblinkingly returned the dragon's look, trying desperately to appear confident but not challenging. After a few moments, the dragon turned back to her nest. She sniffed once at the golden egg before opening her jaws and taking it into her mouth. The dragon then moved her head to drop the egg on the edge of the icy pond. She then gave the egg a sharp push with her snout, sending the egg skittering and sliding across the ice, directly to Harry.
Harry put out a foot and stopped the egg's motion, right where ice met dirt. Never taking his eyes off the dragon across the pond, Harry slowly stooped and picked up the egg. Making sure he maintained eye contact, Harry bowed his head in thanks and began slowly sidling toward the exit to his right, never breaking eye contact, the dragon slowly swiveling her head as she followed his progress. Thirty-seven tense seconds later, Harry entered the tunnel beneath the stands. He explosively let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and threw a hand against the wall to keep his suddenly trembling legs from collapsing. After a few moments of deep breathing, Harry straightened and shakily made his way through the tunnel, emerging into the medical tent.
From previous experience, Harry immediately recognized the four screens in the tent as the type that surrounded the beds in the Hospital Wing. Instead of the standard white, however, the screens were colored to indicate the four Champions—Beauxbatons blue and gold, blood red bordered with black for Durmstrang, Hufflepuff yellow and black, and the familiar Gryffindor crimson and gold.
The flap to the medical tent must have had an alert ward on it, for as soon as Harry walked in, Madam Pomfrey popped her head out from behind the Beauxbatons screen. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Take a seat in there," the school healer said, indicating the Gryffindor screen with a nod of her head. "I'll be with you in a moment."
"It's all right, Madam Pomfrey. I didn't get hurt at all," Harry replied.
"I'll be the judge of that, if you don't mind," Madam Pomfrey sniffed, pointing imperiously at the Gryffindor screen.
"No, really. I didn't get scratched, clawed, bitten, sat on, or anything. She didn't even use her fire breath on…"
Harry trailed off as he saw the implacable steely glint in Madam Pomfrey's eyes, indicating that she would not be changing her mind, that Harry would be checked over medically. Sighing, Harry trudged over to the Gryffindor screen. "Yes, Madam Pomfrey," he said in resignation.
Madam Pomfrey watched until Harry disappeared behind the screen before ducking back behind the Beauxbatons screen. Harry took a seat on the bed, setting the egg next to him. When Madam Pomfrey didn't appear after a few moments, Harry picked up the egg and was just beginning to examine it, when he heard a voice he knew all too well.
"Harry?"
"Hermione?" Harry replied, confused. 'What is she doing here?' he wondered.
Harry set down the egg, hopped off the bed, and opened the flap to the tent. His eyes widened in alarm as he saw Hermione, her eyes red and hair wilder than usual, running directly at him, at a speed that would make her a favorite at the next Olympics.
Harry put up his hands to try and stop his classmate/best friend/force of nature. "Hermione, wait! I'm okay! I'm not…"
Harry's words went unheeded, however, as Hermione tackled him. Her emotional distress, however, had apparently clouded her ability to judge her speed, as her momentum caused both herself and Harry to crash into the bed, knocking it over, sending the egg flying, and ending with Harry's back slamming against the hard ground, Hermione landing heavily on top of him. Had Hermione's father, a punishing fullback on the Cambridge University rugby team in his time, been there to see his daughter's takedown, he would have stood and cheered.
"…hurt," Harry groaned, finishing the sentence he had begun before being upended. His word went unheard, however, as the impact of the golden egg on the ground had caused it to open and begin screeching loudly.
"I'll get it," Hermione shouted, uncomfortably close to Harry's ear. She struggled to free her limbs from Harry's and raise herself up. While working to disentangle herself, Hermione promptly (and accidentally) hit Harry in the forehead with her elbow.
"OW! Hermi…" Harry's complaint was cut off, however, as Hermione, still struggling to rise, kneed Harry painfully in the stomach, causing him let out a painful "OOF!" and knocking the wind out of him. This was quickly followed by even worse pain as Hermione's foot stepped on Harry in a spot a bit below his stomach. With little air in his lungs, Harry could only give out a pitiful whine and clutch himself while curling up in a ball, as Hermione finally managed to lift herself off of Harry in pursuit of the wailing egg.
Harry stayed where he was, desperately trying to will away the pain below his waist and get his breath back. He realized that he tasted blood and gingerly touched his tongue to his lower lip, wincing as he felt the split there. 'Probably happened when she first tackled me,' Harry grumbled internally.
By this time, Hermione had managed to get the egg closed. In the sudden silence, Harry could now hear Madam Pomfrey shouting at the poor girl.
"…is a medical facility! If you have quite finished assaulting Mr. Potter, kindly remove yourself from the premises AT ONCE!"
Hermione shot to her feet and fled from the tent, pausing at the screen long enough to look back and say, "Sorry, Harry!" before bolting outside.
Harry waved feebly at the already departed Hermione, more intent on clutching his bruised and painful bits. After a minute or so, he rolled over to lie on his back, only to see Madam Pomfrey staring at him with a barely suppressed smirk on her face.
"So, Mr. Potter, do you still maintain that you do not require treatment?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
Harry said nothing for a moment. "If it means that much to you, Madam Pomfrey," he wheezed in a poor attempt at nonchalance.
"Very well, then," Madam Pomfrey replied, clearly quite amused, and turned to wave her wand to right the bed onto its legs.
Harry gingerly rose from the ground, careful not to aggravate his injuries, and slowly lowered himself to sit on the bed. Harry sat silently for a few moments as Madam Pomfrey began waving her wand over him, before he began chuckling quietly to himself.
"And just what is so amusing, Mr. Potter?" asked Madam Pomfrey as she removed Harry's glasses and peered at his eyes.
"Hermione Jean Granger," Harry intoned in a voice laced with humor and a touch of awe. "More dangerous than a Hungarian Horntail."
"All women are, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey replied as she replaced Harry's glasses, a mysterious smile on her otherwise stern visage. "And you would do well to remember that fact. Now lie down and hold still; I need to perform a full-body scan."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Harry sighed. He shifted into position and made himself as comfortable as possible, wondering how soon he would be able to get back to the castle and make his way to the kitchens. Going up against a dragon made a bloke hungry.