Disclaimer: The first chapter should be sufficient.
A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! They motivate me through preparations for finals and the day in general. They've been so kind. One Guest in particular has been especially helpful. I don't know who they are but I would like to extend them a personal thanks. I am still in search of a beta.
Chapter 4: Troubles and Arrivals
o0O0o
Harry and Hermione wandered the halls leaning on each other. Most people were still in the Great Hall so they were free to act as they wished. Harry had never felt happier, life was going exceedingly well for him. Classes seemed easier and Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were far more interesting than Care of Magical Creatures (Sorry, Hagrid) and Divination.
As the earliest people to leave dinner entered the hall, the couple decided to finally get to the tower. Very few people had arrived in the tower and they quickly made their way to the couch they had claimed. Harry was extremely grateful to his past self, he had finished all of his homework the previous night and was free tonight provided nobody required his attentions.
Harry sat on the far end of the couch while Hermione lounged across it, head in his lap. The blanket Hermione had pilfered from the closet was soft and heavy, and the fire made him drowsy. As perfect as the moment felt he knew he couldn't sleep until he'd talked with Ron. He was sure Ron could understand why he'd asked Hermione out, but a nagging part of his brain was shouting. Ron had a jealous streak a mile wide and Harry was worried that he'd be mad.
Many minutes passed before Ron finally entered the common room. Had Hermione not been sleeping Harry would have gone to the dorms and fallen asleep himself. Ron seemed annoyed. Perhaps Malfoy had been sniping at him, Harry wouldn't be surprised. Now that Malfoy was aware of Harry's capabilities he wouldn't annoy Harry anymore, and Hermione was clearly off-limits. Ron was Malfoy's only way of getting at Harry and surely the pureblooded Slytherin would take the opportunity.
The couch was positioned in a way that hid anyone lying down from the entrance. That meant Ron could see Harry's unruly hair but not Hermione. Harry looked over the edge of the seat and held a finger to his lip, silencing the redhead shortly before he had been going to speak.
"Harry," he whispered, "what's the need for quietness? Why weren't you at lunch and have you seen Hermione?"
"Hermione fell asleep on the couch, I was with Hermione, and she's right here." he answered calmly.
Ron walked around the edge of the couch, sitting in one of the nearby chairs. He saw Hermione and gave Harry a dangerous look.
"Malfoy was being a right prick earlier." he said while attempting to keep from looking at Hermione.
"He's always an arse, isn't he? He's left me alone for the past week or so and Hermione hasn't mentioned having any problems. D'ya think maybe your dad did something that Malfoy's dad didn't like?" Harry murmured, keeping his voice flat in case he set Ron's temper off.
Ron's face turned thoughtful, an uncommon expression on the fiery Gryffindor's countenance. "Maybe. I'll send dad an owl tomorrow, mum'll like that."
Hermione yawned and sat up tiredly. She rubbed her eyes and leaned against Harry, sitting straight up when she noticed Ron staring.
"Hey, Ron. Did I interrupt anything?" she asked soporifically.
Ron and Harry shook their heads simultaneously, a side effect of being so close for years.
"'Kay. I think I'm going to turn in for the night." she said, turning to give Harry a peck on the cheek before walking unsteadily to the stairs.
His hair wasn't the only thing red when Ron saw Hermione kiss Harry, his entire face had flushed crimson. Ron's jaw audibly clicked shut, staring at Harry with a silent demand for answers to questions he didn't need to ask.
"Tomorrow's her birthday and I asked her out. Sorry, mate, I know how you feel about her but I like her too and you've had plenty of time to ask her out." it was a weak argument but an argument nonetheless.
Ron spluttered but couldn't respond. His face was turning an unhealthy shade of purple reminiscent of Harry's uncle Vernon when he tried to do math.
"Ron?" he asked anxiously, "You're not mad at me, are you?"
A sarcastic laugh was followed immediately by, "No, why would I be? You just asked out the girl your best mate has liked for years. You, Harry bloody Potter who has to simply ask to get whatever you want."
Harry felt his stomach drop. This was the worst outcome he'd imagined.
"Everything I want, you get! You're a powerful wizard, you've got the best broom on the market, you're bloody rich, you've got everything!"
"You're a bloody lord! Every few weeks you make national news! A celebrity! You don't understand it, Harry. You just don't get it, do you?" Ron spat with angry disappointment.
"I'm the youngest of 6 brothers and my little sister gets all the attention! Everything I have has been owned before! Nothing is mine. Hermione was the only other thing I wanted and now you've even got that," he yelled, "Maybe Malfoy is right to hate you. Even he has less than you."
Through all the sadness Harry felt a flicker of anger. "But I don't have everything!" he insisted.
"Not everything, obviously, but damn near close to it! You don't understand what it's like to have a family who barely notices you!" the angry redhead panted right as two of his older siblings walked into the room.
Fred and George immediately flushed and stared at their youngest brother. Harry's blood ran cold with fury. Ron stood there oblivious to it all.
"Would you look at that," Fred called.
"Ickle Ronniekins doesn't even get it." his twin said.
"Maybe," Harry spoke coldly, his voice piercing over the sound of everything in the room. "That's because my family is dead."
All the blood rushed from Ron's face. His expression turned to horror when he realised that's what he'd said.
"Mate, that's not what I meant!" he whimpered pathetically, but the damage was done.
Harry turned from Ron, storming out of the common room. His robes billowed behind him as he left through the portrait.
Fred and George shared a look before making for the source of the commotion; Ron himself. They all knew Ron would be getting pranked mercilessly for this newest act of drama.
Harry marched through the halls, students jumping out of his way when they saw him. With his robes swelling in his wake and the cold magic that sparked from him, he was an intimidating sight. He ended up in the seventh-floor corridor unknowingly, unsure of how he got there. Without ascending a staircase he'd appeared in front of the Come-and-Go room.
He wondered what the parameters of the room were. Earlier, when he had been on the date with Hermione, there had been food. Perhaps the elves had brought it there or perhaps the room could break some of the commonly accepted the rules of magic. Tomorrow, he decided, he would bring Hermione up here to test those rules.
Soft footsteps began to make their way down the hall. Harry turned and saw a shivering young girl in a nightgown wandering the cold castle, wearing no shoes. The girl seemed like she must be a third year, but he'd never noticed her before. Her eyes were vacant and dreamy, sliding into focus on him when she approached him.
"Um… Hi?" he softly spoke,
"Hello." the girl responded flatly.
"Do you need some help?" Harry asked, wary of the girl. It wasn't that long ago that Ron's sister had been possessed by a diary.
"Yes, I could use some help. You might need some too, you've got a terrible infestation of wrackspurts." the girl replied quietly.
"Why are you out here so late? It's far too cold to be without shoes. What are wrackspurts?" Harry had a bad feeling about something, she was small and he was worried that she might be bullied.
"The nargles locked me out of the tower and took my shoes. They're like the wrackspurts, but meaner. Wrackspurts make it hard to think but nargles will take your stuff."
"So you're a Ravenclaw?" he asked.
"Yes, but the others tell me I'm not a real Ravenclaw."
"What's your name?" he asked and he began to will the Come and Go room to be a warm room with chairs.
"It's Luna, Luna Lovegood, but the others just call me Loonie."
Harry grimaced, she was definitely bullied. Bad memories began to rise to the surface of his mind but he pushed them back down. The door to the room appeared and he led Luna in, the room providing a cozy small common room with a fire burning merrily.
Luna sat on one of the couches, pulling her legs into her chest. Harry took a risk and conjured a pair of slippers and a robe, hoping Luna wouldn't notice him doing it wandlessly. He handed them to her and she stood, reaching to the bottom of her nightgown. Harry turned away immediately, blushing. She apparently had been going to change into the robes right in front of him. Not a lot about Luna made any sense and this just added to the mystery.
"You can do wandless magic?" Luna asked as she sat back down on the couch.
Harry sighed, she had noticed. "Yeah, but I'm trying to keep it a secret. Can you please not tell anyone?"
Luna yawned sleepily. "Yes, I can do that."
"You can stay here for the night. Is there anything you'd like? This room can change into anything." he said, sitting next to the odd girl.
"I suppose a bed would be nice, but the couch is fine. It's comfier than the one I normally sleep on." she sighed.
Harry was extremely alarmed by her statements. Ravenclaw didn't seem like a nice group of people. They took her shoes, locked her out of the tower on a cold night, and probably made her stay out of the dorms. When he added the bit about her imaginary creatures and her uncaring nature about changing in front of someone, it made him think that she was abused.
Maybe his friends weren't the only ones in need of protection.
o0O0o
Hermione's birthday was the next day. Waking early had become a habit, and Harry hopped out of bed before the sun had risen. He showered and went through the normal motions of waking. Crossing the common room he encountered nobody, nor did he in the halls. It wasn't long later that he arrived at the kitchens and asked Dobby to make a picnic for two to be delivered during lunch.
Harry returned to the common room, sitting engulfed in blankets reading books and practicing spells occasionally. He was alone for half an hour before the twins came downstairs and sat in a corner of the room. One of the twins muttered something and a coffee pot appeared.
Removing the blanket, he moved to where the twins were. "How'd you get it to appear like that?" Harry said curiously.
The twins yawned. "Disillusionment spell," one said, "and the reversal of it." the other finished.
"Clever. You should turn that into a product."
The twins looked thoughtful and began to drink their coffee as Harry returned to his seat. Studying was more fun than he'd thought it would be, he had only to recall the wonder of the first magic he'd seen to be enthusiastic about learning more. An hour later Hermione came downstairs.
"Harry..?" she spoke nervously, sitting next to him.
He kissed her cheek and hugged her. She glowed with happiness.
"Good, it wasn't just a dream," she said before sitting in his lap and kissing him. "What're you up to this morning?"
"Studying. I see why you enjoy reading so much, spells are fun!"
She kissed him again, all of her nervousness fading.
"What was that one for? I need to know so I can do it again!" Harry exclaimed amusedly.
Hermione giggled. "That," said Hermione, "was for studying like a good student." she finished before kissing him again. "And that one was because it's fun."
The next half hour was productive, the incentives definitely helped. The couple walked to breakfast together, chatting with the terrible twins. Fred and George were planning a whole host of pranks on Ron in vengeance for his pigheadedness. Now that Harry had talked to them he knew they were extremely intelligent people, following a trend of intelligence in their family that seemed to have missed Ron.
Ron showed up to breakfast late, piling as much food as possible onto his plate and devouring it. He refused to look in either of his friend's directions.
Herbology came around and Harry partnered with Hermione. Ron shot them glares from across the greenhouse. They were practicing the Orchideous spell. Giggling could be heard anywhere there was a couple as the cheesier guys were presenting their girlfriends with flowers.
"For you, my lady?" Harry said in a faux-cultured accent, conjuring a large bouquet of peppermint colored roses.
Hermione giggled.
Overhearing some of the nearby conversations, Harry frowned. Apparently, some girls were of the opinion that Hermione had used a love potion on him. That wasn't all, though. It had become common knowledge that he had been in a row with Ron the night prior.
"That Lavender Brown is a terrible gossip. I think she was in the common room when it happened. Don't pay them any attention." Hermione soothed, leaning into him.
Herbology was followed by a free period.
"Mione, why don't we go for a walk?
The duo walked out the front door, revelling in the sunshine. Wary of the forest to their side, they strode hand in hand around the grounds. Two redheads wolf whistled from a shady corner of the castle, making Hermione blush and Harry grin. Fred and George were more like brothers than ever to him these days.
Harry felt happier than he had even been. His girlfriend strode by his side, he was learning new things, he had his own little family. Hermione, Fred, George, and someone else rose to mind when he thought of family. Dumbledore was like a grandfather to him, Molly and Arthur made for good surrogate parents, and most surprisingly Luna felt like a younger sister to him.
Ron didn't cross his mind at all while they walked. A constant smile adorned his face, mirrored on his partner's countenance. The twins shouted at them again, "Get a broom closet you two!" provoking another blush on Hermione.
Blush looked nice on Hermione. He'd do his best to make it a common expression. Harry shivered as they entered the cold shadow of Hogwarts, the sun having not risen far enough to light the whole grounds yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see some shimmering creature at the edge of the forest.
The walk led them to the lake, where they walked along the edge with waves lapping at the sand underneath them. A small tree rose in front of them. Grinning, Harry snapped and a picnic blanket appeared before them, lunch loaded onto it in baskets.
"You just broke Gamp's laws." said a thoroughly nonplussed Hermione.
Harry smirked and sat, patting the blanket next to him.
"I suppose you asked Dobby to bring some food here?" she asked.
"You weren't supposed to figure that out." pouted Harry.
Hermione smirked. "You did pick a nice place for lunch, though. Under a tree on a hill overlooking the lake; cheesy but it is a gorgeous view."
They ate lunch with amicable chatter, taking longer than was strictly necessary in order to have as much time together as possible. Dobby had packed a delicious meal, chicken and various sides. Somehow the little elf had gotten some muggle soft drinks as well. Harry saved several to introduce to the twins, who would no doubt love them.
Despite having sat outside for over two hours, he still felt it was far too early when they had to go to arithmancy class.
o0O0o
The next day flew by before finally Wednesday arrived with Charms class. As the class ended, Harry approached Professor Flitwick.
"Professor, may I speak to you in private?" he asked.
"That would be fine. Step into my office." the short man responded. Harry followed him into an orderly office full of books, a fire crackling in the corner.
"Sir, three days ago I found out that Ravenclaw has a bullying problem and I wanted to bring it to your attention." Harry said, the professor's eyebrows rising.
"It's surprising to me, Mister Potter, that it is you who has brought me this information. I would have expected a Ravenclaw to tell me. It is also surprising that I wasn't aware of this, my Claws are expected to be honest and kind. May I ask how you discovered this?" Flitwick responded.
"Well, professor, I had been in a row with a friend and left the tower shortly afterwards. I was wandering and found myself on the seventh-floor where a young girl by the name of Luna approached me. I got her some shoes as she was wearing none and some robes as she had been shivering and stuck outside in nothing but a nightgown." he began.
"She told me about how they refer to her as 'Loonie' and they take her stuff. Some of the things she said implied that they often lock her from the tower and force her to sleep in the common room when they don't."
Professor Flitwick's eyes hardened. "I will a talk with the entire house at lunch then. The only people other than me who can lock the tower are the prefects. Rest assured that I will not allow this to continue." he said before awarding thirty points to Gryffindor and taking thirty from Ravenclaw.
"Thank you, professor." Harry said before leaving the classroom to return to Gryffindor tower during his free period.
Hermione stood waiting outside of the door, hand sliding into his when he left.
"What'd you need to talk to him for?" she asked.
"Do you know Luna? Luna Lovegood, she's a third-year Ravenclaw." Harry responded quietly so as to avoid being overheard.
"I think I've heard of her. She's odd." Hermione answered.
"Well, on Sunday after me and Ron had our row, I went for a walk around the castle. I ended up on the seventh-floor next to the room. Mione, Luna had been locked out of the tower in just a nightgown. No shoes or robes at all. She was shivering and I found out that pretty much all of Ravenclaw has been shunning her. Some of them have locked her out of the tower and taken her stuff." he said heatedly, some of the nearby people giving them some odd looks.
The couple entered the common room, Ron huffing off to the dorms when he saw them.
"That's terrible. I suppose Professor Flitwick was unaware of this?" she responded.
"Yeah. The entire house has been lying to him, even the prefects." Harry responded.
When lunchtime arrived Harry sat straight with anticipation. His eyes caught Luna's and she smiled at him. The twins sat across from Harry and noticed his grin.
"Harry," they spoke, "have you planned a prank?"
"It's not quite a prank but Ravenclaw is about to get a dressing down." Harry proclaimed.
The twins shared a slightly confused look and turned their heads to Ravenclaw's table. Lunch hadn't quite arrived on the tables and Professor Flitwick stood, standing on his chair. He pointed his wand at his throat and spoke a word before facing the hall.
Dumbledore rose. "Please give your attention to Professor Flitwick. He has a few things to say."
"Ravenclaw. Never before have I been so ashamed and disappointed. Today it was brought to my attention that you have a severe bullying problem," he addressed, "and it was brought to me by someone who isn't even one of you. Do any of you know what bullying problem I'm referring to?" he asked. Not a single Claw raised their hand or said that they did.
"Very well. Two hundred points from Ravenclaw. Prefects, turn your badges in to me after lunch. I do not understand at all why this would happen in my house. Where is the wit in being a bully? The intelligence? There is only one answer to that and it is the simple fact that there is none."
Shock rippled through the hall, cries erupting from the Ravenclaw table. Most of the table glared at Luna, who simply stood and walked to the Gryffindor table. She sat next to Harry and began to fill her plate with food.
o0O0o
Harry sat in the common room next to Hermione. They were finishing the homework they had for the week, a pile of books sitting off to the side waiting to be read. Many of the books were high-level spellbooks and borderline dark. Hermione had decided that if Harry was to face Voldemort he had better start training and learn more.
He had begrudgingly accepted on the promise of incentives for studying. As he finished his last assignment, a foot on the origins and effects of the Unforgivables, a prefect entered the room and informed Harry that the Headmaster wanted to see him. He gave Hermione a quick kiss before leaving.
"Good evening, Harry. Have you an idea of why I've called you in here?" Dumbledore spoke from across the desk.
"Yes sir, I suppose it's for lordship purposes?" Harry replied.
"You would be correct in assuming that. First though we may talk about less serious subjects. Lemon drop?"
Harry snorted at Dumbledore's persistent question. "Of course." he said.
Dumbledore looked briefly surprised before handing over a packaged muggle sweet. Popping it in his mouth, Harry decided he would definitely be accepting more of these in the future. They were sour, sweet, and bitter and wonderful.
"You're the first person to accept one of those, you know. People seem to get the preposterous idea that I put potions in them. I certainly do not, that would detract from the flavor." the Headmaster remarked.
"That's strange. So how have you been, professor?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I've been fine. The Triwizard Tournament has been being planned. Traditionally it has three parts to its gauntlet and we're deciding on the specifics of that. Dragons, mermen and a maze seem to be how it's going to go so far." Dumbledore announced.
"Wow. Who in their right mind would enter a contest like that?"
"Not many people, Harry. The younger, more impressionable people may have been interested but those of my age would not enter a tournament such as this." agreed Dumbledore.
"That sounds true enough. I have an odd question for you." Harry stated.
"Out with it then."
"Well, professor, what do you know about wandless magic?" he queried.
"The field of wandless magic isn't well known, as the best texts on it have been lost to time. Wands have been used for many thousands of years, ever since the first Egyptian settlers lived. I personally know very little wandless magic. Why do you ask?" Dumbledore answered.
Harry chewed on his words for a moment. "Well... A few days after the start of the semester I used wandless magic and discovered I have a talent for it."
"That's very impressive," Dumbledore said in a proud grandfather voice, "Would you care to demonstrate it?"
In response, Harry conjured a tiny dragon. It sat on Dumbledore's desk and paced back and forth, turning to Dumbledore and spitting sparks at him. Harry laughed as Dumbledore's beard caught fire, the Headmaster putting it out quickly before vanishing the puny beast.
"Marvelous," he spoke, "I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like that before. The conjuration itself was impressive as well."
"Thank you." Harry said proudly.
"What's the largest thing you can conjure?" Dumbledore questioned curiously.
"I've not tested the upper limits but I think I could conjure perhaps a lion." Harry pondered.
"Shall we test it?"
"We could, I guess. But should we? If someone saw me do it the entire school would know and I'd rather keep it a secret." responded Harry.
"That's understandable. Why don't we try it in the forest then?" Dumbledore said in a manner implying that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Okay. I am kind of curious now that you've brought the subject up."
They stood, Dumbledore putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. Fawkes flew from his perch, landing on the older man's shoulder and in a flash of fire they were gone.
Harry was delighted to find that this method of travel didn't leave him nauseous or on the ground. Looking around, he saw nothing but a large clearing with cages in various stages of assembly.
"Go on, conjure the largest thing you can. Don't hurt yourself, though." said a twinkle-eyed Dumbledore.
Harry's hands came up as he felt his magic inside of him. Drawing it to the surface of his hands he coaxed it out, commanding it into the shape of a lion. Tiredness washed over him and he stumbled, Dumbledore's hand latching onto his shoulder in a tight grip for someone of his age. The lion bounded out of sight.
"How do you do it, Harry?" Dumbledore's eyed gleamed, his inner Ravenclaw demanding answers.
"Well… I feel my magic. I draw it to the surface of my hands and I command it to take form. It's not conscious thought that commands it, though, it's something deeper. The best analogy I can think of is thoughts themselves. When you read, you can hear the words in your head, but the thoughts that create those words are the feeling you use when you do wandless magic." said a tired Harry.
Dumbledore held his hands out in front of him and a small flame flickered out. Disappointed, he sighed and Fawkes brought them back to the office. Opening his desk he pulled out a small vial of potion, handing it to Harry.
Harry shot it down, it tasted like peppermint. Immediately he felt better, more alert and excited.
"It's getting rather late. Harry, what do you know about being a lord?" Dumbledore questioned.
"Not much, I only know that it places me at the head of house position and allows me to make decisions for the benefit of my house. I know that as the lord of an Ancient and Noble House, I have a place on the Wizengamot."
"Your grasp of lordship is simple but that's a good description of what a lord does. Lords can make betrothal contracts, invest in companies, call upon their family's magic, and make banking decisions. Your wizengamot duties are more complicated. The Potter family holds a seat on the Wizengamot and you may vote on the passing of laws. If you wish you may accompany me to tomorrow's session." Dumbledore began.
"As you are still young and in school I would suggest you use a proxy. They would have the power to vote and a certain degree of autonomy that you would choose. I offer myself for that role. There are many customs and parties involved with being on the Wizengamot, those we will go over in the future."
"For now,though, I believe it is time for us to retire." he finished.
Harry yawned, the effect of the potion wearing off. "Okay, professor. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, my dear boy."
o0O0o
Harry sat at his desk in the Room of Requirement, dubbed so by the amazing Miss Granger. On the desk sat an unassuming letter he had penned nervously.
During a meeting with Dumbledore, he had let slip his burgeoning curiosity with other forms of transfiguration. After pondering for a moment the Headmaster had informed him that the only known form of transfiguration more difficult than conjuration was human transfiguration and the pinnacle of that was the animagus.
Harry had asked about how he would go about doing that, knowing that his godfather and the rest of the Marauders, including his father, had been animagi. He wished to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and form the second generation of Marauders. Fred and George had activated a prankster's gene inside him and he felt a burning desire to pull a huge prank on the school.
To truly become a new generation he would have to become an animagus though, and Dumbledore had informed him that Professor McGonagall could teach him. Later that week he had approached the teacher about learning. She had agreed, and when he had told her of his intentions to become the next Marauder, she simply advised him not to take anything too far.
His letter was to Sirius, telling him about his animagus training and Hermione and his row with Ron. Harry debated including his wandless magic in the letter but decided to keep it out, if that information was intercepted it could be disastrous.
The letter was folded and entered into an envelope. Harry made his way to the owlery across the school.
"Hi, Hedwig. Sorry for not coming around more often." he spoke while stroking the owl's feathers. She turned to face him and nipped his finger, making him yelp in pain. "Sorry!" he cried. Hedwig took the letter and flew out the window.
o0O0o
Defense Against the Dark Arts was still Harry's favorite class despite the insanity of their teacher. Posters shouted randomly at them, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" they screamed. Harry was a little unnerved by the subject matter of the year, though. Today Moody was going to perform the Imperius on them.
Harry and Hermione had arrived early. Harry had read through his entire stock of books for the year, the couch and Hermione were very nice for that. "Homenum Revelio" he whispered, glancing around. He caught a glimpse of red in the corner of the room. Their mad teacher sat disillusioned in a position perfect for an ambush.
The rest of the class flooded in, not a single person checking for their teacher. Harry was surprised, if there was anything Moody had taught them it was that you should always check for enemies before settling in. A tripping jinx flew from the corner, catching an unfortunate Neville and tripping him. The boy caught himself with a surprising amount of muscle and pushed himself upright.
"Constant vigilance!" the man in the corner roared, startling the class.
He stood and undid his disillusionment, standing at the front desk.
"Only two people in this entire class did anything to ascertain whether or not there was anything in this room," the grizzled auror began, "Those being Potter and Granger."
"Had I been an actual opponent all of you would have died, Potter and Granger included. The time it took them to check was time I could've taken them down in. Today we will be attempting to throw off the Imperius, something I doubt many of you will manage today." Moody growled.
His wand whipped up, aiming for Ron, who jumped onto the table and began to dance. Ron didn't even know how to dance! Moody cancelled the curse and Ron stumbled, nearly falling off the desk. He looked extremely embarrassed. The room laughed before the professor used the spell again, this time aiming for Neville, who cartwheeled down the central aisle.
The wand aimed at Harry this time and he felt the need to do a backflip. A voice at the back of his head, one that was decidedly not his own, insisted that he do it. Recalling the analogy Harry had used to describe wandless magic he overpowered the magic that was causing these compulsions and broke the curse. The entire class was staring.
Smiling, Harry waved at the rest of the class. He was sure everyone in the castle would know by the end of the day. Hermione was Moody's next target, and she stood up before sitting down. A large smirked covered her face. By the time the class ended nobody else had managed to stand up to the curse.
o0O0o
Breakfast came along with the highlight of Harry's day. Hedwig swooped down in front of him, taking a juicy piece of bacon in her beak. Harry untied the letter attached to her leg. He hoped Sirius had taken him seriously when he'd asked him to stay out of the country.
'Nice try, Harry.
I'm back in the country and I'll be in touch.
I'm extremely proud of you and wish you the best in your animagus training. Tell me when you find out! Your father would be proud too. I'm happy you've finally gotten together with Hermione, you two are perfect for each other. Keep me posted on the castle and keep switching owls, Hedwig is too noticeable to use.
Sirius
The rest of the day passed by in a blur after he had read that, leading up to the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament.
The entire student population was outside the castle in anticipation for the arrival of the two other schools involved in the tournament. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be arriving by unknown means.
Harry had conjured a seat when nobody had been looking and Hermione sat in his lap. They stared at the night sky, stars gleaming and not a cloud in sight. Their eyes focussed on a faraway point of blackness that was growing larger as the minutes passed. A huge blue carriage soared over the forest, slowing to a halt and landing with an almighty crash. The horses pulling the carriage were huge, each as large as an elephant and winged.
A boy leapt from the carriage as soon as it had stopped completely, fumbling with something for a moment before a golden set of stairs descended from the door to the carriage.
The largest woman Harry had ever seen stepped from the powder-blue carriage, each foot the size of a child's sled. She looked over the crowd of students silently, Dumbledore beginning applause that was soon picked up by the rest of Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons lady stepped towards Dumbledore, who kissed her extended hand and proceeded to converse about the status of Durmstrang before delegating the responsibility for the steeds to Hagrid.
Behind the lady stood two dozen shivering students, none wearing cloaks and only a few wearing scarves or shawls. They stood for several minutes, the silence broken only by the stamping and snorting of the huge horses, before finally an eerie noise filled the air. It was as though an immense vacuum cleaner was sucking through the lake.
"The lake," yelled an excited Lee Jordan, "Look at the lake!"
A gargantuan whirlpool had formed in the center of it, a mast ascending from the core of the vortex followed shortly by a large pirate-like ship. It glided towards the lake's coast, an anchor splashing down in shallow water and a long plank extended from the deck. Portholes lit and dimmed across the length of the boat as students moved behind them.
Light shone across the deck, students streaming from a door on the boat. Each student was covered by a thick cloak of matted fur.
A certain redheaded prat could be heard enthusiastically shouting about Viktor Krum being amongst the ranks of Durmstrang students.
Not long after the introductions did the assembled students file in for dinner. Chatter could be heard about asking Krum for his autograph, something Harry frankly couldn't understand. He was just a quidditch player.
The Durmstrang contingent passed the Gryffindor's table oblivious to the hisses for Krum to join them. Ron could be heard loudly bemoaning the misfortune as their guests rolled their eyes. Harry made note of where the new students sat, Durmstrang joining Slytherin and Beauxbatons sitting with Ravenclaw.
Dinner passed slowly, the judges for the tournament arriving and Dumbledore announcing that the tournament would be opened at the end of dinner. A veela from the French school had come to the Gryffindor and asked for the bouillabaisse, leaving the guys tongue-tied save for Harry, who rolled his eyes and handed the witch the food. She looked curiously at Harry before turning and returning to her table.
The Goblet of Fire was rolled into the hall, the tournament officially beginning and Dumbledore announced the protections around it to prevent students too young from joining. The twins looked mischievous, clearly planning to get in despite Dumbledore's words,
For the first time in many years, the Triwizard Tournament would be being held and Harry couldn't bring himself to care.
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