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Balance Factor Chapter 20

Year Four

Tournament

A/N: Please read and review! Thanks to firehedgehog!

Harry was a little baffled when he arrived at the Quidditch World Cup and the Dark Mark was shot into the sky. He took a deep breath, never noticing his wand was missing until Winky was revealed holding his wand. He searched his pockets and said.

"Ah. That's mine."

"So you decided to shoot up the Dark Mark and throw your wand away, didn't you boy?" Barty Crouch grumped.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. Bagman spoke.

"Barty, I think Harry Potter would be the last person to be shooting up the Dark Mark."

Crouch looked embarrassed now. Harry sighed, taking back his own wand.

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman."

A sense of calm rushed through his body. Harry gave a small jolt, unsure what to make of it. But when nothing else happened, he relaxed. He would need to check the balance later. But for now, he brushed past the others and headed back to his tent.

"Harry?" Hermione seemed concerned. Harry looked at her and then at Ron.

"Things have been a little strange lately… Draco said he would tell us what's going on later, but… I've been feeling off these days," Harry said.

"Do you think it has something to do with the balance?" Ron asked, looking up at him with his mouth stuffed with pasties. Hermione gave him a disgusted look but Harry was too distracted to notice.

"I do not know," Harry replied honestly. "The balance feels normal. When I check, it is normal. But I have this uneasy feeling that something's not right."

"Maybe you can do a thorough check?" Hermione said, looking at her friend.

"Possible, but would take months. Maybe a year," Harry said. "And I'm sure it would be lovely to explain to Professor Snape why I missed an entire year of Potions. And Professor Dumbledore would freak out. Really." He looked over at them before smiling. "Don't worry about it too much. I can handle it, whatever is coming."

Harry's hand slid into his pocket and he gripped Shirogane's cane head. He was really starting to get attached to the item. Perhaps he should have given it to Kou when he got the chance.

"Kazu! Kazuki!"

Harry blinked as he heard Kou's voice come from his pocket. He took out the mirror and looked into it, seeing Kou in his human appearance, with black hair and black eyes.

"Hello, Kou. How are things going?" Harry asked. Kou looked surprised, then delighted.

"It works! Awesome!" Kou said. Harry tilted his head and then let out a soft laugh.

"Of course it does, Kou," Harry said. "It's magic." Hermione and Ron both crowded around him, looking at the mirror. "So, Kou, how are things going for you? You're in Japan right?" He looked a bit serious.

"Not good actually. The Darkness is spreading rapidly here," Kou said. "Ah, but you don't have to worry. Aki and Shirogane have been taking care of it."

"What? But I don't feel anything here…" Harry said, frowning. "I'll check it again."

"I should go. Aki and Shirogane should be coming soon," Kou said, vanishing. "Bye!"

Harry slid the mirror into his pocket. Something was muffling his senses, it seemed. But what…? And who?

Harry thought about it all through the mayhem of getting ready for school. He ordered a set of black and white dress robes, as the letter had said he needed one. Harry wasn't too sure about why, but Draco had yet to contact them.

It was the day before they were due to leave that Draco finally made contact with them.

"This year, Hogwarts is going to be host to the Triwizard Tournament. It's a chance for fame and glory," Draco looked excited. "Are any of you going to enter?"

Harry shook his head. "Thank you, but no thank you. Believe me when I say I have no interest in either." He ran a hand through his hair.

"The Triwizard Tournament?" Ron looked suddenly as excited as Draco. "So that's what my dad was talking about!"

"But I read that people die from it!" Hermione whispered. "That's why they stopped it!"

"Meaning only very skilled wizards can enter. If not only people who are of age," Harry said, nodding. "No wonder fame and glory are involved. I want no part of it." He closed his eyes, sinking into his core, scanning the balance. As usual, equilibrium was set in place. There was nothing for him to do. His brain protested, as the equilibrium had never been stable for this long. And Kou had specifically told him about the Darkness spreading in Japan.

"You're already famous," Ron said, prodding Harry. Harry was jolted back into his body. "Of course you don't want it."

It happened again! First Draco, then Dudley, now Ron. People noticed when he was going into his meditation state. They actually noticed! The thought jarred Harry a little and Harry staggered.

Perhaps the balance was tipping, and he couldn't see it. He closed his eyes again, pushing Darkness out of his body and recycling it into the Earth and then doing the same for Light.

The whole process took the entire night. By the time Harry opened his eyes, Hermione and Ron had both gone to sleep and Draco was likely in bed as well. It was early morning, judging by the light streaming through the windows. It appeared that none of them had bothered him when they realized he wasn't going to reply.

Harry flopped onto his bed, his emerald eyes a little wide, shocked. What was this?

The soft warmth of the morning light caressed him to sleep.

It seemed only an hour later, Mrs. Weasley called them up. Harry shot out of bed, his eyes wide as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about. But he clutched his arms, wrapping his arms around himself. As if he could feel someone's touch. Someone familiar… but also strange. He almost felt like he was going to cry from relief… or panic.

Harry looked up when Ron placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, mate… What's wrong?" Ron asked, looking concerned.

"I… don't know… I really don't…" Harry said, shakily. "Things are strange… I feel different… Not like previous years, when both elements are here… I feel like I'm missing something… important."

Ron blinked, sharing a look with Hermione. Harry closed his eyes, sinking into his core. Nothing had changed. Nothing at all. He opened his eyes again, uneasy.

"We better go," Harry said calmly, his voice steady. "We don't want to miss the train."

-0-

Ron and Hermione kept shooting him worried looks through the Hogwarts train ride. Harry ignored them, partially because he didn't know what to say, and partially because he couldn't explain his own insecurities. Draco, however, was having none of it.

"Alright. Why are you all looking at Potter like he's about to drop dead?" Draco demanded, looking between Harry and the other two.

"Draco, Harry's had a scary nightmare…" Hermione started, but Ron cut her off.

"Actually, he's been feeling funny," Ron said. "Said he doesn't feel right."

Harry sighed as Draco turned to him. "It's a feeling I have. I can't describe it in words… But it's something akin to the calm before the storm."

Draco looked confused but nodded slowly.

"Draco…? The Triwizard Tournament is this year, you said?" Harry said. "Tell us about it, won't you? How much does your dad know?"

"Well, there are three tasks. Extremely dangerous tasks," Draco started. "The prize is one thousand gallons. I don't care much about the money as I do the fame that comes with it. Though Father said I should keep my head down."

"Why?" Ron said. "I thought your dad would like having more to the family name? As if his head wasn't large enough."

Draco pursed his lips. "It's because people have died, Weasley. It's nothing to joke about. Even with the new rules, Father says it's still extremely dangerous."

Harry zoned out for the rest of the trip, sinking into his core and staring at it, as if willing it to change. He wanted some sort of normality in his life again. He wanted the uneasy feeling to either disappear, or him to find a reason of causing it.

His Factor remained innocently still.

-0-

Harry ignored most of Professor Dumbledore's speech. He looked up only once to see the new teacher, "Mad-Eye" Moody, and then looked back down, closing his eyes. Ron and Hermione were paying attention though, so he could just ask them about it later.

The uneasy feeling didn't disappear during the week. Instead, Harry learned to half ignore it. School had started up again and his classes were getting more and more rigorous.

He wasn't sure what to make of "Mad-Eye" Moody just yet. Professor Moody had taught them about the Unforgivable Curses and then practiced Imperio on the students one by one. Harry watched his classmates do strange things they never would have normally done. But when it was Harry's turn, he felt a wave of unease. He wasn't sure what the curse was supposed to feel like, or if it would affect him at all. He hadn't let many curses hit him before, after all.

He watched Professor Moody raise his wand and speak. "Imperio."

Harry instantly had the sensation of someone trying to grasp his core. The feeling was unpleasant enough where his elements lashed out. Violently.

There was an enormous BANG and the entire room was in disarray. Papers were on the floor, fluttering almost innocently. Some students had been knocked out, though all the students had been knocked to the ground. Professor Moody had ducked the vicious backlash of Harry's core. Harry, himself, was on the floor, heavily dazed, the Light in his core fluctuating wildly against the Darkness. It was as if they were anticipating another attack.

The walls had a deep imprint of something slicing into it. It almost looked like someone with a large axe had walked around the room, making holes in the walls. Stone littered the floor.

McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Flitwick rushed in, wands raised. They took one look at the room, then the students and started ushering people into the Hospital Wing. Moody stood up, dusting himself off, looking very frazzled and unsteady on his feet.

"Wow, Potter. That was the most violent reaction I have ever seen," Moody coughed. Harry, still quite dazed, simply let McGonagall help him to the Hospital Wing.

Pomfrey was less than pleased to see a whole class in the Hospital Wing, but was more than willing to keep them. When pointed out that Harry had started it, she insisted on keeping him longer in case there was damage.

"Harry…?" Hermione said softly, looking alarmed. "What… was that?"

"I assume… it was a reaction to Imperio," Harry said, his head finally back on his shoulders and not rolling on the floor. "I didn't know that would happen, quite honestly… I wonder if that would be the reaction I have to the other two…"

"Blimey, mate," Ron said, groggy from getting hit in the head. "That was definitely one of the coolest things I've seen…"

Harry fell back on the pillows, wanting little more than to disappear.

Dumbledore came that evening, when most students were discharged. Snape had joined him and Dumbledore put up silencing charms around Harry's bed before speaking.

"Figures Potter would cause such a disturbance… Again," Snape sneered. Harry gave him a half-hearted smile, not particularly offended.

"Sorry for the trouble, Professor Snape. It seems Unforgivables and my elements do not mix. At all," Harry said quietly. Dumbledore nodded a little.

"It does mean… that you cannot be subjected to Imperio though. That is a very good thing. Voldemort cannot make you do his bidding," Dumbledore said, nodding thoughtfully.

"If my elements don't flatten him first," Harry said quietly. "I do not often get hit by spells as I prefer dodging, so I do not know most of their effects on my body. I was thinking about testing them, perhaps in a safe environment so I don't end up killing any students?"

Snape sniffed, but didn't disagree with the idea. Dumbledore smiled.

"Perhaps later in the year," Dumbledore said, nodding. "After the Champions have been picked."

"Though I would prefer if you didn't hit me with the Killing Curse," Harry said, leaning back. "Whenever either of you have time, I suppose."

"Harry, why don't you let Professor Moody train with you," Dumbledore asked gently. "He will be a great asset to you."

"He does not know what I am, Professor," Harry responded, "and, quite frankly, I would like to keep it such. The less people know about our existence, the better. The less the balance is tipped."

"Too good for any normal Professor, aren't you Potter?" Snape sneered. Harry smiled at him.

"Of course not, since I was going to ask you, a former Death Eater, to teach me. You know how Voldemort's mind works and spells he will use, do you not, Professor Snape?" Harry said, pleasant. Snape looked like he had been hit in the face with a brick.

"An excellent suggestion!" Dumbledore said pleasantly, clapping his hands.

"No, it is not! I refuse!" Snape looked like he had swallowed a lemon. "What possessed you to think I would agree to something like that?!"

"Because it is not only spellwork, but potions as well. I have not consumed many potions or applied many at all," Harry said seriously. "I assume Voldemort will use any means to capture me, even if it is spiking my drink or my food with something strange."

"Don't your elements tell you that kind of stuff?" Snape accused, pointing a finger at him. Harry gave him a strange look.

"No? Why would they?" Harry asked, confused. "The world may need me alive, but no one says I have to be whole or sane to do it. And reincarnation is apparently where I would go, if I were to die. And I'd rather avoid death, thank you very much. Though that is only speculation." He sat up slowly, his elements still swirling around in his core, though having calmed some.

"Potter, are you serious?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I am. I would like to test out my other form as well," Harry said, leaning on one hand to steady himself. Dumbledore placed his hands on his shoulders and pushed him back on the bed when he saw that Harry was straining himself. Harry looked at Snape.

"So, when do we start, Professor?"

-0-

Harry watched as the students of Beauxbatons Academy and Drumstrang Institute arrived. Ron looked excited, but Harry didn't care either way. He was more excited about the new lessons Professor Snape had agreed to. It had taken some pushing on Dumbledore's part and a bit of charm on Harry's, but Snape had agreed.

Watching Hedwig fly off a letter to Sirius was peaceful. He remembered that he had sent Hedwig out that afternoon, so it was likely that Harry wouldn't get a reply for a while. He could still feel the warm autumn breeze on his cheeks from the Owlry.

Harry paused as Ron nudged him. Dumbledore had announced the Goblet of Fire. Harry gazed at the ancient artifact and smiled a little, amused by Dumbledore's Age Line. He probably didn't apply to it, as he was much older than he appeared. It wasn't like he wanted to join the Tournament anyway, so he wasn't going to test that theory.

Moody, ever since their explosive Defense class, had taken to shooting Harry funny looks. Harry ignored them for the most part, not really wanting to have to explain. Thankfully, it appeared that Dumbledore had spoken to Moody, as Moody had yet to try and corner him.

Draco, however, he had not been able to avoid. Draco seemed to have heard the story elsewhere first, because when he approached Harry, the first thing he said was:

"Potter! I heard you were trying to blow up the school!"

Harry sighed, lowering Draco's accusing finger. "No, Draco. I am not trying to blow up the school." It had taken a while for Draco to understand what happened, but his eyes went very big when he was told. By the end of the story, he looked almost giddy.

"That's amazing! You can't be imperio-ed!" Draco had said, his blue eyes wide with wonder. Harry had run a hand through his hair, shaking it out. "You can't be killed, or mind controlled… What's next? You can't feel pain too?"

"I don't know," Harry said, shaking his head. "I was hoping I would be normal, but of course, I'm not."

After that little talk, Harry had made Draco promise to keep quiet about what he knew. Of course, Draco had promised. Harry didn't doubt him.

Harry stood up when Dumbledore was done with his speech, sweeping out of the room. Since the explosion, his core had settled. But once again, it had settled to the equilibrium state Harry was, quite frankly, getting sick of looking at. He really should have been happy that it was settled. Happy that all of his past efforts had paid off and that he had nothing to do. Harry supposed he would have been, if Ryuuko was still around and Shirogane assured him.

Most of the students left as well but Harry didn't really notice them. He smiled at Ron and Hermione before heading up to his bed. He sat on it, thinking deeply until Ron and Hermione came to him.

"You've been acting weird," Ron said, sitting on the bed. "Is it still bothering you?"

"Yeah," Harry admitted. "It has. " He looked from one to the other and smiled a little. "Sorry if my behavior is off. But I don't like not knowing. It drives me a little insane."

Hermione nodded understandingly. Ron looked a little relieved.

"Hey, who do you think the Hogwarts Champion will be?" Ron asked. Harry smiled.

"Probably someone powerful. That's how the Goblet judges, right?"