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Balance Factor Chapter 23

Year Four

Second Task

A/N: This book is long. A lot of important things happen in this book.

Hermione had dragged him to meet Dobby. Out of all House Elves, why did she have to choose the one who continuously tried to kill him in his second year?

Draco seemed just as surprised to see Dobby there. He shrugged though, not too worried about it. "Hey, whatever works." He accepted Dobby's snacks and thanked him politely. Dobby beamed at him.

"Little Master is different," Dobby said, his huge ears flapping. Draco shrugged.

"Probably Harry's fault," Draco said. Dobby giggled.

Harry had accepted being pampered by the house elves, a little bewildered at their behavior. Dobby even gathered around Harry, looking up at him in something of awe.

"Er… Why are they all clustered around me?" Harry asked, looking at the many tiny faces. He gave a pat to one of the House elves and suddenly everyone wanted a pet on the head.

"Harry Potter's magic calls us," Dobby said happily. "Harry Potter's magic is special."

Harry blinked a little, smiling lightly. "Ah, so you can feel it as well. Maybe I should assume other magical creatures can feel it too." He glanced over at Winky and paused a little. "What's wrong with that house elf?"

"That be Winky," one of the other elves said, happily crowding around Harry. Harry smiled, patting him on the head. "Winky gets drunk on butterbeer all the time. Pining for her Old Master, sir."

Harry hummed in acknowledgement and raised a hand. "Winky, come here please."

Winky hiccupped and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. Hermione looked upset, but didn't stop the two house elves that dragged Winky to Harry. Harry placed his hand on Winky's back and another on her head.

"There, there, Winky," Harry said soothingly, letting his Light magic warm her. Winky stared at him, hiccupping slowly and stumbling closer to him. "It'll be alright. You're alright now."

Winky placed her hand against his side and hiccupped again, starting to cry. Harry calmed her, gently, stroking her back slowly, trying to get her to stop crying. Draco rolled his eyes, but Hermione looked pleased. The other house elves chattered about how kind "the Great Harry Potter" was, but went back to work, happily baking food.

"Do you all enjoy working here?" Harry asked, looking at the other house elves.

"Very much sir," a house elf replied.

"That is very good then," Harry said, pleased. He turned to Hermione. "They really don't seem to want to be liberated."

"It's slavery!" Hermione said, affronted.

"No, I think its purpose, really," Harry said, letting Winky cry on him. "They like feeling a sense of duty and belonging. This is their home and they want to take care of everyone in it. I don't think these elves need to be liberated."

Hermione huffed but didn't argue. Winky looked up at Harry with her large, brown, bloodshot eyes and whimpered a little.

"Winky doesn't like not working for Mr. Crouch," Winky said softly.

"I'm sorry, Winky," Harry replied. "I know it must be hard on you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently dusting off her dress with his hand. She didn't seem to notice the gesture.

"Winky wouldn't mind working for Potter though," she said softly. "Winky doesn't want to work for so many Masters."

Harry hesitated but said, "Alright, Winky. I will think about it. I don't have a house now, but when I get one, I'll make sure you're my first house elf, alright? For now though, won't you work with the other house elves?" He smiled, sliding his fingers over the bottle of butterbeer, gently removing it from her grasp. "You shouldn't drink too much, Winky. It is bad for you."

Winky looked at the bottle and then at Harry in wonder. She gave a bright smile and nodded eagerly. Harry smiled back at her.

"Take care, Winky," Harry said cheerfully. "Dobby? I assume that you were the one to change my robes and such?" He turned to the other house elf, his green eyes warm. Dobby nodded, hesitant.

"Was it… unneeded, Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, looking down, slightly embarrassed.

"No. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Dobby," Harry said, watching Dobby split into a wide smile. Hermione huffed a little and Harry left the kitchens feeling a little more accomplished.

"I don't know why you make friends with house elves, Potter," Draco said, shaking his head.

"Allies based on trust are always stronger than allies based on fear," Harry said. "Besides, house elf magic is quite powerful."

Draco had nothing to say to that.

-0-

A dance.

Harry had never danced before. Kazuki despised dancing.

It seemed simple enough. All he had to do was get a partner who despised dancing as much as him. All Champions needed a partner.

This caused several problems in Harry's book.

One: A partner meant dancing.

Two: He wasn't interested in anyone.

Harry slammed his head on his books, looking at the Transfiguration essay he needed to complete. Perhaps he should look for someone out of his usual… circle. Hermione had secured a date and, apparently, going with another man was not acceptable.

Recalling his last dancing lesson was painful. Almost as painful as remembering the embarrassment.

"Shisui said all men need to know how to dance!"

Kou was standing in Kazuki's room. Kazuki looked up at him, hesitating. Ryuuko was out and Shisui was in the Human World, fixing up tears. That meant Kou and Kazuki were alone.

Kazuki knew that Kou liked to play with him. Kazuki gave him a disbelieving look and said, "Really?"

"Yep. Ryuuko-sama said it's the mark of a true gentleman!" Kou said, sitting on the floor in front of the reading boy. "Come on Kazuki! At least try it once? Shisui took me to a ball once so I know how to dance!"

Kazuki hesitated again, but then closed the book. If Ryuuko had said it, he supposed it was safe.

Kou had started him on something called the waltz. Kazuki wasn't sure how it was supposed to work and was stumbling around, feeling a bit foolish. Kou's hand was on his waist and his other hand was on his shoulder. Kazuki had no idea what he was doing, although Kou had said to "follow his lead".

Suddenly, Kou had tripped over one of his own belt straps. Kazuki was thrown to the floor, chest first, Kou on top of his back, leaning over his shoulder. Kazuki coughed a little, the wind knocked out of him.

And then there was the weight of darkness bearing down on the pair. Kazuki glanced at the door, spotting his Father, Shirogane. Shirogane looked livid.

That was the first and the last time Kazuki ever attempted to dance. After suffering the embarrassment of Shirogane catching them in that kind of compromising position, Kou had never offered to teach him again. Which was just fine with Kazuki; he never wanted to learn from Kou ever again.

Harry stood up, packing his books away. He took a deep breath, wondering if there was anyone in any of the other Houses who wanted to go with him, but not to dance.

He paused, passing a girl. He walked over to her and spoke.

"Excuse me?"

The girl turned. It was a blond, very pretty girl with rather pale eyes. Harry smiled at her.

"You see, I need a date for the Yule Ball, but I don't really know who to ask," Harry said, pausing. "I don't care much for dancing at all, so I was hoping to find a partner that doesn't like to dance much either."

"Mm, I see," the girl said, her voice almost dreamy. She looked him over and then smiled. "You know, you could take me. I don't really dance that much either." She extended a hand and offered Harry an item. "You seem to attract Light. Do you collect Heliopaths too? You need this to prevent yourself from being burned."

Harry took the small item, looking at it in half wonder. "Oh… Um… Thank you?" He seemed a little unsure. "I'd… love to take you though. May I have your name?"

"Luna," The girl said, her eyes flickering to his scar. "Luna Lovegood."

Harry smiled. "Harry. Harry Potter."

"Mm, but it didn't used to be that, did it?" Luna asked. Harry almost dropped the item she gave him in shock.

"Um… excuse me?"

Luna smiled. "I'm in Ravenclaw. I'll meet you at the entrance of the Great Hall."

"Sure," Harry said, unsure what to make of the strange girl. "See you then?"

Luna smiled dreamily and walked off. Harry felt himself relax.

"That wasn't so hard…"

-0-

Thankfully, Luna was a rather charming person. She was strange, but had an air around her that reassured Harry. The item she gave him was a little red onion on a necklace.

Since the ball was held on Christmas day, Harry felt it only fair to get his date something for Christmas. He sent her a crystal rose that he had found and was pleased to see that she wore it during the ball. Luna, as it turns out, loved to dance, but only by herself. Harry was content on just watching her.

He took a brief walk through the castle, relaxing in the cool winter breeze. Harry was never bothered by the change in seasons.

"Kazuki?"

Harry stopped as he looked down. He pulled out Kou's mirror, looking into it.

"Merry Christmas, Kou," Harry said warmly. He leaned against a pillar, spotting a beetle. He gave it an absentminded flick, wondering if it was dead, then turned back to the mirror. "Did you enjoy my gift?"

"Firewhisky. Loved it!" Kou said, pleased. "I shared some with Master. He seemed to like it too."

"Master?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. He's the Master of a bar. So we all call him Master," Kou said. "And he fed some to Shirogane. The look on Shirogane's face was absolutely hilarious!"

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "You should really stop teasing him."

"Other than that though, how is your school going? You beat the First Task, didn't you?" Kou asked, looking serious. Harry smiled.

"Of course I did. It was just a dragon," Harry said calmly. "The Second Task is harder. We have a clue in a golden egg. Except every time I open it, screaming ensues."

"Screaming? Sounds shady," Kou said. "Ah, that's right. I should tell you. Shirogane turned Ryuuko-sama's successor into a shin a while ago."

The news was like a punch in the gut. Harry's eyes widened and he instantly started firing off questions.

"What?! Has he lost it?! That's potentially lethal to Ryuuko's successor, isn't it? People can't just change their Factors like that!"

Kou held up his hands. "Calm down, Kazuki. To answer your last question, yes, it is potentially lethal. Has he lost it…? I think he has. But apparently, it was either to turn him or for Aki to die."

There was a silence and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he looked back at Kou.

"Okay… Okay… So he's a shin, right? How are you going to turn him back? Or are you planning to wait?" Harry asked, frowning. "Akira's body isn't meant to hold Darkness, if he really is Ryuuko's successor. The Darkness Shirogane gave him will evaporate eventually. And he will need a rei."

"Or Ryuuko-sama's inshi," Kou finished. Harry paused.

"Ryuuko's inshi was stolen, wasn't it?" Harry asked softly. "Have you found out who has it?"

"No… But because Shirogane is refusing to talk about Homurabi, I assume it was he who stole it," Kou said.

"Homurabi… A Dark Child then?"

"He's Shisui's counterpart," Kou said. Harry closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"What was he planning to accomplish by killing Ryuuko and stealing his inshi?" Harry asked. "The Shadow World cannot survive without the light. So that's why the Darkness used to be so stifling and rampant. Speaking of which…" He looked at Kou's reflection in the mirror. "I haven't felt any Balance tips here. At all. You said Darkness is still rampant there, right?"

"Yes," Kou said, surprised. "Did you… perhaps… lose your ability…?"

"No. I didn't," Harry said flatly. "It's just… I'm supposed to feel the equilibrium tip. So unless something very powerful… in Light terms… suddenly appeared this year… It is very unusual. I take the whole realm into consideration when I restore balance. Have you felt anything there?"

"No. Not in Light activity," Kou said, shaking his head. "Only in Dark. And it's getting worse."

"Alright… If anything comes up, let me know, alright?" Harry smiled.

"Alright." Kou looked thoughtful. "Well, good luck. And Merry Christmas!"

Harry smiled, shaking his head at the playful man. He glanced up at the grounds, spotting Hagrid and Madam Maxime. Ron ran up and joined him.

-0-

Harry read the newest article about Hagrid being a half-giant. He tilted his head and looked at the headline.

HARRY POTTER: CONNECTIONS WITH DEATH EATERS AND DARK ARTS?!

He raised an eyebrow before his eyes narrowed on the article. Someone had overheard him speaking with Kou, it seemed. And reported it to Skeeter. Skeeter had twisted his words (as he was sure she had no idea what he actually meant) and apparently taken some things out of context. He scowled deeply as the article referenced "Dark Child" to children of Death Eaters.

"Harry… Have you seen this?" Ron asked. Harry looked up at him and spotted an article in his hands.

"Yes," Harry said. He noted people were shooting him looks and nervous stares. The entire Slytherin table was staring at him. "I saw it. Someone was eavesdropping on my conversation. Obviously didn't understand what I meant to say."

Cedric walked up to him and handed him a note at arm's length. He seemed a little nervous, but his face was set. "Here… It's… payback. For the hint about the dragons."

Harry took it and Cedric walked remarkably fast back to the Hufflepuff table. Harry unfolded the note.

"Submerge the egg in water, hm?" Harry said, pondering. He wondered how Cedric found that clue out but then shrugged it off.

-0-

Logically, Harry knew that he shouldn't go into his rei form for breathing underwater. There had to be some other way.

However, considering that potions had such a varying effect on his body, he wasn't sure anything else was safe. Perhaps he needed to find a spell.

He paused, setting down his goblet on the table. Then he looked up at Professor Snape. Snape raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing for him to drink the potion he had placed in his goblet.

"Professor, how would one breathe underwater for a long amount of time?" Harry asked. Snape blinked slowly.

"Gillyweed would work for normal people," Snape said slowly. "Bubble-Head Charm would work as well, though on you, I do not know. It may not be the same for you."

"In my rei form, I don't really need to breathe," Harry said. "But I figured that jumping into the lake without any sort of charm might be a bad idea for the Second Task. The judges might think I'm drowning or something."

"I'm not supposed to be helping you with the Task, you know this," Snape said exasperatedly. Harry laughed.

"Sorry Professor," Harry said, downing the contents in the goblet. He spent the next hour bouncing off the walls in giddiness from the effects of the love potion.

-0-

As it turns out, the Bubble-Head Charm worked just fine on him. It was probably because the charm worked on the air around him, not himself personally.

He hadn't liked swimming that much. But he had swum before. That was a good start.

Harry looked into the depths of the lake. Maybe he would be able to drown himself and then he wouldn't have to compete anymore.

Bagman announced the start of the Second Task. Harry plunged into the water, his Bubble-Head Charm holding strong. Evidently, he was not the only one to choose a Bubble-Head Charm. Cedric and Fleur had both chosen one as well.

Harry stopped as a grindylow grabbed his arm. He gave it a sharp look and swiped at it. The grindylow snarled in pain, letting him go. Harry watched them swarm Fleur and Cedric before moving on. Krum, being half shark (Harry had no idea how Krum did that, but it looked very strange on him), passed the colony rather quickly with his jaws snapping. Cedric passed Krum in the water, reaching the merpeople right after Harry.

Reaching the merpeople first, Harry sliced open the ropes that held Ron with a sharp rock he found glittering on the ocean ground. He paused and passed it to Krum, who was snapping at the rope with his teeth. Harry was sure Hermione wouldn't be pleased to wake up with most of her clothes shredded. Then he grabbed Ron and headed towards the surface, leaving the others behind. He was fairly sure that Dumbledore would be able to save the other girl, if Fleur could not get there in time.

He surfaced just a minute before the hour was up, Ron coughing harshly on his back. Harry had slung him over his shoulder to carry him easier, water dripping off his body. Cedric followed soon after, within the time limit. Krum was next, two minutes after the hour was up.

Harry passed Ron over to Madam Pomfrey. He started trying to drain his hair free of water, groaning a little.

"The smell will never come out…" Harry grunted, looking displeased. He was shivering slightly, but not turning blue like Cedric. All of a sudden, Harry felt someone's arms wrap around his shoulder and a warm body pressing against his back, making his shirt stick to his skin. He whipped around.

Nothing. There was no one there. There wasn't even anyone it could have been.

Uneasy, Harry turned back to watch the others get fussed over. Cedric had a small cut from the grindylow. Madam Pomfrey passed Harry a blanket, which Harry draped over his shoulders. But then, a jolting realization crashed him back to reality. He wasn't shivering anymore. His clothes were wet, but with warm water, not cold.

Harry felt like he was just dunked into a hot spring. But… That was impossible, wasn't it? He had not warmed himself. And no one had casted a spell on him.

Right?

Harry stood up, keeping the blanket wrapped around himself, frowning a little. He looked at his hair, still wet, but with warm water.

Harry didn't even bother looking at the scores, too distracted at his own state to notice. He looked over his hands and then his clothes once more. Maybe… maybe it had been himself? Maybe he had used a bit of his fire magic, without realizing it? Maybe he used his powers over ice and cold air to remove the cols around himself? He didn't think so, but maybe he had… somehow.

"Hey Harry. Looks like we're tied!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry gave a fairly distracted, "Huh?" He blinked up at Cedric, then looked at the points and then said, "Oh… I guess we are. Congratulations, I suppose. We've passed two tasks, now, right?"

Cedric gave him a strange look. "Uh… yeah. You passed them too."

Giving Cedric a wry smile Harry shook his head. "Every day is a task for me. Between being an attention-seeking, boy-who-lived, but apparent Dark wizard, I'm surprised no one has killed me yet."

Cedric laughed. "So that article…"

"Rubbish," Harry said, shaking his head. "What is this about affiliating myself with Dark wizards and Dark Arts? Skeeter really is a rather annoying piece of work. You know, she publishes more lies than she does truths. I'm surprised the Prophet put her on the front page."

"Well, everyone wants to hear about the fourth Champion, I guess," Cedric said, slightly relieved.

"Then they can ask me themselves," Harry said calmly. "Why would I bother with an interview with someone so untrustworthy?"

Cedric nodded and sat down next to Harry. "You know, Harry, you're not a half bad guy. For a Champion, you sure are tough."

"Right back at you, I guess," Harry said. "As someone I know is tied with me for points."