Chapter Nineteen: The Dragon Dilemma

Saturday 14th November 1994

IS THE BOY-WHO-LIVED TOO VIOLENT?

By Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent

That was the headline of the morning's Daily Prophet. A painter had accurately captured Harry's expressions of delighted anger, with an evil-looking Sirius Black standing behind him, edging him on. The article was not as bad as it could have been, but it still made Sirius look bad in the eyes of the public. However, the article was enough for the school governors to begin to question Dumbledore's leadership skills and how sane he truly was if he had hired Sirius Black. Sirius, himself, was bombarded with Howlers from concerned parents, and Aurors had to be called in to sort out the problem.

One of the many good things that came out of the article was Kingsley Shacklebolt's public support of Sirius. This also sparked Alastor Moody to come out of his retirement and "speak" with the Minister of Magic. Accordingly, Arthur Weasley, urged by Dumbledore, made a statement about the time he and his family had celebrated Harry's birthday with Sirius. On Dumbledore's instructions Sirius exclusively allowed certain reporters and historians to enter his childhood home, which gave them access to his father's diary and the wills of his father and mother. Most of what Rita Skeeter had written in the article was deemed as lies, however, much to Sirius' and Harry's chagrin she was not fired.

She was, however, banned from reporting anything derogatory about both Sirius and Harry, which pleased them immensely. Still, in Sirius' opinion it would've been better if she had been booted off the Daily Prophet's writing team.

Friday 20th November 1994

SIRIUS BLACK: THE TRUTH REVEALED

By Charles Palmer, Special Correspondent

On November 1st 1981, Bartemius Crouch wrongfully imprisoned Sirius Black in Azkaban Prison for the murder of twelve muggles and a Wizard, as well as betraying James and Lily Potter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. What Crouch didn't bank on was the fact that Black was totally innocent of these charges. There was no investigation into Black's past; everyone just assumed that he had committed those crimes - and yes, one might argue that evidence was stacked against him - but it was wrong of the Ministry to assume the truth without investigating first.

For the past week and a half, my colleagues and I have been given unlimited access to the Black family home to discover nothing but the truth on Sirius Black.

And I am proud to report that many of the articles printed in the last few months were nothing but full of lies. Here, for you, is the truth of Sirius Black… for the Full Article go to page 33...

The article was enough to convince the general public that Rita Skeeter had been fibbing and that Sirius Black truly was innocent. Details discovered at number 12 Grimmauld Place had been the family tree showing the burn marks of the traitors: the many family portraits that had been ruined: the fact that in Orion Black's diary he had specifically written that his son was no longer the heir and that the legacy had been passed to Regulus. Walburga Black, Sirius' mother's portrait, had also been a determining factor. When the reporters had entered the house guided by Sirius and Kingsley Shacklebolt, Walburga's portrait had screamed with rage at seeing the 'traitorous scum' return home.

No one could deny the facts that proved the truth. Though the public had yet to seen any visual proof of Sirius' love and care for Harry, they were willing to accept that their hero was in safe-hands and give him a chance of a proper life. There were still the feelings of not trusting Sirius Black, but many were willing to forget the past and allow him and Harry Potter a chance to enjoy life.

For the first time in months the general public celebrated the return of a wronged man to their society.

What they didn't realise was that everything would once again change.

Sunday 22nd November 1994, just after midnight

"SIRIUS!"

Harry's voice woke him from the dreams that he had been having. Groggily, he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he turned to face his Godson's fearful face. "What is it?"

"Dragons," Harry stated.

"Eh?" Sirius shook his head, trying to clear it. "What?"

"The First Task is Dragons. I'm going to die, Sirius."

"How did you find out?" asked Sirius. The champions weren't even meant to find out until the day of the task.

"Hagrid showed me," Harry replied. "Madame Maxime was there as well."

"Ah, that explains it then."

Harry perched himself on the edge of Sirius' bed and stared at his godfather. "How can I survive that? Dragons! I need help."

Sirius ran a hand down his face, breathing softly. "I can't help you," he said sadly.

"What?"

"I had to sign a contract that forbids me from helping you. All the teachers had to sign one. No matter how much I wish I could aid you, I can't. It's against the rules."

"I'm going to die," Harry whispered.

"No you're not. Just because I can't help you, doesn't mean others can't," Sirius advised. He watched as Harry's face dawned in realisation.

"Hermione! She'll know what to do!"

"A word of advice: consider what you are best at." Technically he was helping Harry, but Dumbledore had hinted that he could do that. Harry had to survive and if he had to bend the rules, only a little, then he would, but he couldn't outright give him the answer to the problems his godson would be facing in the coming months.

He pulled Harry into a hug. "Don't worry kiddo. Everything's going to be fine."

Sirius could only hope that he was right.

"Consider what you are best at." Harry paced around the boys dormitory. He glanced at Hermione and Ron who both shrugged. "What am I best at? The only good thing I know is Quidditch. I'm not smart like you, Hermione."

Ron frowned. "But you're good at spells."

"You're a powerful wizard too," Hermione added.

"Yeah, but how's that going to help me? The Task is in two days time!"

"We know," Hermione reminded him. "You're good at Quidditch, we know that, but there has to be some way we can combine your power with Quidditch."

"Are you suggesting I throw a Bludger at the Dragon?" Harry asked. Ron laughed.

Hermione waved a hand impatiently. "Think Harry! What was that charm you succeeded at?"

"Eh, the Summoning Charm?" Harry looked dumbfounded. "How's that going to help?"

And then it clicked.

"My broom! I can summon my broom from the tower! We are only allowed wands but that doesn't mean we can't summon things!" He began to pace more. "I need practice, urgently. I'll have to make sure I place my broom on my bed before I leave for the task."

"Is this going to work?" Ron asked dubiously.

"It's logical," added Hermione. "And it might just work."

To be continued...