Chapter 3: The First Task
"What brings you to my office, Amelia?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked after Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, entered his office.
"Lord Black reported that somebody forced his godson's entry into the Triwizard Tournament as part of a plot to kill him, Headmaster." Amelia Bones explained. "They demand a complete investigation."
"They who, Amelia?"
"Lord Black, Lord Potter and the Principal of the school Lord Potter was transferred to after leaving Hogwarts." Amelia Bones answered without bothering to mention Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge would have ignored the Principal if not for the heads of two Noble and Most Ancient Families demanding results.
"Amelia, I assure you Sirius is overreacting." Dumbledore replied.
"Do you mean there's no fourteen-year-old wizard as a fourth contestant in a dangerously lethal competition for three entrants that nobody under seventeen was supposed to be allowed in, Headmaster?" Amelia asked in faint hope that was the case.
"Well, Harry Potter is indeed a fourth entrant in the Triwizard Tournament but there's no need for your department to get involved into this, Amelia." Dumbledore assured her. "This is a school matter."
"I disagree, Headmaster." Amelia Bones firmly replied.
"Amelia, I understand you probably feel like your department still owes Sirius Black for the years of wrongful imprisonment but…"
"Don't you dare bring this up, Headmaster." Amelia was having trouble containing her anger. "While Sirius Black's time in Azkaban will probably be a long-standing stain in the Ministry's reputation, it has nothing to do with the fact I saw merit on his complaints." She said. 'It has something to do with that fool Fudge giving in to his demands but there's no need to say that' She added as an afterthought. "Someone tampered with the Goblet of Fire to force Harry Potter to enter this tournament and I'll find out who it was even if I have to send the Goblet of Fire to the Department of Mysteries."
Albus Dumbledore was hoping to use this unexpected turn of events to persuade Harry into wanting to transfer back to Hogwarts but it'd be impossible with the Ministry investigating the case. "Anything else, Amelia?"
"Yes." She said without hesitation. "Harry Potter must be warned of the dangers presented by the tasks."
"Amelia, I'm afraid it'd be unfair to the other champions if Harry was warned and they weren't." Dumbledore replied hoping it'd make her give up.
"In that case, warn all of them." She demanded.
"Amelia!" Dumbledore pleaded. "Part of being a Triwizard Champion is being brave enough to face the unknown."
"Consider it another change made to ensure the contestants' safety, Headmaster." Amelia replied and Dumbledore eventually agreed. Harry was called along with the three champions (Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, Viktor Krum for Durmstrang and Fleur Delacour for Beauxbatons), Sirius Black and the Heads of the visiting schools and Dumbledore told all of them about the First Task's danger. "Dragons?" Harry asked with a mix of shock and anger. "You want us to face dragons? Do you have any idea of how ferocious those beasts are? Especially nesting mothers. I knew this world was barbaric but I never expected that!"
"Are you afraid, little boy?" Fleur arrogantly asked. "You should have thought about that before entering the tournament."
"You insensitive jerk!" Sirius called her out. "Do you really think he wanted to return to this nation?"
"Pardon her, Lord Black." Headmistress Maxime asked him. "Sometimes she doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut."
"Well, this is all." Dumbledore said. "You're dismissed."
"Wait." Amelia asked. "Won't you warn them about the dangers from the two other tasks?"
"One at each time, Amelia." Dumbledore calmly answered. "After the first task, I'll warn them about the second one."
Amelia Bones reluctantly accepted that explanation and the others left. Unbeknownst to them, yellow journalist Rita Skeeter was spying on them. They'd learn a few days later from the Daily Prophet.
FIRST TASK REVEALED
By Rita Skeeter
Under the belief the Boy-Who-Lived was forced into the Triwizard Tournament by someone who expects him not to survive, his Godfather Lord Sirius Orion Black ordered a full investigation. Because of that, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones ordered Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to reveal to the Champions what the first task consisted of instead of withholding it from them until the task's day as initially planned. The first task consists on retrieving golden eggs from piles of real dragon eggs guarded by mother dragons. Harry Potter, who already considered our world "barbaric" because of his Godfather's wrongful imprisonment, sees this task as a reason to consider it even more barbaric.
Reading that made the students have even more respect for the Triwizard Champions. Even Harry, who spoke against the task and was viewed by some as a cowardly liar for denying he willingly entered the tournament, gained some respect. However, his one worry at the moment was the upcoming potions lesson. Professor Snape was teaching about antidotes and Harry decided to pay attention just in case one of the tasks included something poisonous. The lesson was interrupted by a student informing him his presence was required for the weighing of the wands. He left after Professor Snape dismissed him. At the weighing, Mr. Ollivander, who sold harry his wand, was examining the wands of all contestants. Upon analyzing Viktor Krum's, Ollivander recognized the wandwork of wandmaker Gregorovitch, whose wands were the most sought after by wizards and witches living in the continent before he retired. Krum commented that his wand was one of the last Gregorovitch made before retirement. Ollivander later noticed Fleur Delacour's wand had a veela's hair for a core and Fleur explained it came from her grandmother. Cedric and Harry didn't have to explain anything about their wands since the two wizards bought them from him and Harry was glad Ollivander didn't tell about his wand's core coming from the same bird Voldemort's came. Rita Skeeter intended to take Harry for a private interview using a Quick-Quotes Quill but she knew better than trying anything that would invoke the wrath of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
The only good thing from having to return to Hogwarts was getting to see his friends from when he was a Hogwarts student. Harry was with some of them outside the castle while practicing some spells. "Aren't you worried one of your adversaries sees you, Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked. "They'd try to copy your idea for the tournament."
"My only priority is to survive, Malfoy." Harry explained. "I don't care about details like who wins the tournament."
Meanwhile, Ronald Weasley was spying on them. He still hated Harry for becoming a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor. "Eat slugs, Po…"
"No attacks from behind!" Moody loudly shouted and then transfigured Ron into a weasel. "Ha! That figures!" Draco said and everybody laughed with him until Professor Snape showed up. "What's this commotion?"
"I'm just teaching this boy a lesson." Moody explained while using magic to bounce Ron the amazing bouncing Weasel around.
"Is that a student?" Snape asked in shock.
"Well, now it's a weasel." Moody laughed at his joke.
"Homenium revelio!" Snape shouted while pointing his wand at the weasel, turning it back into Ron.
"Professor Moody, I thought Headmaster Dumbledore had already told you we don't transfigure students as punishment." Snape told Moody.
"He might have mentioned something about it."
"If you saw him doing something wrong, which I'm sure you did, dock points from his House, give him a detention, do both or let his Head of House decide his punishment." Snape replied.
"You would like to see Gryffindor losing points, wouldn't you, Snape?" Moody retorted. "Anyway, that boy had enough. Now I'm gonna talk to this boy here alone. And don't you dare get in the way, Death Eater." He then took Harry to an isolated room. "Potter, do you have any idea on how to get past your dragon?"
"Why would I tell you?" Harry asked in reply. "You work for a rival school."
"Nice reply, Potter." Moody complimented him. "You're right about not trusting someone you barely know even if you somehow trust Death Eater Snape."
"Snape was the first wizard in Hogwarts who wasn't forcing me to stay in this barbaric world and stay quiet about the injustice my Godfather was suffering back then."
"He only wanted you out of the way so you wouldn't stop the Dark Lord." Moody argued. "Anyway, I'm not here to talk about him. I'm here to talk about the Triwizard Tournament. I'm an Auror first and a teacher second. My priority is to keep you safe from whoever might want you to die in this tournament."
Harry nodded in acceptance. "Potter, remember two facts: you're allowed to use your wand to summon anything you want; and your Godfather probably gave you a flying broomstick."
When the first task's day arrived, the champions entered a tent. A drawing was used to determine the exact order the champions would face their challenge and which dragon each champion would face. To make sure no champion would copy whatever idea the one(s) who faced the challenge before, no champion would be allowed to leave the tent before his/her turn. Harry would be the last to face a dragon and would face the most dangerous of all dragons brought for the challenge. Before Harry's turn, Ludovic Bagman tried to offer Harry advice and seemed more desperate than what could be explained away by Bagman wanting to make sure Harry survived. Harry dismissively told Bagman he already had a plan. When it was Harry's turn, he summoned the Firebolt broomstick Sirius Black gave him and then he outflew the dragon, luring it away from the eggs so he could snatch the golden one. After all champions were graded, Bartemius Crouch explained the details of the second task to them. "Each golden egg contains a clue to the next task. However, since a new safety measure requires us to reveal it anyway, all champions will have one hour to go to the bottom of the Great Lake and rescue a person held dear for each one of them." Crouch them saw the reactions of the champions. "Don't worry. The volunteers won't be under any real risk."
End Chapter.