Disclaimer: I do not own anything of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
Magnolia Crescent
Chapter Thirty
The Triwizard Tournament and Unwanted Guests
"Ron, Ron, Ron!" Harry shouted. Ron suddenly snapped to attention and glanced at his friend. Harry glanced back at the table where the two students continued to shoot stunning spells at each other. "Hey Ron, no need to look so pale. We can take them," Harry said, patting him on the back.
"It's not that," Ron said, tapping his feet on the floor. "I'm just nervous. I've finally got a chance to really outshine my brothers and I don't want it to slip by," he said, staring forward.
"We got a lot of time before you've got to start worrying about me in the arena," Harry said with a smirk.
"Oh, I know we are going to win," he said, glancing down. "I don't want to choke is all," Ron admitted before Harry slapped him on the back.
"We got this. Besides, with all the extra work Hermione put us through, we should have no trouble," Harry said with a smile. "Not to mention, I helped take on full grown Death Eaters, a giant snake and two different dark lords. I very much doubt, win or lose, this will be too big of a deal for me." He glanced over a Ron. But, this is his big moment. I can't let him down, Harry thought to himself as his resolve hardened.
"And there you are, Salazar's Core has done a clean sweep," Sirius announced as the Slytherin upperclassmen walked off the table. "Next up, it is the Phoenixes vs. the Raven's Claw," he said as Harry and the others stood up.
"Well, I wonder what house they came from?" Leo asked, rolling his eyes. Harry glanced over them; low and behold, everyone was sporting the colors of blue and bronze. He paused when he recognized one of the duelists.
"Cho Chang," Harry whispered, a warm feeling spreading in his gut. Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. He quickly hid in the line behind Leo. The Slytherin glanced back at him with a confused look but didn't say anything.
"Alright, who will be up first?" Sirius asked. Ron took a step forward as did another student. The rest fell back to their respected side of the table. "Alright, you know the rules. Three shots to win, you lose a bout if you lose your wand or get knocked off the table or off your feet. No lethal force, you may proceed when ready." With that, Sirius hopped off the table as the two students began with the traditional bowing.
"Stupify!" the Raveclaw shouted, casting the red stream over at Ron. He sidestepped, tossing his own Stunning spell in return. Harry glanced over at Cho, ignoring the duel his friend was participating in.
"So, you think she's cute?" Leo asked, glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye.
"No," Harry denied, his face turning red.
"Ah, have to admit, nice choice – she looks good. If you want, I'll be your wingman and you can ask her to Hogsmead. Go out for some butterbeer, get to know her," he said, elbowing Harry in the ribs.
"Point to Terry Boot," Sirius announced. Harry and Leo both glanced back to see Ron getting back up.
"Don't give up, Ron. It's not about first point, it's about getting the last one!" Leo shouted.
"Come on, Ron, don't let him knock you around! Stay on your feet!" Harry shouted in support of his friend.
"You can do it, Ron!" Hermione added, jumping up and down, hair bobbing with her. Leo suddenly got a dumb look on his face. Harry glanced over to see he was staring at Hermione. Harry elbowed him back.
"What?" Leo said, glancing at Harry.
"My friend, don't even think about it," he said with a low voice.
"She's also very smart, cute and powerful," he said with a coy grin on his face. Harry frowned at him.
"I've taken on a Basilisk. You break her heart, you won't live to see the end of the week," Harry said in a very cold tone.
"Noted," Leo said, gulping a bit. They turned their attention back to the duel as Ron got another point. "So, does that mean I can ask her out?" Leo asked. Harry didn't reply. "Harry?"
"Harry, you're up," Ron said with a confident grin, having gotten the first point.
"Harry, you didn't answer my question," Leo called as Harry walked up onto the table. Harry faced the Ravenclaw. He had blonde hair and a bit of a height advantage. They both bowed.
"You know, after that Slytherin took you down, I got a feeling you're not as tough as your make you out to be," he said in a calm tone. He didn't seem like he was trying to insult him but Harry felt a bit of a burn fill his chest.
"Rumors normally have a grain of truth to them. Let's see what you got," Harry said, now dedicated to dueling this fellow student.
"Stu – " the student announced, only for Harry to cut him off.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, and the student's wand went flying. The room went quiet as the wand hit the back end of the table.
"Point to Potter," Sirius announced. The blonde student retrieved his wand and they drew again; but the result was the same. "Point Potter." The fell to the ground. "Point to Potter," Sirius said as both the student and the wand fell. Harry slipped his wand back into his robe as he walked over to the student and offered him a hand.
"Guess you showed me," he said as he took Harry's hand and allowed him to pull him up. Harry held on for a second.
"You weren't wrong either. But I have been getting some good help this past year," he said before he released him and walked away. Harry got a congratulations all around.
"Hermione, you're up," Harry said. Hermione nodded as she walked onto the stage, only to face Cho Chang.
"Talk about mixed emotions," Harry thought to himself.
"Okay boys, let's sit back and watch the cat fight," Leo said, smirking. Ron chuckled at the comment and Hermione glared at him. Ron gulped a bit, smirking nervously.
"Care to explain?" Leo asked, looking at Ron and Harry. Both quickly shook their heads. "Okay, well, I am just going to sit back and enjoy the show. Even if we don't win, this is time well spent," he said with a smile.
"Huh?" Harry asked, glancing over. All he saw was Cho and Hermione. Well, Hermione wasn't facing them, but he could see Cho.
"She has a nice tail, wouldn't you say?"
"Tail?" Harry asked, a bit too loud. Hermione must have heard something for she spun around. She turned to face Cho, only to get knocked face first into the ground. She skidded along the table as quite a few people winced. A few Slytherins even began to laugh.
"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, pushing through the crowd.
"You need to shut up, no talking," Hermione hissed. "And I am dealing with you later," she said, pointing at Leo. He swallowed as she grabbed her wand and stood back up.
"Good luck, mate," Ron said, patting Leo on the back. Leo rubbed the back of his neck, a little bit nervous. Hermione stood up and Cho was put down. "Good thing there is no Quidditch ths season," Ron said as Sirius announced a five minuter intermission. It officially solidified Hermione as one of the scariest witches in the school.
"Poor Cho, I don't think Hermione had to be so hard on her," Harry said.
"She certainly sent a message, intentional or otherwise," Leo said, looking over at Malfoy, who was sweating a bit more than usual. "Worth it," he said with a confident smile.
A few weeks later in October….
Harry shifted a bit, glancing over at the Slytherin table. Viktor Krum was sitting over there and, not too surprisingly, Leo was as far away from him as possible. He glanced to the back of the room and saw a man George had called Mad-Eye Moody. He chuckled to himself when he remembered how strange the day had been thus far. The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, only a handful each, had arrived with a bang and a flourish, respectively. Shortly after that, a massive thunderstorm had arrived within seconds. The only thing that had stopped the rising panic was Mad-Eye Moody casting a spell at the ceiling. It had certainly garnered everyone's attention, that much was certain.
"Odd, from what I've read, the Triwizard Tournament doesn't normally have ex-Aurors around," Hermione said with a frown, pulling Harry from his thoughts. But Moody wasn't the only thing that was odd – even the Minister of Magic was present, with a bit of a grin on his face.
"Maybe it's to keep an eye on cheating or to keep underage wizards from getting involved," Neville suggested, causing Ron to shrug his shoulders. The four of them glanced down the table at the twins.
"So, as I was saying," Dumbledore said with a chuckle as he caught the Hall's attention again. "The Triwizard Tournament. You've already met your competing schools and for a lucky few of you, they shall be joining certain classes. It should be a wonderful learning experience for all." Dumbledore paused, looking at the doors with great interest. Everyone in the Great Hall followed his gaze and soon they heard something very strange.
"Is that music?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione in confusion. For once, she shrugged, unable to provide an answer. Ron was right, however. From beyond the doors, music was indeed playing. A sort of fanfare, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, it sounded very American. Out of nowhere, the doors burst open to reveal a tall and broad man with brown hair and draped in a cape made to look like an American flag. On his outstretched arm, a bald eagle sat perched, looking sharply around at the students. Behind him, a dozen and a half students trailed with nervous looks on their faces. Some were clearly younger than Harry. Without warning, the bird took off from the man's arm, flying up around the floating candles and alighting a nearby window ledge.
"DUMBLEDORE!" the man shouted excitedly, making his way to the teacher's table.
"Who is that?" Harry asked, watching the man with interest. As they watched, the man embraced the Headmaster, but he clearly wasn't as enthusiastic about returning the hug.
"Brom?" Dumbledore asked, actually taken aback.
"If I'm not mistaken, I think that's Headmaster Brom of the Salem Witches Institute," Hermione offered uncertainly. "But what's he doing here? He almost never crosses the ocean." Harry glanced up at Sirius and was surprised to see him stifling laughter with his head against the table.
"You old hound, so good to see you. Heard you were having a bit of a party. I must have lost my invitation," Brom said with a bright award-winning smile on his face. A quick count showed that there were about fifteen students with Brom; a few of them were actually shaking their heads.
Dumbledore glanced around to see Fudge grinning like a loon as Brom stood there and rambled.
"Still growing out the beard, huh?" he asked, shaking Dumbledore around before releasing him.
"What iz the meaning of tis? I was informed of only three schools, hence the name of the tournament," Madam Maxime asked, not too thrilled with his appearance either.
"Well, you see, our new school wasn't around during the original run. So, when I heard from a good friend of mine – who came for a visit – well, I just couldn't pass up at least trying to get involved," he said with a smile.
"Does he even have permission? This American had no right here!" Igor Karkaroff demanded.
"We've already got everything figured out. The Minister of Magic, Mr. Fudge, was kind enough to allow us in," Brom said smugly, glancing back at his students. "Besides, do you honestly think I'd let you have all the fun?"
"Well, of course Brom. If the Minster and the Games Master have allowed it, I have no issues," Dumbledore said, inclining his head ever so slightly.
"Fantastic, it has been so long since my last visit. We have a lot of catching up to do."
"Any particular reason you have so many students who are not of the proper age?" Maxime asked, looking over the group of students. Quite a few of them looked uncomfortable while the others seemed to have their chests puffed out.
"The American didn't do his research before he brought his students over the pond," Karkaroff said, laughing.
"Hardly, I brought a few extras along, namely because they were very interesting in going. Think of it like travelling abroad; after all, this opportunity doesn't come often, especially those in the off months. So I figured to bring a few along. Besides, the American wasn't informed because the Europeans decided any information regarding a public event needed to be hushed," he said, the smile never leaving his lips even as he glared mockingly at Karkaroff.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said in a dry tone. "Hagrid, could you get another chair for us up here? Care to share who informed you about the upcoming event?"
"I had a very nice visit from an old student of mine, Sirius! Going to be honest, I have more than one reason for coming here. As a wizard who prides himself on Animagi studies, my student brought up an interesting bit of information. If at all possible, I would like to speak with a Mr. Harry Potter," Brom said with a calm smile on his face.
Dumbledore glanced over at Sirius, who slipped lower in his seat. "Well, I guess it is up to Mr. Potter. Feel free to talk with him after we get the announcements out of the way. And as for your students, they are free to sit where they please."
"Hold on a second," Karkaroff demanded, sending a glower at Dumbledore and Sirius. "How did Black know about the tournament?"
Sirius snorted as he set down his goblet. "You would not believe how loose Fudge's tongue can be at times," he said, raising his eyebrow. Harry could see that his grin was uncomfortable no matter how joking he sounded.
Harry fell into silence as the American students moved to the opposite side of the hall, heading to the Hufflepuff table. He glanced up as Brom took a seat next to Dumbledore. The man was looking down at him with a slight smile.
"I wonder how much he actually knows. I wonder if he knows why I turned into a snake that night," Harry calmly murmured, more to himself than anything. When he again beheld the Goblet, it was lit and it wasn't long until the upperclassmen began to approach and deposit their names.
"Excuse me, Mr. Potter?" Harry froze as his friends leapt in surprise. Brom was standing behind him, his hand hidden behind his back.
"Yes, Mr….?" Harry trailed off, unsure of how to address him.
"Brom is fine. I wish to speak with you. Your godfather had informed me of an interesting situation in terms of transformation."
"Oh, um, so I take it, he brought it up?" Harry asked, glancing down. Brom frowned as he rubbed his beard.
"I asked Dumbledore to lend us a room. It seems you're not too keen on your second animal," he said, a bit of mirth in his voice. Harry frowned. "If you want, your godfather or a friend can sit with us. I figure talking to a relative stranger would be a bit jarring."
"You have no idea. First year, everyone knew about me, except me," Harry said with a smirk.
"Well, if it helps, I am here because you have dual animals. Let's see if we can find an explanation for this and maybe make a legend."
"Legend?" Harry asked.
"Follow me. What's one more, young wizard?" Brom said as he smiled. "Legend tells that a wizard will one day gain the ability to change into more than one animal. And maybe, even all of them."
"I never heard of that legend," Harry dejected.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't. Britain was never big on Animagus transformations. In America, they are given a bit more breathing room, so it's a bit more common to hear legends and stories about them."
"Really? Sounds farfetched since more transformations are personality in nature," Harry replied. Brom nodded in agreement.
"Well, here we are," he opened up a door and there was fine fireplace with a pair of chairs and a bowl of chocolate balls in between them. "Please, take a seat. Dumbledore should be with us shortly; I don't think he likes the idea of me stealing you," he said with a smile.
"What makes you think he thinks that?" Harry asked.
"I was always more fun to be around. Anyway, tell me about the snake transformation – compared to when you normally transform."
"Well, when I turn into the dog, it takes a bit of time. I am still getting used to it. But it feels right, even if I struggle with doing anything faster than a jog," Harry admitted.
"That's normal. In fact, it took your dad about five weeks before he could even walk straight. A charismatic man, but not all that bright when it came to magic."
"Hey, that's my dad you're talking about," Harry growled, glaring at Brom. The man simply chuckled a bit as his shoulder shook.
"Nothing against him; he was a great man. I have to respect him for nothing else but how he lived his final days with his family. But he was one of the more challenging students. Sirius and Peter picked up the basics well enough, but for all his talk, your father was not one of the best wizards. I think he would have been a better business man or politician than a wizard on the front lines. That credit goes to your mother."
"You knew my mom?" Harry asked but Brom shook his head.
"Hardly, your father was almost always talking about her. So, I got a pretty good idea about her," Brom said with a chuckle. "Ah, young love. It was a tragedy, what happened to them both. I just wish the British government would ask for some help every once in a while."
"Help? What do you mean?"
"That is a history lesson and we are way off topic. Back to the transformations," Brom said with an amused smirk on his face.
"Right, um, as for the snake, it just worked. I picked up on it instantly, like instinct. I could see the way I was supposed to; it was nothing like when I was a dog," Harry explained, lowering his head a bit.
"Fascinating," Brom said, the smile finally vanishing from his lips. "It doesn't take a headmaster to see your issue with this."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked cautiously.
"It's something I have expected, to be honest. I think the problem lies not with the snake, but with how quickly you see to have adapted and what it represents to you," he admitted, grabbing a chocolate.
"Voldemort," Harry nodded.
"Harry, the snake is nothing to worry about and no amount of talking will ever make it clear to you from me. Maybe not even Sirius or Dumbledore. But what I can tell you is that your ability to feel one with the snake has nothing to do with it being more core than the dog. In fact," Brom paused to draw his wand. He pointed it as Harry as the young student scrambled to do the same. "It has more to do with your state of mind and natural magical instinct." He calmly slipped the wand back under his brown robes.
"Don't scare me like that," Harry said, returning his wand as well.
"Ah, but it has proved a point. Now then, magical instinct is the natural reaction to using magic. You see, that wand may have a mind but it is only a conduit for your own magic. The more powerful your instinct, the more you give yourself to that magic. Don't believe me? Have you ever done something you couldn't explain, something you did without a wand or even intent?" Brom asked.
Harry remembered back to his only visit to the zoo. "Ah, you remember. And from what I gathered, it was something else. You, Harry, have a strong instinct. It's the only explanation for your survival. It's very strong, and when it takes over, no amount of experience or knowledge will ever be enough of an equalizer."
"Why isn't this ever taught?" Harry asked.
"Because it's not normally strong enough to really impact, or in some cases ever needed. But the way this country seems to revolve around you, it doesn't surprise me. Next time you transform, don't think; feel. That's why I love being an animagus – you're much more in tune with your instincts. And don't fear the snake; a white snake is a sign of rebirth. But what you become is entirely up to you. Now then, Dumbledore should be arriving shortly. So, if you are interested, I would be more than happy to have another chat, but I need to get my students together. I could ramble on forever, anyway. I am sure you have a lot of questions. And if you're interested, I always have a nice morning run. Feel free to meet me near that lovely cottage. That is, if you are interested in learning a bit more and maybe I can learn as to how you can transform into two separate animals."
"So, you don't know how this thing works?"
"I have theories, many theories. But nothing I can say with certainity. All you need to worry about is your homework. Oh, and good luck in the Dueling Club," Brom said with a smile. "Now, for some fish sticks and custard." With that, the American wizard vanished.
"My head; too much information," Harry groaned, rubbing his head. "So, should I wait for the headmaster of head back to the dorm?" he wondered, glancing at the door.
And Brom returns! The crazy old loon that he is - I can't wait to show his antics throughout the year. But, he is relatively brilliant, you had to hand him that much. So, now that you've seen a bit more of Brom, R&R to let us know what you think of him.
~LE