As always. I own nothing!

And a big THANK YOU to the mighty pazed, not only for being my editor but for the way Harry handles something below (I won't spoil it for you, but you'll see it).

Read! Enjoy! Review! Because that is the only payment any of the writers here expect!

Now! On with the show!

Chapter 51

The challenge race with the Headmasters had been quite the eye opener for Harry. While he had expected the other champions to be competitive with one another, he hadn't expected any of the school heads to display a highly competitive side! But two of them proved to be just as competitive as any of the champions. Headmasters McGonagall and Maxime both took to the games with a dogged determination that, in the end resulted in both of them being able to hold their own against the champions, coming in at respectable third and fourth places, while Krum's reaction speed gained him a close second to Harry.

As time for dinner arrived, McGonagall announced that the games would be available, along with some others, for use each weekend to the end of term in a room being prepared on the second floor. She went on to warn against them disrupting their studies, and that no disciplinary issues would be tolerated.

Dinner was another surprise, one that was met with much approval from a number of students as instead of what they had begun to think of as normal evening fare was replaced with large flat platters stacked with something completely different.

A cry of "PIZZA!" rang out from someone at the Hufflepuff table, but that wasn't all. Platters also contained freshly grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, BBQ pulled pork and ribs, along with baked beans, coleslaw and other salads, all with the compliments of Sirius Black and the Fairgrove Group.

Sirius sighed as he made his way out of yet another ministry office leading his small group away from another unhelpful official while trying to get some answers. Bureaucrats or lawyers, he wasn't sure which was worse! It was like trying to navigate a maze in the dark, only in this case you had no idea where the entrance was or where the exit could be… in a word it was frustrating.

Ever since they had finished unloading the container at the compound he had been trying to find out what had happened to the possessions from within the cottage. None of it had been there! Not Lily's piano! Not their wands! Not even anything from Harry's room! Nothing! It had left him more angry than he had thought possible!

At least until now! When the Potters had been recognized as heroes, the cottage had been declared a Wizarding monument, and put under the purview of the ministry… along with all the contents. Never had anything like this been done, it was unprecedented! From what he had discovered, the cottage had immediately been placed into governmental control pending the execution of the Potter estate, then a motion had passed the Wizengamot, within days of the incident, that wrested its control from the estate and placed it under their purview. Permanently!

After finding this out, Sirius had began to navigate his way through a mass of paperwork, bureaucracy and worst of all, politicians. It had been trying at best. After an entire week, the only thing he had accomplished was obtaining a list of those in attendance during the vote, most of whom would be of little help, however one name stood out upon the paper still clutched in his hand, Albus Dumbledore.

He led the small group through the ministry to the floos in the atrium. With the smallest of acknowledgments to them, in thanks for their help, he tossed a pinch of powder into the fire and made his way toward Hogwarts via the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmead. His anger only increased as he stormed across the small town and up toward the castle.

He reached the transfiguration classroom in record time, bursting through the door, yelling as he did. "What the hell are were you playing at Dumbledore?" He was oblivious as the eyes of the students lifted from their class work and turned to him.

Albus looked a little shocked. "Sirius? I'm sorry but I'm in the middle of a class, I'll-"

"Do I look like I care?" He stormed between the desks toward the older man. "What in the hell were you thinking! That was Harry's family home! How dare you let the proposition be put forward, let alone support it, something that let the Wizengamot take it from him!"

The elder man glanced past the incensed individual approaching him at the students watching. "Sirius, please calm down. Now is not-"

"Not the time?" Sirius yelled. "When were you going to tell us that his family home and everything inside had been stolen from him! YOU are going to help me straighten this mess out! I want everything returned to him! Damn it Albus! What in the hell were you thinking!"

"The people…" He stammered. "They wanted a place to honor their hero-"

"So you decided giving them the cottage was appropriate?" Sirius spat at the man. "They turned James and Lily's graves into a tourist attraction!" Tears began streaming down his face. "It was our home… I spent most of my Hogwarts years there Albus… My best friends died there… now it and their graves are a tourist attraction… And you let it happen!"

Albus dismissed the class after getting Sirius to go into the adjoining office. He thought the man had already visited Godric's Hollow, and had seen it as the tribute to the Potters it was meant to be. And while he had never personally visited since that fateful night, he did understand the need of their people to have a place to honor their heroes. At the time it seemed the perfect choice. Harry would have no need of it, as it was badly damaged (Potter funds were not available to rebuild it at the time due to the unread disposition of the will) and he was to spend the foreseeable future at his aunt's home. Having the Ministry absorb the property seemed to be the appropriate decision. It had also fit with his plans for the future as well.

He watched as the last of the students filed out of the room, the whispers among them assuring that the news of Sirius's rant would be all over the school before the evening meal. Shaking his head, Albus moved slowly toward the office, dreading the discussion that would be forthcoming.

As he entered, Sirius had one question for him. "Why? Why did you let them do this Albus? James and Lily loved you…trusted you… so did I… Why did you do this to them? To us? To Harry?"

The question hit him like a physical blow and sent him reeling. He had failed them, all of them. He had let his own ego, his own legend, blind him. He had forgotten the most important thing. These were people.

"Her piano was there Albus. She would want him to have it…" Sirius said quietly. "As well as some things that James would have wanted him to have… Charles too… and unless you can help me figure this mess out…"

Albus nodded. "I'll help any way I can Sirius… I-I thought it was the right thing to do at the time, but looking back at it now… it was the wrong choice. That home, and contents were Harry's birthright…" He seemed to ponder something for a moment. "Speaking of birthrights… I have something for Harry, James lent it to me to study… a cloak..."

Sirius was on his feet in a flash and in the man's face. "YOU HAVE IT?" he screamed. "If James and Lily… If they had had it… they may still be alive! It was supposed to be Lily's last line of defense! To get her and Harry away!" He collapsed onto his knees. "Why? Why do you have James's cloak?"

He knelt next to the now crying man. "We thought… I thought…" he amended, "I thought that Voldemort would not be able to find them, and it would be safe for me to study that remarkable cloak, but alas Peter's betrayal… it led him right to their door."

"It could have saved them Albus… at least one of them. Harry wouldn't have been alone," Sirius said quietly.

Albus sighed. "Perhaps… though there is no guarantee of that." He helped the man to his feet. "I have it stored with some of my things upstairs; I had originally planned to return it when he arrived at Hogwarts… but like so many things, that changed when he did not appear. Once we have retrieved it, I will accompany you to the Ministry and we will see what can be done about the cottage."

The Saturday morning of the second task found Harry sitting at the kitchen table of Sirius's home across from a special guest, and old friend. He was a kind little man, with a wide infectious smile, and laugh lines etched deeply on his face. He wore a classic style herringbone jacket over dark pants and shirt along with a bowtie in the brightest red he could find.

"I want to think you again Doc…" Harry said.

He patted the young man on the shoulder. "Think nothing of it my young friend. I am happy to help… besides, I always wanted to see the fabled Hogwarts. This will be a most enlightening day, I am sure."

Shar stuck her head into the kitchen. "Are you two almost done? We need to get going, we are supposed to be there before 9:00."

The man nodded. "I believe so. Harry has been very attentive, and should have no troubles following my instructions."

They both stood and followed his mother toward the portal.

As they stepped through, they were met by Professor Flitwick where Harry waved off going to a changing area, stating he didn't need to, saying what he was wearing was fine for the task. That being the case the diminutive professor led the Fairgrove group outside and toward the lake.

It was a bright crisp morning, frost still showing in patches across the grounds. Out in the lake stood a large structure, with enough room to hold stands not only for the schools but visiting spectators as well.

Harry had to shake his head in wonder. Only these people would arrange a task scheduled for February in a lake, forcing spectators and champions alike to deal with freezing temperatures, wind and water. Not that there was anything to see as everything the champions needed to do would occur in the very depths of the lake.

He pulled his leather jacket tighter around him, to stave off the bite of the morning wind, as he waved to the rest of the group climbing the stairs to their viewing area, and joined the shivering champions next to the podium.

Headmaster McGonagall cocked an eyebrow at him, and asked, "Mr. Potter, do you not need to change into something more suitable for the Task?"

Harry chuckled, "No ma'am, this'll do me fine."

The other champions looked at him in confusion. "'arry? Did you not decipher the meaning of the egg?" Fleur asked with no small amount of nervousness in her voice. "Harry they-"

Harry winked at Fleur, and gave them a crooked smile. "I've got it covered. No worries."

Her eyes flashed between him and the water and he thought this task had her more spooked than he had expected.

Minerva cut Fleur's response off. "Very well Mr. Potter."

She signaled the man at the podium, who as it turned out was the elusive Mr. Bagman, who was soon done with the champions' introductions. By way of an explanation of the task he remained cryptic. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them."

When the whistle sounded each champion made for the water, Krum was the first into the lake, as he never paused in his movements, and leapt toward the water, his form blurring just before he entered the water with a diver's splash.

Harry was the next to the water, where he knelt on the pier and placed his palm flat on the surface forcing a pulse of his magic into the lake. Looking over his shoulder he watched as Fleur removed her thick robe, revealing a silver one piece bathing suit. She flipped her wand and muttered a spell, a small bubble formed around her mouth and nose, and soon she too dove into the water.

As the distracting sight disappeared under the lake's surface, he almost missed the splash of the final competitor, as Cedric dove in as well. Harry smiled as he felt the water under his hand begin to move. 'Man, it had to be cold to swim all that way,' he thought. 'I'm glad it's not me.'

He stood as the surface began to boil, as something lifted from below.

"What in the world is that?" asked a young witch pointing toward Harry.

"That, my dear, is a Giant Pink Sea Snail," said the man next to her, "and she happens to be a very good friend of mine. Young Harry asked for her help in this task, and she was more than happy to oblige. Though it didn't hurt that she wanted to visit her cousin Nessie while she was in the area."

The young girl looked up at him her eyes wide. "A Sea Snail?"

He nodded "A Giant Pink Sea Snail. She is very sweet. If you want I can introduce you once the contest is complete."

Her head swiveled back toward the lake and she watched as Harry Potter stepped off the walkway onto the snail and ducked under the edge of the shell. Within moments both the snail and its passenger had disappeared into the darkness that was Black Lake.

Harry peeled off his coat as he sat cross legged in the center of the cavernous shell. Letting his mage sight expand, he reached out to place his hand on the soft knob of snail skin that a hole in the shell left exposed. He began directing the Snail toward the mer-village with slight changes in pressure as Doc had instructed, glad he had scouted out the depths beforehand as he maneuvered toward his first landmark. His mind wandered as they traveled, it was an odd feeling riding along within the magical creature. Not unpleasant, just odd. Even after working with the Doc, and spending a week with him near his island last year, he had never figured out how she got around as fast as she did.

Once he was within the village, he was able to find the objectives quite easily. What he found made his blood boil! Tied to four boulders were hostages! One for each of them! Harry had to clamp down on his feelings, as his sight began to waver. He took a deep breath and it began to settle. Nudging his hand forward, to direct the snail, he approached the first hostage, focusing his sight entirely on the person to make out the facial features. It was someone he didn't know, a girl a couple of years older than him… he didn't like doing it but he moved on.

The second was another girl, Asian, again a little older than him. The third was a young girl, she looked a lot like Fleur… he cursed under his breath and had to take a moment to try and calm himself. The last was the girl from the Yule Ball, Pansy Parkinson…

Ok… that was weird… why would she be what he would miss most? He sighed, as he maneuvered the snail over her floating body slowly sinking until she broke the surface of the small pool at the base of snail's shell.

Her eyes flew open, as he cut her loose and began to pull her up. "P-Potter? What? Where am I?"

"You're safe…" he said slowly, struggling to keep his sight active. "You're in a shell… it's a long story. I'll have us back to the surface in a few minutes… Just sit tight, and try to get yourself warm… and please don't distract me… this is harder than it looks." Turning his back on the shivering Pansy, he started directing the Snail back toward the stands.

He hadn't lied to her, this was a lot harder than he had expected. Keeping his sight running at the extended range he needed to identify landmarks along the bottom was getting increasingly taxing, especially without the use of his normal meditative state. He was going to be exhausted before this thing was over.

A short time later he saw a flare in his sight nearby, one that was repeated several times in quick succession. He pushed his senses to the limit only to find a familiar magical signature; Fleur fighting some form of tiny octopuses, each blast from her wand was becoming weaker.

Groaning he changed direction, "Sorry, Pansy. You're going to need to hold on a little longer."

In short order he was above his distressed friend. Plunging his arm into the freezing water he let his magic reach out and guide his hand. Moments later he was hauling the gasping blond inside. "Breathe, I'll have us up as quick as I can."

"Acun… No! Please Harry! My sister is down there!" she cried. "I need to get to her!"

"Fleur, you're exhausted and in no shape to continue," he said, indicating the angry looking welts covering her legs and arms. "Besides, I don't think they would actually let your sist-"

She was struggling to her knees, ignoring the pain, pleading. "Please Harry…She is Veela… like me. We are creatures of fire and air… the water… the longer she is down there the more dangerous it is for her! I've got to get to her!" She began to push her way back toward the water.

He grabbed hold of her and pulled her close, stopping her. "I'll get her! I promise!" He whispered, urgently. "But I need to finish my part in this competition first… I don't have any choice because of the damn contract!" He placed a hand on the side of her face and whispered something and she slumped bonelessly in his arms. "I'm sorry… Pansy, please watch her. If she begins to wake let me know." he said laying the unconscious blond next to her.

Returning to his driving position he then urged the Snail back into motion toward the surface. He tried his best to ignore the feelings nagging at him, wanting him to go back, all the while praying that he could keep that promise in time to save her.

As soon as he broke the surface of the lake he was at Fleur's side, waking her and pushing both girls out of the shell toward the pier. "If I'm going to do this I need you both out of here. Fleur, I want you to tell my headmaster what is going on!" He grabbed her face and made her look him in the eye. "Repeat it!"

Her tear clouded eyes met his. "Tell your headmaster… what is going on…"

"Good! Now, out!" He led them out, returning to where he had been sitting as he reached out with his sight again, watching the silent animated conversation that was beginning on the pier as he guided the snail back into the depths.

The minutes seemed to tick by with an agonizing slowness, as they sank. No matter what, he was going to be cutting it close. As he arrived in the village he could see the merfolk begin to swarm around them several of them brandishing spears ineffectively (as he expected they seemed not to want to cause any harm just scare them), as they began to descend over Fleur's sister. Again he plunged his arm into the freezing water and when she was free he hauled her in.

Unlike Pansy her eyes didn't snap open, instead she immediately began to shiver. When he touched her skin, it was like ice. He did the only thing he could think of, wrap her in his coat and set her in his lap to share his body heat. He checked his watch, only five minutes remained in the contest, he expanded his sight again… it was getting harder to keep working. He knew he was running on fumes.

The other boulders were empty and he smiled at that; at least the others had made it that far.

This was the longest he had ever kept the sight up outside of meditation. It was a lot harder this way but necessary so he could move. He felt the Snail begin to slide forward through the water again. Checking the direction he let the sight drift away, to rest for a moment.

He felt the young girl begin to squirm, arms wrapping around him, as if seeking warmth. Looking down he watched as her eye fluttered open. She began asking something in French and he touched the girl's chin, moving it so she was looking at him. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "I don't know if you can understand me," he said softly, "but your sister speaks English well enough. I'll have you back to Fleur soon."

The girl perked up at the name. He pointed at his watch and held up an outstretched hand, hoping she would understand. His grin widened when she finally nodded, her head then settled again against his chest.