A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is delayed and that I missed last weekend's update! I'm trying really hard to keep on top of all my WIPs and other writing commitments (IRL ones included) and it's getting a little tough. I promise that even if my chapters are late, they will be posted and the work will be finished. I've yet to leave a work unfinished and I don't plan on doing so anytime soon. :)

Thank you for your patience.

...

Harry sat inside the champions' tent, anxiously rubbing his hands on his robes. The first task approached and the heavy weight that had settled in his stomach since the arrival of the dragons had only grown heavier in the last few minutes. His dragon, the Hungarian Horntail called Greta, had proven impossible to train. Harry hadn't a clue if or how the others had managed to train their dragons, but Greta had a mind of her own and she refused to cooperate with any attempts at training, guidance, or direction.

It didn't help that Harry only appeared to be a meal for Greta, and any effort to convince her otherwise was pointless. Harry was lucky to have survived being anywhere near her. He was mildly relieved to know that even if he failed the first task, he would still be given the instructions for the second task, although he wouldn't have his first 'choice' of the task, whatever that meant.

"How do you feel, mate?" said Ron, opening a nearby tent flap to poke his head in.

"Not great," Harry muttered.

"You're looking better than the others," whispered Ginny, poking her head underneath Ron's. "Krum's as grey as the Grey Lady."

"Diggory's not much better." Hermione's bushy head of hair appeared below Ginny. "His dad's there and telling him he's going to beat everyone, but I think that's making it worse."

"Delacour's the same as Krum," Ron added. "I should've said that first."

"None of you should be here," Sirius said, walking into the tent. "Get back to your seats before you're seen. Don't make me take points off Gryffindor."

"Sorry, Professor Black!" Ginny shouted, knocking Ron and Hermione over behind her. They scurried away, tripping over each other, while Harry peered up to see his godfather approaching.

"You wouldn't have taken the points off," Harry said. Sirius put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"That's neither here nor there," Sirius replied, crouching down to meet his gaze. "What matters now is you've got a dragon to bring you its egg."

"Not going to happen," Harry mumbled. "Everyone's just going to laugh at me."

"No, they won't. These tasks are made to push champions to their limit. Trust me, no one's going to laugh at you."

"I couldn't get Greta to do anything."

"I reckon the other dragons were no better."

Harry groaned loudly into his hands. Sirius had no way of knowing if the other champions had managed their dragons better than Harry had; for all either of them knew, Harry was minutes away from becoming Greta's lunch.

A cannonball fired in the distance, stopping Harry's train of thought. Crouch Sr.'s magically amplified voice rung out, welcoming the champions out to the lakeshore.

"You can do this." Sirius stood up with Harry and held him by the shoulders. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose. You just have to get through the task."

Harry clenched his jaw, hearing the roar of the dragons outside the champions' tents. He wanted to win, even though he knew it wasn't necessary to move onto the next task. He wanted to prove he could compete against the others, if only so Malfoy and his cronies would stop mocking him publicly.

"Remus and Tonks are here?"

"Front row seats," Sirius replied, pointing at the tall stands on their left side, next to what Harry assumed was his starting place at the Black Lake, as Greta was thrashing ferociously in front of the stands. Harry saw pink hair in the front row. Tonks, Remus, Andromeda, and Ted all sat together, holding up a large banner that read 'WE LOVE OUR GRYFFINDOR CHAMPION!" Just behind them sat the Weasleys, Hermione, and nearly all of Harry's housemates.

"You're not alone, Harry," Sirius assured. "I'll be there next to Moony and Tonks."

"Champions, here! Champions!" called Amelia Bones, who had replaced Ludo Bagman. "Champions only!"

Sirius gave Harry's arm a squeeze, smiled at him, and went off in the direction of the stands. Harry, seeing that Krum, Delacour, and Diggory were already standing by Bones, joined them in the middle dock.

"The dragons will be released from each quadrant of the Black Lake," Bones began. "There are four eggs in the middle. Your task is to have your dragon retrieve the egg you wish and return it to your station. As you know, you'll be permitted the use of a broomstick to guide your dragon. The same broomstick has already been placed at each station to ensure you're on equal footing."

Harry, Diggory, and Viktor eyed each other warily. Harry wished he had his Firebolt and suspected Krum thought the same. Harry didn't know what kind of broomstick Diggory had, but he figured anything was better than whatever brooms the Ministry had provided.

Bones continued, moving her finger down on the parchment in front of her nose. "Though you may leave your station to guide your dragon, you are not permitted to touch the egg yourself until your dragon brings it back. If you pick up the egg before your dragon drops it off at your station, you'll receive an immediate score of zero."

Harry's heart sank. He had hoped that he could outsmart the dragon and pick up the egg himself, but Bones had just crushed that hope flat. The others' faces had fallen, too, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had the same idea.

"Each egg has its own color, signifying one of the four elements. Blue is for water, white is for air, red is for fire, and green is for earth. Your next task will be a challenge related to your chosen element," Bones concluded. She met each champion's gaze and added carefully, "You have thirty minutes. Choose wisely."

Harry eyed Diggory and Krum, sure that they'd had the same idea. Air meant the sky and with all three of them being Quidditch Seekers, the easiest challenge would be an air-related one.

"Mr. Diggory, you're in the upper left," Bones continued, pointing at the Common Welsh Green dragon. "Mr. Krum, you're in the upper right, with the Swedish Short-Snout. Miss Delacour, you've got the Chinese Fireball to my right, and Mr. Potter, you've got—"

"Greta," Harry said half-heartedly, watching his Hungarian Horntail thrash against her chains, spewing fire onto all of the handlers trying to contain her.

"Excellent," Bones confirmed crisply. "If you'll all go to your assigned places, we can begin."

Harry walked toward his station, watching Krum and Diggory take off on battered broomsticks to the other side of the Black Lake. Harry stepped up to his station, narrowly missing being charred to death in front of his family. His assigned broomstick, however, had not survived. Harry had no broomstick and had lost his only chance at even tempting the dragon with himself as bait.

Sparks flew up from each quadrant, including Harry's, and with a loud clang, the dragons were released from their chains. Greta snarled, unaware she'd been freed from her constraints. Harry saw that the other dragons were already on their way, with the other champions guiding them toward the center of the Black Lake.

Krum flew in a circle around his dragon, casting spells at it that caused it to roar and snarl. Each spell seemed to hurt the dragon, causing it to move faster. Delacour flew underneath her dragon and conjuring live animals in front of it. Her dragon snapped its jaws at the conjured snacks, eager to reach the next one that appeared. Diggory flew ahead of his dragon. He had the same idea Harry had – making himself bait and leading his dragon to the middle of the lake.

"Bloody—" Harry yelped, seeing Greta come for him. He jumped off the dock, hoping he could avoid being barbecued, but instead of hitting freezing water, he felt a sudden rush of air in his face.

He gasped, seeing that he was hanging by his robes off of one of Greta's tail horns. His arms dangled helplessly at his sides. She flew too quickly for him to take control of his limbs. She appeared to be flying into the wind and it blasted his face, stinging his eyes with tears and making him cough violently. He had no way to direct any of his movements; he thrashed from side to side, swinging like a rag doll above the water.

He heard fabric ripping and he panicked, wondering how much the water would hurt if he slammed into it from his current height. Everything was blurry through his tear-filled eyes. The wind roared against his ears and with every flap of Greta's huge, scaly wings, he felt another gust of air pushing him back further, tearing the fabric away bit by bit until he was sure he was hanging onto the dragon's horn tail by a thread.

Greta began lowering her body. What had been a relief at first quickly turned to pain as Harry dipped in and out of the Black Lake, being roughly dunked by Greta's tail whenever she chose. Each entry into the water left Harry wheezing and hurting. The stinging in his eyes from the wind-induced tears became pointless, as Harry lost his glasses in the water. Unable to see or hear over Greta's thunderous roars, he had no clue what was happening. The abrupt plunges into the water had soaked him completely. Fearing he'd lost his wand, he reached into his pocket, grasping it tightly.

It was then that he heard one more tear of fabric and he was sent into the water, now free from Greta's grasp. The icy waters of the Black Lake invaded his nostrils and throat. He coughed in the water, struggling to move his legs to bring himself to the surface. As soon as he felt the cold air hit his face, he flew out of the water, being tugged away by an unknown force.

He landed with a painful thud against something soft and green. He sputtered, retching violently into the grass, choking on air, water, or whatever had come out of his throat.

"HARRY!"

"HE'S ALIVE!"

"MERLIN'S BEARD, HE DID IT!"

"HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!"

Too many voices spoke up at once. Harry was vaguely aware that someone was chanting his name in the distance, but another torrent of liquid was already coming out of his throat, spraying whoever was in front of him with it.

Gasping for air and clutching at his throat, Harry tried to say he didn't have his glasses, but miraculously, someone shoved them on his face.

"Harry! Harry!" called a warm, familiar voice. "Let me through! That's my son!"

"Get out of my way!" snarled another voice, this one higher-pitched and sounding an awful lot like Tonks.

"Give him space!" This voice was Sirius. Many figures stepped away, leaving only a few in front of Harry.

The frigidness Harry had felt was instantly taken away. He felt a gust of hot air around him, drying him, as well as a thick blanket being wrapped around his thin frame. Someone sat him upright, leaning him against something soft and thick.

"Good idea, Sirius." Harry recognized the worried voice of Tonks. "Stay there as Padfoot. He needs all the warmth he can get."

Harry felt whatever was behind him shifting and he realized Sirius had transformed into Padfoot to become a comfortable surface for him to lean against. He felt warm, calloused hands on either side of his face, bringing his gaze into focus.

"Harry? Can you hear me?" said Remus.

"Y-y-yes," Harry croaked. He shifted his gaze over Remus's shoulder, where Tonks stood with her mousy brown hair, her wand over them. Harry didn't know what the spell was, but it almost felt like he sat in front of a low fire, heating him up from the outside in.

"You did it," Remus said, taking Harry by the shoulders. "You and your dragon—"

"Gre…ta."

"Yes, you and Greta did it." Remus grinned at him and brought him a red-painted egg.

"Fire," Harry gasped. "Not air."

Remus arched his brow quizzically. Harry tried to summon the strength to explain, but Crouch Sr.'s booming voice squashed his first syllables.

"All champions have now returned with their eggs! It is time to announce the final scores and elements for our winners!"

Harry was finally beginning to feel his fingers and toes. He hadn't realized they'd gone numb in the cold water and he tried to shrug off the blanket as his extremities burned from the renewed sensations.

"In first place, we have Miss Delacour with 45 points, for her clever idea of conjuring food for her dragon. She chose the white egg and will have a challenge in the air for her second task!"

Loud applause and cheering erupted from the quadrant of the lake holding the Beauxbatons supporters. Harry wondered why she'd chosen air, when he, Krum, and Diggory were the flyers, but he couldn't give much thought to it as Crouch Sr. began speaking again.

"In second place, Mr. Diggory, with 42 points, for his successful use of himself as bait for his dragon. He chose the blue egg, and his second task will be a challenge in the water!"

Predictably, the stands holding Diggory's plentiful supporters burst into booming claps and congratulations for him.

"Finally, Mr. Krum and Mr. Potter are tied for last place, with 38 points each! Mr. Krum's tactical use of charms to condition his dragon were moderately successful. His dragon chose the brown egg but dropped it short of his station, thereby losing him 12 points. His second task will be a challenge in the earth."

Groans and boos came from Krum's side of the lake; Harry didn't care, mystified as he was that he'd managed to earn anything from his dragon ride.

"Mr. Potter's death-defying dragon ride led his dragon to the red egg. She did not return to her station in time, but as she was the second to reach the eggs and fly off with one, Mr. Potter receives points for his dragon's efforts. His second task will be a challenge against fire."

Ear-splitting cheers erupted around Harry. He was too dazed to tell the difference among voices or congratulations. Now that he could see, hear, and feel, he longed to see his friends and family. Preferably, he thought, with a small feast to eat, as he was famished, exhausted, and feeling incredible relief that he'd survived a ride on a dragon's tail. All other talk of tasks and fire-related challenges could wait.

….

Harry slumped into one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. It was only a day after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. The sense of calm he'd felt after the first task had disappeared in a few short hours that morning, when he, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor were told what to expect for the second task in February. While they weren't given the full details of the task, so as to keep some intrigue, the details they were given were enough to make Harry's head spin.

Each champion would be encased in a magical version of the element they'd assigned themselves. Their task was to escape the enchanted element in an hour's time. When asked what kind of enchantments the Triwizard organizers would place on the elements, Crouch Sr. and Bones said nothing. They merely said that the enchantments were to be layered, so that each new obstacle would be harder to overcome than the last.

Harry tried imagining himself encased in a sphere of fire. He realized that he had not yet learned how to cast a water-conjuring spell or any kind of charm to repel fire. He knew how to start a fire with Incendio, but short of finding a tap and filling a bucket of water, he had no magical means of putting a fire out.

He had the sinking feeling that the enchanted fires of the Triwizard Tournament would be far worse than any usual fire. Suddenly, the merry, crackling fire in the Gryffindor common room seemed suffocating and deadly. Harry desperately wished his dragon had chosen the white egg for enchanted air - perhaps it would be a wind tunnel that Fleur would face - but knowing that Cedric and Viktor were likely thinking the same gave him some measure of comfort.

After the many dips he had in the Black Lake, Harry didn't envy Cedric and his water challenge. The second task would come up in February, and Harry shuddered at the idea of having to jump into frigid waters for up to an hour. Harry also didn't envy Viktor's earth challenge; since being dragged out of the castle by Wormtail last year through a secret passageway, Harry had developed a deep dislike for underground ventures. At least when he was on land or in the sky, he could see, though he wondered how he'd be able to see through walls of fire.

He had shared all of these thoughts and worries with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who had become the fourth member of their group since the summertime. Harry quite liked the addition of Ginny, as Ron and Hermione bickered constantly at each other. Luckily, they listened patiently as Harry described the details of the second task, with Hermione taking diligent notes for her next trip to the library.

"There are plenty of charms I've read about for you to learn," Hermione said promptly, as soon as Harry was done speaking. "There's a Water-Conjuring Charm, another charm that will make the fire feel like tickling, and one to make a path in the fire. Maybe Professor Flitwick can teach you, or Professor Black–"

"Flitwick," Ginny blurted. "Definitely Flitwick. It won't be weird if he gets extra help on charms from the Charms professor."

"That rule that you can't get other people to help you is stupid," Ron muttered. "As if Krum already knew all those spells to train–"

"You mean to hurt that dragon?" Hermione said, disgusted. "It was totally barbaric, what he did! Using spells to hurt the poor dragon into doing what he wanted, no wonder dragons are so distrustful of people!"

"Bill told me that Gringotts has a dragon like that," Ginny told her. "They trained it to expect pain if it hears a noise."

"That's creature abuse!" shrieked Hermione. "I'm never going to Gringotts again!"

"Then how will you exchange your parents' Muggle money with Ga–" began Ron, but Hermione rounded on him, furious.

"I'll find a way," she spat, her bushy hair frizzing further in her rage.

Harry sighed irritably and sunk into his seat, feeling more frustrated than ever.

"Shut it, you two!" Ginny yelled, clapping her hands between Ron and Hermione. "Don't you see Harry's got bigger problems?"

"Thanks, Ginny," Harry said gratefully, as a wide smile grew over her face. Recalling Tonks's latest letter about the Yule Ball, which Harry was obligated to attend as he was one of the champions, an idea formed in his mind. He was on the verge of asking Ginny if she wanted to go with him, but Ron interrupted.

"When you go home for the Christmas holidays, I reckon Remus and Tonks can practice magic with you without anyone knowing," Ron suggested.

"I'm not going home," Harry said, seeing another chance to ask Ginny to the Yule Ball. "I've got to go to the Yule Ball, remember?"

"I'm staying for it," Hermione said coolly. Harry watched as Ron blanched and turned away from her uncomfortably.

"You've got a date?" Ginny asked, eyeing her curiously. Hermione whispered something into Ginny's ear, making them both giggle, leaving Harry and Ron to stare at them in confusion.

"I can't go unless someone asks me," Ginny said, meeting Harry's eyes. "I'm only a third year, after all."

"You should go with Harry," said Ron. "If he's your 'boyfriend,' you can take pictures and send them home so your cousin can see them."

Ginny didn't appear impressed with Ron's reasoning, despite how much it made sense. Harry didn't want to go to the Yule Ball with Ginny to impress Dudley, and now he feared Ginny had the wrong idea.

"That's great, Ron," Ginny said tightly. "Don't you think, Harry?"

"Mmm. Yeah. Great." Harry looked at his hands, unwilling to look anyone else in the eye. An uncomfortable, tense silence fell over the four of them, with only the crackling fire in the common room to disrupt their pause. Hermione glared at Ron, who tossed a rolled-up ball of parchment in the air, seemingly unaware of the silence around him.

"It's getting late," said Ginny, standing up from her seat. "Bedtime, I suppose."

"I'll go with you," Hermione added. Without another word, the two went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Ron turned around in his seat.

"Who do you think Hermione's going with?"

"I dunno. Dean, maybe?"

"Dean?" Ron said, affronted. "Him?"

"Seamus, then?"

"Think it's a Gryffindor?"

Harry shrugged. "Why don't you ask her?"

"I bet she's lying," Ron said, his blue eyes darting back and forth rapidly. "Probably wants to trick us."

"That doesn't sound like Hermione."

Harry's words fell on deaf ears. Ron began speculating wildly on why Hermione had lied to them about having a date to the Yule Ball. Harry only half-listened, instead choosing to think about how he'd have to learn to dance soon, or else he'd make a fool of himself in front of everyone, especially Ginny.

He really didn't want to disappoint her.

….

Harry was on his way down from the Astronomy Tower when he ran into Sirius in the seventh-floor corridor. Sirius was stepping out of a set of double doors Harry had never seen before, running his hands through his glossy black hair and scowling.

"Sirius?"

"Harry!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of something. That's all." Sirius stood in front of the double doors. Harry wanted to look inside, but the doors disappeared before his eyes.

"The doors! They're gone!"

Sirius turned around, grinned, and turned back to face Harry. "Hogwarts is full of secrets, isn't it?"

"What were you doing in there?"

"As I said, taking care of something." Sirius's tone indicated he was done with the topic and Harry huffed impatiently, knowing his godfather was hiding something. "You know I don't have to tell you everything I do, Harry."

"Does it have to do with the hor—"

"Keep your voice down," Sirius warned. "And even if it did, I wouldn't tell you. Now, come with me. Tonks asked me for your measurements."

"Why?"

"New dress robes." Sirius began walking toward a staircase and waved his hand for Harry to follow.

"But I already have dress robes."

"Tonks and Mrs. Weasley thought it would be 'cute' – her word, not mine – if you and Ginny matched for the Yule Ball."

Harry's irritation grew. He knew Tonks meant well, but he wished she'd have asked before deciding something for him. He stomped down the several staircases next to Sirius, who peered back at him with amusement in his steely grey eyes.

"Don't look so gloomy. It's not that bad," Sirius said, as they walked down the corridor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "I'll get your measurements and you can be on your way."

Harry walked into Sirius's office and stood still in front of a mirror. Bored, he asked, "Did you ever have to go to one of these things?"

"Yule Ball? No, that's a Triwizard tradition," Sirius replied. "One of our years we had a ball for the Spring Equinox, but that was an anomaly."

"Who did you go with?"

"A bird called Marlene. She died in the first war."

"Did Remus go with anyone?"

Sirius shook his head. "Bad timing. It was the day after the full moon and he was a mess."

"Did my dad go with my mum?"

"They weren't together yet, so no." Sirius chuckled to himself and pushed a long lock of hair behind his ear. "He went with a girl called Mary. She also died in the first war."

"Is that why you're not with anyone?" Harry said quietly. "Because they're all dead?"

Sirius leaned back against his desk and sighed. "I've got other things on my mind."

"Do you want to be with someone?"

Sirius put his chin in his hand and scratched at the stubble that had formed there since the morning Defense class. "Why do you ask?"

"Remus didn't want to be with Tonks because he was scared. Are you scared?"

Sirius barked in laughter, doubling over with his barks. "It's not the right time for me. You don't need to worry about me, Harry. I've got everything I need." With a flourish of his wand, Sirius finished taking Harry's measurements. "Now get back to your dormitory. Expect a package with your new robes – let's hope Tonks decided on a decent color for you."

Harry grimaced; with his luck and Tonks's style, he was likely to end up with bubblegum pink robes and look utterly ridiculous.

"Could I get a copy of my measurements?"

"You don't trust Tonks?" asked Sirius, arching a brow at Harry.

"Not with colors."

Sirius snorted and handed over a copy of the measurements. If nothing else, Harry would order his own robes and spare himself any further embarrassment.