Harry Potter got trained

by Driver1985

On the night Harry would have been dropped off by his Aunt, Dumbledore had someone else in mind. What if Harry was taken in by other strong people and they even decided to train him? Trained to be a Warrior by Wolves and the UNSC, he will change the world. OP, smart, trained Harry, small harem double cross with Witcher and Halo

95. Chapter 95

A/N: And here we are at the end of this chapter. Now, credit where it is once again due, HowInMadeHowie was again a big help with describing certain scenes and helping me with some timing issues again. Almost the whole last fourth was written by him, as even my fundation was so shacky that we had to break it down and rewrite it. It has come out so much better, that I am glad to have HowInMadeHowie helping me.

I also hope you all understand that we wanted it to keep Harry's plan for the first task until it happens.

Hope you all like it, so have fun reading it.

Harry was eating his breakfast on this Sunday morning when the owls brought the Daily Prophet and the mail. He looked up out of habit and saw Hedwig as well as Sirius' dark colored eagle owl flying towards him. While Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder, hooting softly demanding her bacon, the eagle owl landed in front of Harry and held out his leg and waited for Harry to untie the letter from it.

Harry gave both birds a bit of bacon from the table, before he opened the letter from Sirius. Reading the letter, he smiled as his godfather wanted to spend some time with him during the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Thinking about when the date for the visit was, Callie reminded him that it was on the weekend before the first task. Harry thanked her for the reminder.

Harry pulled out his pen to write his reply on the backside of the parchment, that he would love to talk with Sirius and if he would agree that Harry could also bring some friends with him, and tied it onto the eagle owl's leg.

Hermione watched Harry tying the letter back on the owl's leg and asked herself about what that was about. She finally had gotten over it to demand all the answers as soon as the question came to her mind and now waited if Harry would tell her. She had not to wait long before Harry asked her if she would like to come to Hogsmeade with him and the others. Hermione looked at him curiously. "Well, I love to spend more time with you Harry. But I was wondering what you are thinking about yesterday's articles. I mean, now everyone knows that you are a Witcher, not just the school. And that also means any Death Eater still out there."

Harry just shrugged and looked around in the Great Hall to make sure no one was listening. "It was just a matter of time when it would be public knowledge that I had become a Witcher. Look at the bright side, we did not have to endure Malfoy and his goons since yesterday's article. "

Hermione took the Daily Prophet and began to read it. After a short time, she smiled and turned her head towards Harry. "Well, it seems that Skeeter is not writing anymore about the tournament, according to the article it was written by Mr. Cuffe. He was also the editor of the article about you being a Witcher. That would be good news I guess, as Mr. Cuffe seemed to stay by the facts when he wrote his articles, without any embellishing of said facts to be more novel-like."

Hermione handed the Prophet over to Harry, who took it and began to read it.

Triwizard Champions Revealed!

As previously reported in yesterday's article, the Triwizard Tournament is being held this year at Hogwarts. And the Goblet of Fire, an artifact that exists since the first tournament was held, used to choose the champions for the tournament itself. So with no further ado I present to you the Champions of the Triwizard Tournament!

Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff House representing Hogwarts. Fleur Delcour representing Beauxbatons. And Viktor Krum, representing Durmstrang.

Ideally three champions chosen; one for each school. But due to the machinations of a suspected plot; Harry Potter was chosen as a fourth champion. While he shows true honor, he declared that he would not compete in the name of Hogwarts, since Cedric Diggory was chosen before to represent Hogwarts as its champion.

But after yesterday's article, where we only shined the spotlight on Mr. Potter, we decided that it would only be fair if we introduce every champion in a similar way.

Anyone who has attended the Quidditch World Cup in August would remember Viktor Krum. He is very well known to keep his private life private, but according to the official statements from his teammates he is very soft spoken yet also a very focused Seeker. Even if his decision during the final of the Quidditch World Cup was a talking point among inside the team at first, they all agreed that Mr. Krum's decision to catch the snitch even if it meant that their team lost the game was justified to keep the difference as low as possible. Looking back at the match, it also could have been just a tie, if not thanks to the fast flying from Ireland's chasers last second goal. Mr. Krum will surely be the favored to win the Triwizard Tournament. As for the rest of his personal story, we would like to ask our readers to have some patience until we have talked with Mr. Krum after the first task.

Fleur Delacour, the daughter of a high ranking employer in the French Minister of Magic, Sebastian Delacour may be all looks but don't let that fool you! She is reported to be Beauxbatons' dueling champion and a master of charms. According to her teachers, she is a very skillful dualist and very proficient in runic magic. We have contacted her parents if we would be allowed to write about their daughter and wait for their response. Like with Mr. Krum, we would like to ask our readers for patience before we write more about this young, powerful witch.

Last but not least is Cedric Diggory, the son of Amos Diggory, the head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Mr Diggory, Sixth year Huffpuff student who plays Seeker for his house team is in the running to be next year's Head Boy! Reaching out to Amos Diggory for comment on his son being a Hogwarts champion Mr Amos had this to say, "I am very proud of my son, Cedric. He is a true Huffpuff and will always look out for his housemates." Professor Pomona Sprout, head of Huffpuff house, also spoke glowingly of her badger, "Cedric will do Hogwarts and Hufflepuff proud. He is a attentive student with high marks in charms and transfiguration. I look forward to seeing him show that Huffpuff are no duffers!"

And then we come to Mr Harry Potter. While we have already reported Mr Potter's feats as a Witcher it would not do to neglect his other accomplishments. Mr. Potter is on record for being the youngest Seeker in a century for Gryffindor, getting on his house team in his first year at Hogwarts! That feat is not just for show, because Mr. Potter is undefeated as a Seeker for his team to date. He is also a skillet duelist and he shows that it's not all about fancy wand work that makes a duelist well accomplished. But what will really surprise many readers is that for the duration of the tasks Mr Potter will surrender his wand to his headmistress, Keira Metz, to show that he will truly be showing the world that he does not need a wand to complete the tasks ahead. What may seems to be arrogant, it only shows that Mr. Potter takes the honorable route, as being a Witcher would give him many advantages if he could use his wand during the tasks.

We at the Daily Prophet would like to wish all the champions good luck and safe return. May the best champion win.

For more on past Triwizard tournaments turn to page 4

For more on the Goblet of Fire, turn to page 6

Harry nodded, handing the Prophet back to Hermione and continued to eat when Lambert entered the Great Hall and was looking for him. Harry just lifted his hand so Lambert would see him easier and then waited before Lambert arrived at their spot.

Lambert grinned when he sat down on the opposite side from Harry and grabbed something to eat. Harry looked at him curiously and looked around to see if Keira would also enter the Great Hall. Seeing that the sorceress was not here, he turned back towards Lambert with a raised brow. "Lambert, did you and Keira have a fight? Why are you here alone?"

Lambert took a sip from the orange juice before answering this question. "No Harry, we did not have a fight. Keira is visiting the greenhouses to see what we would have at our disposal in case we would need to brew some potions. When we came into the entrance hall, we saw the Longbottom boy with his girlfriend walking out the castle towards said greenhouses. After talking with those two students for a bit, Keira told me to go and train with you, since she would now have sufficient protection with Longbottom. I had to agree, he seems to be a genius when it comes to plants that grow in the greenhouses. So, here I am." Lambert then took a bite from the sausage he had started eating. Lambert glanced at the Prophet Hermione had laid down on the table and saw the front page headline. He asked if he could read that and Hermione passed him the paper. Lambert chuckled softly and shook his head, "Well, it's official then. Skeeter's been pulled off the tournament." Lambert looked over at Harry and grinned. "You reckon Yen scared Cuffe that badly after what happened at the Wand Weighing ceremony?"

Hermione blinked in surprise since this was news to her. Harry did not say anything about Rita Skeeter being at the Wand Weighing ceremony. Glancing between the two Witchers, Hermione questioned the pair. "What do you mean Skeeter was there? What did she do? You didn't say anything happened." Hermione directed that last question at Harry with a pointed look.

Harry nodded and sighed as he had hoped to avoid this discussion; pretending he didn't hear Hermione, he continued to eat his own breakfast. "I do not mind training with you Lambert, but I wanted to study with my friends until lunch, we should be finished with our homework by then. And before you pout, do not forget that I am still a student in this school."

Hermione huffed in frustration seeing that Harry ignored her questions. "Harry? What did Rita Skeeter do?" Hermione looked at Lambert for an explanation.

Lambert realized he spilled the beans on this one. He forgot that Witchers prefer to keep a low profile and Harry had avoided mentioning this to his friends. Looking between the two teenagers he saw Harry give him a subtle nod to tell Hermione. Lambert cleared his throat after taking another sip of orange juice and looked at Hermione with a serious look. "Skeeter made some very inflammatory comments in her writing that Harry noticed and, well..you have to understand, Witchers do not take such things lightly and he reacted as any Witcher would. Hell, if Skeeter said that about me, I would be pretty pissed off too." Lambert shrugged as if that was the end of it.

But Lambert did not know Hermione that well and that was clearly not the end of it. Hermione frowned as she processed what Lambert said and put the pieces together. "Reacted? And how did Harry react to what Skeeter wrote?" Hermione looked at Harry for an answer and saw he stopped eating to offer an explanation.

Harry sighed again and tried for a weak smile to put Hermione at ease. "You have to understand Hermione, I could not just let what she wrote stand. If she was left to her own devices she could have caused a lot of problems for me and other Witchers. So I had to make it very clear to her that she made a very serious error in judgment by letting the quill write those things." Harry saw Hermione cross her arms waiting for him to explain his "reaction" Harry looked Hermione in the eye and stated in a deadly serious tone. "I pulled out my blade, which quickly shifted into a katana and was prepared to cut Skeeter's head off if she did not retract her words and swear on her magic, life and honor she was not going to write lies about me again. Granted she made an oath, but not what we asked her to say."

Lambert just nodded and took another bite from his sausage and offered Hermione a simple warning. "Frankly, if you ask me, Skeeter got off lightly. What she wrote was not something any Witcher would let stand. She was bloody lucky Yen and Geralt were not there. So you can imagine, Yen found out what happened and she decided to ensure Skeeter would be reined in." Lambert indicated at the Daily Prophet. "As you can see from Cuffe's writing Skeeter isn't covering the tournament anymore."

Hermione, a bit shocked by this revelation, nodded and continued with her breakfast. In her mind she was trying to understand why Harry did not tell her. Harry was worried that she and the others would look at him differently, he did just threaten to kill someone over something they wrote about him. She knew Witchers were very sensitive about their reputations but she did not think Skeeter would be that foolish. She was toying with the idea of telling the others, hoping Harry would not think badly of revealing this to them, but they needed to know Rita Skeeter needed to be watched out for.

Just then, Neville came over with Hannah, smelling of earth and sweat. "Hey Harry, I hope you understand that I will take a shower before coming to our study sessions." Neville grinned sheepishly, knowing Harry's sensitive senses. Turning to Lambert, Neville passed on a message. "And Mr. Lambert, Madam Metz said that we should tell you that you should not interfere with Harry's studies. While we were at the greenhouses, she had a feeling that you would lose your patience and ask Harry to train with you." Taking a sip from a cup of coffee that he had poured from the carafe while he stood, he continued afterwards. "Speaking of training, would it be possible if I could watch? I always wanted to see true sword fighting since I had read about it in an old novel once that Hannah had shown me."

Lambert nodded and finished his breakfast. "If that is the case, I'll wait by the obstacle courses for you Harry. And I do not mind you bringing your friends to watch us train, if you do not mind them seeing how I kick your ass." Lambert grinned at Harry.

Harry laughed out loud, but then he noticed Angelina coming into the Great Hall. That reminded him that he needed to talk with her about his position on the Quidditch team, and the sooner he got that over with, the better. "Sorry Lambert, I just remembered that I need to do something else after studying today. How about we train tomorrow together with John?"

Over at the Slytherin table it was not without its own sense of drama, although it was limited to one student. As Draco Malfoy glared at the Gryffindor table to where Potter and his friends were sitting his father's owl suddenly landed in front of him and extended its leg to him. Malfoy frowned at the owl as he was not expecting any letters from his father, nevertheless he untied the letter and ignored the owl's hoot to demand for food. While Malfoy opened his father's letter he did not notice his father's owl glare at him and steal some bacon that was on his plate and flew off. The reason for Malfoy's distracted state was the contents of his father's letter.

Draco malfoy stared at his father's words with a mixture of emotions played through his mind: anger, confusion, frustration and curiosity. Anger that his father ignored his prior letter that Potter was a Witcher. Confusion as to why his father would order him to steer clear and not to antagonize him. Frustrated that his father was not telling him the whole story of why Draco was being ordered, ORDERED, to leave Potter alone. 'Why would Father be so direct in his order to leave Potter alone. Does he fear Witchers that much? Surely Father is not telling me everything.' Malfoy glanced back at the Gryffindor table with a curious look. Glancing back at the letter Malfoy shook his head frustrated. 'At least Father does not know about the attempt to push Potter's buttons with that…stupid button'.

—-

Later that day, Harry walked into the empty class room he had told Angelia to meet with him. He saw that she was not here yet, making him wonder if she was bringing the rest of the team to join them. Thinking about it, he grimaced a bit when he thought about Ron's behavior ever since his name came out the goblet. Harry decided to wait at the teacher's desk and watch the door when Angelina arrives.

While Harry waited, Callie updated him on what the ONI was up to. "The agents in the field are trying to find out everything about Rita Skeeter over the next few days. And if she really tries to enter the grounds of Hogwarts, we will know as soon as she sets foot on it thanks to the information from your godfather about the Marauders' Map. To be honest, we should already have thought of it, since we have found Pettigrew the same way since he was an Animagus, but the thing about the Polyjuice potion was new information. Oh, it seems that Angelia really comes with the rest of the team." Callie's warning drew Harry back to the immediate issue on his mind.

Harry heard the Gryffindor team coming closer to the door before it opened. He was not surprised when he saw that Angelina was not coming alone and that she had gathered almost the whole team. Ron was missing however, something Ginny commented on as soon as she saw Harry looking at them. "Ron just told us that it has nothing to do with practice or playing Quidditch if we want to talk with you and that he would rather play chess with Dean. Honestly, since Halloween he has become a major prick when it comes to you Harry."

Harry just nodded and after Fred had closed the door, Harry told everyone what he needed to say. "To be honest, Angelina as our captain would have been enough, since she could have informed you the next time we would have practiced together, but it may be better if you hear it from me personally. As you know, since I revealed myself as a Witcher, some other players will think that I have an unfair advantage in the air, since my senses are sharper than yours are. For this reason, I will resign from the team to avoid any complaints from the other teams in the future." Harry held up his hand to forestall Angelina's complaint as he had a means to compensate for his loss as a player. "Do not worry Angelina, I am sure that Ginny is the right replacement for me, especially as she will have my Firebolt during games. And of course I still can coach her during a practice session if you are willing to have me."

His former teammates looked at him astounded for his announcement. Ginny's eyes especially were as big as saucers on the prospect that she could be using Harry's Firebolt.

Angelina let out a sigh and looked at Harry with a sad expression. "I hoped that you had something else in mind then to resign from the team Harry. While I understand your reasoning and your consideration to stay fair to the other teams, you will leave a giant hole in our team. You are a great seeker Harry, and I hate to lose you. Be assured, I will drag you to our small games during this year. You have to train Ginny after all. And do not even think about taking back what you just had told us. I have enough witnesses." Angelia grinned to the end of her small speech, to which Harry just shrugged.

Harry looked at the others and waited for their reactions. If he was honest with himself, it was really better that everyone had heard it directly from him, since this way any questions could be answered immediately. And while the girls had no questions for him, Fred and George stepped a bit closer to him to stare into his eyes. Fred then turned towards his brother with an evil grin. "Dear brother, please tell me that you are thinking the same as I am?"

George had a thoughtful expression as he answered. "I am not sure, my dearest brother."

Fred decided to enlighten his brother with his thoughts. "Well, Witchers have a better reaction than any other witch or wizard. Correct?"

George nodded slowly wondering where Fred was going with this. "Go on."

Fred grinned at his brother and gestured towards Harry. "How about we tell Harrykins that we accept his resignation if he will be our training dummy so we can work on our aim with the blungers."

George picked up on his brother's idea and looked at Harry with an equally evil grin. "Oh, that is a good idea my dear brother. Luckily, you are the smart one, while I am the good looking one."

Fred looked at his brother and after a short time, he chucklet. "That is debatable brother."

The other occupants in the room were laughing at the small display from the twins because Harry's reaction was a shrug and telling them to keep on trying to hit him in the future. "You know, I always heard you hitting the bludger, so it will be easy for me to evade your attacks on the field. But on the positive side, if you will be able to hit me that would only show that you can hit everyone you play against. Maybe even Krum."

They talked with each other for a while longer to think about a practice schedule. This would be hidden as some open plays that the team could do and invite some other players from the other houses or even schools.

Katie especially wanted to see Krum flying up close. She was interrupted when Ginny told Katie that she would be much closer to Krum than her. "I mean, we both play seeker, so all I have to do is try and fly close to him to see what a pro can do."

Harry looked at Ginny with a fake hurt expression. "And here I thought I would be enough to learn from."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at Harry before laughing out loud.

Angelina hugged Harry after they all had made plans on how to practice during the school year next to the tournament. They decided to play a game the next weekend as the weekend after was set for the visit to Hogsmeade. But before she let Harry out of her embrace, she whispered into his ear. "I am really sad that you felt the need to resign from the team because you are a Witcher. I am sure that everyone would have just agreed to let you play after being revealed as a Witcher for the last two years and playing with us. You were by far the fairest player on the field, I think you never fouled anybody during our matches. But I also understand your mentality. After All, being a Witcher must be stressful enough without Quidditch thrown into the mix. Just keep in mind, if you want to return to the team, I will make sure that you will have a place in it."

Harry smiled gratefully when he returned the hug. "Thank you Angelina. I appreciate it, but as much as I like flying, I do not think that I will play in the near future. But if you ever need me, you can call and I see what I can do."

—-

Amelia was sitting in her office, reading reports from her Aurors that were investigating how and why Crouch Junior put Harry Potter's name into the Goblet of Fire. Amelia was already preparing how she would phrase the inquiry to Dumbledore and Fudge to place some Aurors as a security detail during the tasks. If the lesson from the Quidditch World Cup was anything to go by, then that someone could always use such an event for an attack. And if that someone was under the orders from Voldemort, then it would result in as much carnage as they could think of.

While Amelia was thinking, she heard a knock at her door. Wondering who it was, she told the visitor to enter and stored the report into her desk drawer.

To her surprise, it was Fudge himself now smiling at her. Amelia was immediately wary of what Fudge had to say and was waiting for the reason for his unexpected visit. "Ah Amelia, how good to find you in your office. As you may have guessed I came to you because we have an open spot on the panel of judges for the Triwizard Tournament, and after a long discussion with some people I wanted to have your opinion on that matter."

Amelia leaned back on her chair and looked at Fudge. Something was a bit off about this and Amelia decided to gently ask. "Minister, you did read Cuff's articles over the weekend?"

Fudge blinked at the unexpected question. Nodding slowly, Fudge seemed a bit embarrassed that he had to be reminded about Harry Potter's status. "Ah, yes…about Harry Potter? That story, well…it caught me by surprise!" Fudge plopped down heavily on the chair in front of Amelia's desk; as if the weight of the story's revelations wore heavily on him. "I honestly cannot imagine such a young man wanting to become a Witcher, at twelve no less!" Fudge shook his head bewildered. "And the real tragedy is, he's the last Potter, of an old family line and-" He stopped when he saw Amelia raise her hand.

Amelia held up her hand to stop Fudge from rambling past opinions about Witchers. "You did not read the entire article I do not think. If you had you would have read that they have discovered a means to avoid sterilizing themselves. Yennefer and her husband Geralt have a daughter, Cornelius." Amelia gently reminded him. Just using their names humanized them a bit to show they were more than just a powerful sorceress and Witcher.

Fudge blinked in surprised shock. "That part's true? They really have a daughter together?"

Amelia nodded with a smile. "Oh yes, I have not seen her personally but I was shown pictures of her, even a picture of Harry Potter holding his honorary sister. For the record, I did not know Mr Potter was a Witcher until recently. I was there when I escorted the goblin team to harvest the basilisk. I was only told a Witcher was responsible for the kill, not whom that Witcher was. And even before he became a Witcher he proved he was very well trained."

Fudge gave her a curious look so Amelia explained what her niece relayed to her. "In his first year in Hogwarts he was confronted by eight older Slytherin students. Eight, Cornelius! He faced them all alone and avoided all of their spells. Not even Alastor Moody can claim such a credit to that many opponents and he was a trained Auror while Mr Potter was a well trained eleven year old."

Fudge sat back and stared at Amelia in wide-eyed shock. "And now he's in the tournament, at fourteen! And he wants to compete in the tasks, as a Witcher?" Fudge just shook his head amazed at the bravery of the young man.

Amelia nodded in agreement. "Funny you should mention that, according to Sunday's article he will indeed be competing as a Witcher not a wizard because he will be handing over his wand to his headmistress, Madam Metz."

Fudge nodded slowly as something niggled at him and he finally understood what Amelia was trying to tell him. Sitting up straight he looked at Amelia in shock. "Oh! Of course! I should have realized that we did not need to seek another ministry official, Madam Metz will be the fifth judge." Fudge sat back in the chair and sighed in relief; it seemed the pressure to find a replacement to Barty Crouch was taxing him of late.

Amelia smiled and nodded in agreement. 'Well, at least he's not that big of a buffoon as I had feared. I wonder…' "Before you send Dumbledore an owl asking if Madam Metz will take up the role of the fifth judge you should also consider telling Dumbledore we may need to increase security at the tournament."

Fudge frowned at hearing this and waited for Amelia to explain her reasoning to send Aurors to Hogwarts.

Amelia pointed out some issues to her investigation into Crouch Junior. "We're at a dead end with Barty Crouch Junior. Whoever put him up to this task not only obliviated but, according to a St Mungo's mind healer, compartmentalized his memories. They will only be unlocked when certain code words are given to him. Someone went to a lot of trouble to protect their involvement and I fear that they have to send someone else in to finish what Junior started."

Fudge was stunned at this development. "Compartmentalized memories? My goodness, I have not heard of that being done since…" Fudge thought back to his days as an Obliviator. "The Grindelwald war."

Amelia nodded grimly. "Indeed, and it was used exclusively for spies and deep cover agents. I had hoped that knowledge was lost but, alas." Amelia leaned forward to look at Fudge directly. "Think of it this way Minister, if you go to Dumbledore telling him of your concern about security and telling him that we should post Aurors during the tasks, you will be seen as being proactive." She saw Fudge nodding in understanding and added as an afterthought. "While I have no doubt of the capabilities of the Master Chief, he is but one man and I expect guests and visitors will be showing up during the tasks. He cannot keep watch of everyone."

Fudge grimaced at the mention of the Master Chief. While he has not met him personally he had heard the stories and rumors that came from Hogwarts. Thinking about it more Fudge stood up and nodded. "I agree, Amelia. Even with Moody there we cannot let whoever put Harry Potter in this situation just carry on with their plans. I will send Dumbledore an owl about this along with Madam Metz as a judge. Thank you for your advice and input on this. Please keep me informed of any new developments." Fudge turned and left her office.

Amelia sat back in her chair and stared at the door in thought. 'He may be an idiot at times but I can see why Lucius finds him useful; it's just a matter of manipulating him to do things and making it look like it was Fudge's idea.' Amelia shook her head in distaste. But in the end she got what she asked.

—-

Onboard the Infinity, Captain Lasky was reading the reports from Callie and Cortana. "Roland, how high is the probability that Skeeter will try to find a story during the tournament, even if she is no longer on the assignment?"

Roland activated the projector in Lasky's desk and adopted a thoughtful expression. He had already read through everything that ONI had found out about Skeeter as well as her psychological profile. "I daresay the probability that Skeeter would use her ability to sneak onto the Hogwarts and then listen to all the gossip that will be told between all the students is very high. Teenagers like to run their mouths after all, and for someone like Skeeter is that a gold mine. But thanks to the report that Callie had sent to Cortana after receiving the letter from Sirius Black, we surely would find her soon enough to make sure that nothing gets out without us knowing."

Lasky nodded and turned around to look out the "window". It was just a display that showed what the cameras outside the Infinity and the satellites recorded. The picture showed the planet that was so familiar to him, but also so unknown. "Tell ONI that they have my permission to keep an eye on her, even with this wonderful map that John has at his disposal I would like to know what she is doing when she is not close to Hogwarts." Roland saluted and turned the projector off again to let his Captain to be alone for a while. 'Normally I would not make such a big deal out of one reporter, but she reads too much as a security threat for my liking and ONI 's report does not fill me with hope she will back down.'

Lasky soon received a priority message that a slipspace portal was opened right next to the Infinity and the display switched to the corresponding camera feed. Seeing the giant ship the Sword of Sangheilios appearing right next to his ship was still very imposing. "I wonder what the Arbiter wants today?" Lasky groaned as he recalled that the Arbiter has taken a keen interest in the training of Harry Potter. "Shit," Muttering to himself in realization to why Arbiter is here, Lasky really hoped Arbiter was not going to be a problem.

—-

The next week came and went without anything special happening. Harry saw some Hogwarts students with the same badge as Malfoy had worn after the champions were announced, but these badges soon vanished completely. Harry guessed that Cedric had something to do with that, so Harry would have to thank his fellow champion for it. It was not getting to Harry as the other students hoped, but being able to walk through the school without having to endure all the glares and silly laughter when the badge changed from "Support Cedric Diggory" to "Potter stinks" was nice.

Another thing was that the Quidditch practice with the whole team, where Harry repeat his resignation from said team because he is a Witcher and loaned his broom to Ginny. The only one who was against that idea was Ron, who seemed to have a small hope to get the Firebolt for himself; even after Harry had explained the last time they were in the air together that it would not be beneficial to his position as a keeper to have such a high speed broom.

During practice, the chasers were using every trick they knew to get the Quaffle past Ron, while Harry, riding an old school broom, showed Ginny how she could utilize the speed of the Firebolt to her advantage and on what she had to watch out for while searching the small Snitch flying around.

Before long, the date of the Hogsmeade weekend was upon them and Harry walked to the carriage together with Hermione, Daphne, Tracey and Susan. Harry wondered how long they had to wait until Hermione coaxed them head to the book shop to see if she could find a book with more information about the Triwizard Tournament. Callie put a stopwatch into his field of view, counting from the moment this thought had entered his mind. 'Really Callie? We time these things now?'

Unseen by Harry, Callie shrugged as she pointed out how she came to this conclusion. "You know very well as I do that Hermione is never satisfied with the Information that the school library has to offer. And the possibility that, with the tournament being held this year that some publishers would release some books about it in the hope to make some money out of it is rather big to be honest. And one of these books could have some information not readily available to the public, like some kind of biography from a former tournament winner. Thinking about it, even if they have eternal glory, at least according to Dumbledore's opening speech, it is kinda sad that we learn nothing about them in the History of Magic classes."

Harry had to agree as they passed the gates of Hogwarts. As they traveled along the way through the forest, Harry heard some growling coming from it. It was a sound he had never heard coming from the forest, being the Forbidden Forest, a name that was self explanatory to all students to be wary of. But he soon identified the growl to be just a pack of wolves being out for a hunt. So as long as they would stay in their carriages, nothing could happen to them.

—-

As the students arrived in Hogsmeade, Callie won the bet with Harry that Hemrione dragged them to the bookstore as soon as they had set foot in the small village. They all had a good laugh since Hermione struggled for a short while to drag Harry along, but he let her lead him to her favorite spot in Hogsmeade.

On their way there, they passed Madam Puddifoot's tea shop from where a shocked Sirius was running away seemingly in panic. But Harry saw that his godfather looked back with a smile towards the entrance of the tea shop and saw that Amelia was standing there laughing with her arms crossed over her stomach. Sirius declared warningly. "No Amelia, you will never get me to go inside that shop on my free will!" Sirius then stopped right in front of Harry still in his running pose. "Oh, hy Harry."

Harry and his friends looked from one adult to the other before bursting into laughter. Daphne couldn't help but tease Sirius in a mock scolding tone. "Lord Black, it is not becoming for a man of your status to run away from a Lady if she wants to drink tea with you."

Sirius looked at Daphne with a shocked look. "Heiress Greengrass, you do not know what Madam Bones is capable of. So if she would have wanted to make me drink tea with her in that shop, she would have tried harder." Sirius huffed in protest, playing along with the teasing.

Sirius suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Amelia's grinning face. "Oh Sirius, you should have seen your own face when we arrived in front of that shop and I asked you if we should have a drink. But you seem to have misunderstood me, I never said that we would be going into Puddifoot's to drink our tea. To be honest, I was thinking about the Three Broomsticks, but your reaction was just too funny!" Amelia couldn't help giggling at the memory of Sirius's reaction.

Harry and his friends were looking at Amelia with wide eyes, except for Susan. She already had some experience with her aunt showing some humor in privat, but showing it this much in the open only showed Susan that her aunt was really happy for once. But it was still a surprise for Susan that her aunt and Sirius were spending their free time together before she had an idea why they did.

Harry tilted his head curiously and looked between Sirius and Amelia. Turning towards the head of the DMLE, he asked the question that Susan had in mind. "Since when are you two an Item?"

Amelia still grinned when she turned towards Harry. "Ah, that would be just before the champions for the tournament were chosen, Harry. And please send my regards to Yen with a thank you since you have gone public that you are a Witcher, it is as if a weight has lifted from my shoulders. You would not believe how many people in the ministry are glad that they have a Witcher more to be able to hire when you finish school, if there were too many monsters around. But let's not discuss that matter now, I think we all can use a drink in the pub?"

Soon the group was sitting on a big table inside the three Broomsticks and were having a good time. Sirius nibbed on his butterbeer when he glanced around the table and noticed how the three girls were sitting very close to Harry. Sneaking a glance towards Amelia, he saw that she had noticed the same thing. She also noticed him looking at her and nodded when she cast a silent privacy charm around them.

Thanks to her upgraded sensors, Callie noticed the change around them and informed Harry about the placement of the charm. "Harry, my magical sense is tingling. According to the readings of the sensores, Madam Bones placed a privacy charm around our table. I wonder why."

Harry turned his attention to Amelia with a raised eyebrow. "And here I thought this was a casual meeting to see how I was doing since I became a champion. But does this really need a privacy charm for this discussion?"

Sirius held his hands to placate Harry and adopted a serious look as he addressed Harry and the others. "I guess that your friends knew before it became public that you are a Witcher. But what do they know about your situation as an heir apparent to at least two houses, one of them being House Black?"

Harry looked at his friends, who already knew that Harry was the heir of at least two houses. "Well they know as much as you do. Namely that I am also your heir. But what brought that up?"

Sirius looked at Harry with great interest. He then took his butterbeer into his hand and took another sip. After he had placed the bottle back on the table, he continued. "You see, I have a theory about something. We, I mean Amelia and myself, had discussed why the goblins had agreed to make a new sword and.." Sirius stopped when he saw Harry shake his head and held up his hands to stop him.

Harry interrupted his godfather with a curious look. "And why were you two thinking about that? If you're taking what Yen told Mr Cuffe at face value then yes that would be a logical conclusion but she told him a half truth, to protect the real truth from the general public."

Sirius chuckled. "Ah, you see Harry it was not just you and Skeeter when you pulled your sword on her after she had written something that would dishonor you. And I am sure that the photographer, Bozo, would have been happy to speak about how you threatened Skeeter and made her swear an oath. After he had a few drinks he may have told someone about how you summoned your sword seemingly out of thin air and changed its shape before returning it to your pocket." Sirius leaned forward on the table as he addressed his godson and waited for his explanation.

Harry stared at his godfather with a deadpan look. Harry then began to chuckle before speaking again. "You say that Bozo would have been happy to speak about what had happened before the Wand weighing ceremony but you mean you paid for his drinks to get him tipsy and start to talk to you about it. Because of this, you know that my sword is a goblin made, and thanks to Gryffindor himself the sword that can change the shape to what I wish it should be. Honestly, this is really handy if I need another form of the blade for a special monster. But I do not see what my sword has to do with me being your heir And more importantly, how did you even find Bozo?"

Sirius knew he was about to get himself and his cousin trouble revealing this part. "Ah, that wasn't entirely my doing, finding Bozo. While on duty at Hog's Head, Tonks was looking for information about another case and overheard Bozo talking to Aberforth Dumbledore, the headmaster's younger brother. When she heard your name came up along with Skeeter she…" Sirius glanced at Amelia with a sheepish smile and shrugged. "Send me a patronus message to get over to Hog's Head saying it was urgent. When I got there she filled me in and pointed him out and, well, rest is as they say, is history."

But before Harry could reply he was interrupted by Amelia, directing her words at Sirius with a glare she turned back to Harry to explain. "Whilst I will deal with the fact that you were getting involved in Auror business that is neither here nor there. It means that you have the Sword of Gryffindor, and according to legend, it being capable of changing its shape can only mean one thing. And why not many will make this connection like me and Sirius did, it was rather obvious when we thought about it. You, Harry Potter, are the true heir to Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts."

Harry looked surprised while Callie reported this to the higher ups. Amelia and Sirius both were able to make connections that other wizards were just ignoring out of hubris. Susan placed her hand on his arm and turned to her aunt. "Yes, we already knew that Harry is the heir to Gryffindor, Potter and Black. He had shown us his blade a bit after we visited Kear Morhen, and Daphne here asked him if he was the heir of Gryffindor as he had shown us that he was able to change its shape. And we also understand that this information needs to be kept a secret. I guess you two have already taken precaution so only those who already know can talk with you about that?"

Amelia nodded and looked at Sirius. "We both made sure that our tongues would become tied up when we wanted to talk about this matter and the other side would not know what we know. This way, the knowledge would be kept to a small, well known circle. And let's stop talking about politics. How is school?"

Hermione laughed before talking for the first time since they had sat down. "Honestly Madam Bones, I was expecting this sudden change of topic from Lord Black, but not you."

Sirius looked shocked, and soon the talking at the table was filled with laughter as Amelia dropped the privacy charm. Soon after they had finished their butterbeers, they left the pub and Hermione had pulled them all back to the book shop as they had not looked at the books before. The rest of the day was spend between the books, looking for something that could give them more information.

—-

Later that night, after the Hogsmeade visit, Harry jolted out of his bed. He had heard the roar again from the direction of the forest. Getting up from his bed, he walked over to the window to look out to see the Forbidden Forest. 'Honestly, they should keep them down a notch.' Looking down at the forest's edge he saw a figure crouching behind a tree. Harry was about to ask Callie if they should warn Cortana, but Callie was a step ahead of him. "Don't worry about him, John is about to make his presence known and he will deal with him."

In the very spot Harry was just looking at, Karkaroff was crouching behind a tree trying to get closer to a spot where he had seen an orange glow when he was on the deck of his ship. He was sure that it had something to do with the first task and finding out what it was would give his school an advantage. Using a notice me not charm, he soon was close enough to recognize the signs that there were dragons in the clearing.

But before Karkaroff could take another step, his charm was dispelled when he felt a tap on his shoulder that made him freeze in shock, slowly turning to look behind him he, Karkaroff soon found the armored giant looming over him. Karkarof slowly looked up to see his own reflection in the golden visor and knew he was in trouble.

To make matters worse, he saw Moody and his Merlin be damned gleaming eye staring at him.

Moody grinned at Karkaroff and casually addressed him as they were just out for a walk. "Evenin', Karkaroff, nice weather out here for a midnight stroll, is it not? But you should not be here. So either you go back to your ship, or our big friend here will throw you towards the lake, and believe me, he can throw you pretty far."

Karkaroff was surprised when the armored giant reached down and grabbed his cloak and lifted him was so stunned he had notnoticed he was now standing up fully. Looking between the Chief in his armor looking down at him and Moody glaring at him.

The Chief pointed towards the lake. "I would suggest you follow Mr. Moody's advice, or else I will follow up with Professor Moody's threat."

Karkaroff huffed angrily, but left the forest's edge to walk back towards the ship. He had already found out what he needed to know and would now prepare Krum for the task ahead.

Moody chuckled a bit before his magical eye twirled in its socket and he grumbled. "Oh for crying out loud. Is Hagrid really thinking showing off dragons is a good date?" Moody jerked his thumb towards the spot where Hagrid broke out from the bushes with Madam Maxime in tow.

John just shrugged and turned to Moody. "Given Hagrid's love for dragons, he would think so. It seems that Beauxbatons has a bigger advantage now than Durmstrang, seeing Madam Maxime now be able to see what breeds of dragons will be used in the first task."

Moody grumbled, but then turned towards Hogwarts with a curious glance. "You think that Potter heard the dragons?"

John looked at the retired Auror and then back at the dragons. "Given the lack of silencing charms covering the forest, I am sure that Harry heard them arriving. He may even be looking out the window right now to see what the ruckus is all about. To be honest, I am surprised that Lambert is not coming here with his sword drawn." John's dry humor had Cortana giving him a deadpan look inside his helmet.

Moody snorted and then looked sternly at Charlie and his coworkers who were just able to stun the most vicious dragon they had brought with them. Turning back to John, Moody told him his thoughts. "That would mean that only Diggory does not know what is coming to him. What should we do? Tell him?"

John shrugged, telling Moody that he would talk with Harry about it. After all, champions are not forbidden to help another one in preparation for a task. John regarded the dragons and the handlers tending to them. "Might need to have a word with them about proper preparation for arriving in a new environment."

John walked up to Charlie who was keeping an eye on Hagrid as the half-giant was looking at the various breeds admiringly. Charlie called out to Hagrid in a warning tone. "Don't even try to take any eggs, Hagrid, you got lucky hatching the Ridgeback a few years ago don't push it." When Charlie noticed the Chief standing next to him old habits kicked in and he stood up straight in attention, "Chief! I hope there's no trouble letting Hagrid inspect the dragons." Charlie glanced at Maxime. "Well, aside from his date that is." Charlie chuckled.

John shook his head. "Hagrid I can expect to behave like Hagrid. But the reason I stopped by was to remind you of something you might have overlooked." When Charlie gave John a confused look, John sighed. "You do get the Daily Prophet in Romania, don't you?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, it helps to know what's going on back home, why…oh right, I forgot." Charlie facepalmed in realization of what the Chief was talking about. "Harry heard, didn't he? We forgot to set up a silencing field around the dragons." Charlie called his supervisor. "Hey Emil we might have to put those silencing wards up tonight."

A large bulking man with graying hair came up to Charlie and John. Charlie introduced John to his supervisor who has been working with dragons for over fifty years. Emil nodded to John in greeting and looked at Charlie with raised brow. "Why would we need them tonight? It's the morning I'm worried about when they wake up and are hungry."

Charlie reminded his boss about Harry Potter, who has come out as a Witcher. Charlie even pointed out where the Gryffindor tower was, and how it would be possible for Harry to see what is going on with his eyesight.

Emil grunted and shook his head. "I do hope he's not planning to kill his dragon; we did not agree to that when we agreed to use them for the tournament. But I do agree that he would have heard them arriving. Alright I'll assign some people to set up silencing and privacy charms for good measure."

John nodded his thanks and turned back to the castle to talk to Lambert; knowing the older Witcher would be awake and wanting an explanation for the "noise".

—-

When Harry woke up the next day, Callie told him that John and Cortana wished to speak with him. Having a hunch on what it would be about, he took a quick shower before getting dressed and left the dorm room. When he arrived in the Gryffindor Common room, he saw Hermione sitting in her usual spot with a book open. Reading its title, he saw that it was the book she had bought yesterday in Hogsmeade. "Is it a good read?"

Hermione closed the book and turned around with a sad smile. "Very good to be honest. I think I now have a good grasp on what the tasks could be about in this tournament. It is rather obvious that not the task itself is repeated regularly, but the themes of said tasks. According to my research, the first task will have something to do with a dangerous magical creature. While I do not worry that you will survive the task, I do worry about how hard it could become if said creature is something similar to a cockatrice."

Hermione then was surprised when Harry sat down right next to her and hugged her. He then whispered into her ear. "Hermione, I have dealt with a basilisk, there cannot be a magical creature more dangerous than that. So even if they had taken the risk and brought in something like a cockatrice, I am sure that I would find a way to finish this task as fast as I can. But if that does not calm your nerves, Yen and Geralt will also be here during the task, and if something bad happens, they will have it covered."

Hermione turned her head towards Harry, now noticing how close he was right now. Hermione was becoming beet red as she blushed, but her question came out surprisingly well. "Why do I have the feeling that you know exactly what awaits you during the first task?"

Harry smiled and then did something that surprised Hermione even more than the fact that Harry was hugging her. He planted a small kiss on her head. "I do not know exactly what is coming, just that it cannot be as bad as a basilisk. But I have a meeting with John, so how about we talk later about it?" Harry knew he could not invite Hermione to this meeting, knowing about Callie and Cortana are about as far as the UNSC would give her and his friends clearance on, within reason. He knew John would not request the meeting unless it was more than just the first task that is being discussed.

Hermione just nodded. Her thoughts were more like on how she just saw Harry so much more than just a boy, and much more than a man. His height was only one factor for this, but also his maturity and how he handled everything that was coming his way. But then she had something else on her mind. "Do you mind if we meet with Daphne and Susan later? I am sure that they also are worried about the first task, so if you can lower our worries than they are right now, it would be nice."

Harry agreed to this and then asked Hermione if she was hungry. It was time for breakfast and he wanted to eat something before he would talk with John. As they left the common room, he asked Callie if she could tell John that he would meet him after he had eaten his breakfast. She confirmed this request and contacted her sister.

Harry thanked her and climbed down the stairs towards the great hall, while asking himself why he did what he did in the common room. The only thing he was certain about was that it had felt right.

—-

Harry soon arrived at the door to John's office and knocked on it. He had not to wait long before John opened the door and let Harry in before closing it behind Harry again. .

John walked back to his desk and sat behind his desk in his chair, he indicated for Harry to take a seat in front of his desk. This told Harry this was not going to be a short meeting. Without preamble John started the meeting with the most pressing issue at hand. "I imagine you heard about our…guests last night."

Harry shrugged as if he didn't see the big deal. "The dragons? they were not excatly subtle, their arrival I mean. Although I did see someone outside the forest's edge trying to sneak in."

John nodded grimly. "Karkaroff, yes. Although how you saw him is a mystery since he was using a notice me not charm." John glanced to Cortana's pedestal on his desk for an explanation.

Cortana activated her holographic emitter but was beaten by her sister who was projecting herself next to Harry. Callie raised her hand with a sheepish smile. "That would be my fault, Chief." John and Harry gave her a questioning look to elaborate. Callie shrugged. "Okay, technically it was Cortana's fault but when Cortana tipped me off about Karkaroff the charm's effect had vanished from Harry's mind."

John frowned as he considered the implications of that unexpected discovery. He shook his head and got back to the real issue. "Be that as it may, the problem is Karkaroff knows about the dragons but not the breeds." John sighed in exasperation. "Madame Maxime, on the other hand, knows more about the dragon breeds than anyone else since Hagrid's idea of a date was to show her the dragons."

Cortana interjected on Hagrid's behalf. "You can't blame him for wanting to show off his love of dragons. Let's just be thankful he didn't take any eggs."

Harry blinked in surprise at that subtle tip in the first task. "Wait, what? Are you telling me they brought nesting mothers, complete with their clutch of eggs? Are they mental? Please tell me the objective of the task is not to retrieve something from the nest." Harry pinched his nose to stem off a headache.

Cortana, true to her sarcastic self, confirmed Harry's suspicion. "Oh no, you don't have to retrieve an egg. Why would they make you do something reckless like that? If it helps, this was the Ministry's idea not the dragon handlers."

John shrugged. "Logic and wizards do not always go hand in hand if that's one thing I've seen in the past thirteen years here. But the point is if Karkaroff and Maxime know, chances are good their respective champions know. That just leaves Mr Diggory." John gave Harry a pointed look.

Harry nodded in understanding. "I have no problem giving Cedric a heads up about the task."

Cortana shook her head and clarified what John was not saying, or could not give the full details to say. "Giving him a heads up won't be enough. You have a unique advantage because of your study into dangerous magical creatures from your studies at Kear Morhen, you know what to expect and what not to expect with dragons. So you could give Cedric more than a heads up; you can tell him how to get past the dragon to get to the egg." Cortana elaborated. "If you still had your wand for the task, how would you play it?"

Harry nodded slowly seeing what she was asking him to do. "Okay, I can do that. But why do I get the feeling this isn't just about helping Cedric."

John leaned forward with his elbows on the desk as he thought about how to drop a bombshell on Harry. Sighing in resignation he just decided to pull the pin and let the grenade go. "The Arbiter is going to be in attendance for the first task."

Harry stared at John in open mouth shock. "But he's not…he's never been in the wizarding world directly! How did he even find out anyway?"

Cortana had an innocent look on her face that drew Harry and John's attention. "What? I didn't say anything to him! All I did was report Harry being in the tournament, against his will I might add and…well, might have forwarded it to his inbox. How was I supposed to know he'd come here personally in his battle cruiser." Cortana looked apologetic to Harry. "If it makes you feel better Captain Lasky managed to calm him down and said the Arbiter could attend the first task but the Arbiter would have to remain fully hidden and out of the way of everyone. Just Imagine if Captain Lasky would not have been able to do that, I think some wizards would have shit their robes if suddenly an energy blade would be ignited in front of their faces."

Callie had to remind them of one problem they have never taken into account for. "That's all good but did anyone warn him about our resident Seer, Luna Lovegood? You know the girl who can see AIs?"

Cortana facepalmed in frustration. "Dammit I knew I forgot something!" Cortana shrugged as the situation was out of her control. "Luna knows she can't tell people what she Sees. I will advise the Arbiter when he comes onto the grounds to be wary of her. That's the best I can do to mitigate that possible mess."

John nodded in agreement, it was long discussed the security risk of Luna Lovegood but her ability to See has been a perplexing mystery even to Doctor Halsey. Clearing his throat John decided to move the discussion forward. "Aside from the Arbiter, Madam Bones's request to place Aurors on the grounds has been approved by both Fudge and Dumbledore, so you may not be so active during and after the task. With Geralt and Lambert here I doubt anyone is foolish enough to make a move on you."

Harry snorted. "We all know they won't make their move until the third task, but with Junior out of the way I would hazard a guess Voldemort has sent someone else to gather intel on me. We still have no idea who is helping him?"

John grimaced at that reminder. "No new developments on that front, I am afraid. ONI is watching all the known Death Eaters. And since the Quidditch Cup and your 'Phantom' no Death Eater is making any waves so much. Even Lucius Malfoy is laying low, lower than usual even."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I saw that Draco is keeping his distance and his mouth shut, I think he was tipped off by his father to steer clear of me." Harry thought for a moment and looked at Cortana. "I don't suppose Sisi has reported anything from the Slytherin common room?"

It was a rarely used tactics to be utilized by the AIs the girls have but Daphne's AI was in a perfect position to gather intel for them, as per her mandate to report anything that was deemed a security threat to the students and staff.

Cortana shook her head. "She's been listening but no one is actively taking the risk to talk about it in the common room. If they are, they're being very smart about it and hiding it very well."

John did not want to bring this point up but he felt concerned with this delicate subject. "The last thing I want to talk about is Ron Weasley. His behavior of late is worrying." John had to learn quickly on how to read behavior in children and young teenagers as per his job in Hogwarts. Having Cortana to do a psych profile on students was a big help but he also had to assess students as potential risks when they graduate Hogwarts. They could not afford another Tom Riddle to graduate and go out into the world without considering if they will be a danger to the public.

Harry sighed in frustration. He was hoping not to have to discuss this issue with John but he knew this was unavoidable. Glancing over to Callie for help she decided to field this one.

Callie got John's attention and smiled apologetically. "I think Ron took Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire too personally. On one hand, Ron did not want to believe Harry did not put his name into the goblet, and on the other hand, Ron felt betrayed that Harry did not tell him he is a Witcher." Callie shook her head sadly. "And I do not think, if Harry told Ron that he is a Witcher, it would have been a good idea to begin with. My reading on Ron's personality indicates he would not be able to hold back on telling people. Worse, Ron's jealousy has not improved over the years; being the youngest brother of five brothers has left him with an inferiority complex."

Cortana turned to John and pointed her finger at Callie with a triumphant look. "See! I was right, this was exactly the reason I suggested Hogwarts needs guidance counselors or even a person to talk about personal problems with family at home. Relying solely on their head of house is not going to work. McGonagall has enough on her plate with the various roles she has to fill as it is!"

John shrugged and tried to calm down his partner. "I never said you were wrong Cortana. Dumbledore did bring this up to the board of governors, they rejected his request saying it would cost too much."

Cortana crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Oh yes, their concern for the gold they can make is well known. They refuse to replace Binns after all."

Harry cleared his throat to get their attention. "What Callie said is part of the problem with Ron. The other part is I do not think Ron is taking his education as seriously as myself or Hermione. His priorities are: food, chess, and Qudditch, in that order. Everything else is not as big a concern as those three. It's a shame, really I know they have professional chess players in the muggle world but not in the wizarding world." Harry shrugged. "Ron has to realize there is more to life than just having gold in your pocket."

Callie added helpfully trying to find a solution to this problem. "If you ask me, we should write a letter to the Cannons." Callie saw that even Cortana gave her a dubious look. "I mean that in the sense that they would have to be more than Quidditch players!" Callie explained. "What are the odds that one of the Cannons is, say, an Unspeakable or works in the Ministry with the Experimental Charms office? Have you ever considered that the Cannons are the worst team because it's not their main job; it's more like a hobby for them?"

Cortana frowned in thought. "You know…she's got a point. Of all the Quidditch players I've tracked that graduate Hogwarts, not one of them end up playing for the Cannons. So, where are the Cannons picking up their players from? Not from Hogwarts, I don't think."

John thought about it for a moment and slowly nodded. "I will pass on the request to McGonagall and tell her of my concern about Ron. Next year are OWLs and if Ron wants to do more in life and play professional Qudditch he should always have a fallback plan like the non magical world has."

Harry's dry assessment of former Quidditch players reminded him of Bagman. "Given how the Ministry has Ludo Bagman as their head of Department of Games and Sports I can't say I'm impressed with players who taken one bludger too many." Harry stood up from his seat seeing that this was the last major point that John wanted to cover. "I'll go see if I can find Cedric." Harry turned to Cortana who had the Map out. "Is he in the Great Hall now?"

Cortana did not need to look away to answer that one since one of her subroutines is to keep an eye on the map. "Yes, but looks like he's about done and leaving so might want to get a move on to catch him."

Harry thanked Cortana and asked Callie to update the position from Cedric until Harry would have met him.

—-

To Harry's surprise, he soon found himself by the obstacle courses while Cedric ran one of the more advanced ones. Harry had to admit that the older boy was very good as Cedric jumped over a small trench before climbing up a rope.

As Cedric finished another round, he finally noticed that he had a spectator watching him. Turning towards Harry, he grinned and walked over to the Witcher while using his wand to clean himself up a bit. "Good morning Harry. Can I help you with something? If you have a question about those courses, I am sure that you know more than me." Cedric chuckled; it was well known that Harry spent a lot of time running the Chief's physical education courses.

Harry shook his head and looked seriously at Cedric. "I do not need something from you, rather I have something for you. To be precise, I know what we have to do during our first task."

Cedric raised an eyebrow before looking around and casting a privacy charm around them after he had made sure that no one was close by to listen to them. "What do you mean, you know what we have to do during our first task? That should be a secret."

Harry shrugged and had a small grin. "I cannot help it if the dragon handlers had forgotten to put up a silencing charm last night when they arrived with their charges. I was also informed that Karkaroff and Madam Maxime both had found out too, one way or another-"

Harry was interrupted by Cedric holding up his hand. Cedric had a strained smile when he asked. "Did Hagrid bring Madam Maxime to see the dragons because he thought that it would be a good date?" Apparently Hagrid's love of dragons was the worst kept secret of Hogwarts.

Harry laughed and held his thumb up. "Correct in one. Regardless, that means that the only one who would not have known what was coming was you. I felt it only honorable to inform you and maybe give you some advice on how I would tackle this task." Harry saw Cedric's skepticism but Harry added to clarify. "If I was still able to use my wand that is."

Cedric crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head. "I'm listening, as you are a Witcher you surely have some good tips for me."

Harry then explained his strategy. "To start with, you should mask your scent and use some transfiguration to change something on the ground to a pack of wolves to distract the dragon. Then you apply a disillusionment and you just have to sneak up on it." When Harry had finished the explanation, he saw that Cedric was as pale as fresh fallen snow. Harry tried to reassure Cedric that all he needs to do is make sure he has the necessary spells to perfection.

Cedric shook his head to expel the shock. "Nesting mothers, Merlin, the organizers of this tournament are either overestimating the champions or think we have already encountered something similar. Now Harry, I know that you will give your wand to Madam Metz, so how will you solve this situation?"

Harry grinned before turning around to walk back to the castle. "I will keep that a surprise Cedric. But I give you a hint, if it works you all will be surprised at how easy the first task will be for me."

—-

Later in the library, Hermione was sitting on a comfy chair in the back of the library where Madam Pince had shown her and her friends where they could study in absolute privacy. She soon was joined by Susan and Daphne, both of them opening a book of their own.

Harry soon found them all engrossed in their respective books, Hermione writing notes as diligent as she always did. He smiled at them before sitting down on the opposite side of the table between them. As soon as he sat down, he saw how Hermione slammed her book shut and looked up at him with an expectant look. "Are you now telling us what the meeting with the Chief was about?"

Harry nodded and looked at the other two girls now looking at him expectantly. Harry chuckled, "Well, as I have your undivided attention right now, I will explain what I had found out last night. Namely what I will encounter in the first task."

Daphne raised a brow in confusion. "And you needed to meet with the Chief, why? You already know, what could he have to add?"

Harry sighed in frustration. "That Karkaroff and Madame Maxime also know what will be coming for the first task; leaving Cedric the only one in the dark."

Susan frowned, her concern for her fellow Huffpuff evident. "And are you keeping him in the dark?"

Harry's reassuring smile calmed Susan down. "No, of course not. I just met with Cedric outside to tell him what is coming. I even offered my advice on how to get to his objective."

Hermione huffed in frustration. "Harry, you are not telling us what you will be facing in the first task!"

Harry placed a calming hand on her arm to get her to relax. His voice is soft and reassuring. "No, I will not reveal what I will be facing because it will worry you needlessly. The only people who have more right to worry are the other champions. This task will be rather simple. Trust me, even Geralt would agree that this would be a very simple task for me."