I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. Back with a new chapter. This chapter was delayed slightly, due to a swollen eyes, making it difficult to see what I was writing and new stories getting in the way. But chapter 4 is now here and I think is the longest one I've done.
Anyway, before you read on, I want to address something to you. On my profile, (hopefully) you can find a new poll. You see, as well as fanfiction, I do a lot of art and I was thinking about making an Instagram so I can post my own artworks centred around the stories I've been creating. If this is something, or not something, you want to see, then go onto the poll and make your vote.
That is all for now, read on and I'll see you at the end.
Chapter 4
Awkward Moments And A Frustrating Tournament
It was the next morning. The sun was shining over the castle. And Harry still felt sick to his stomach. Everything that he saw the previous night was still running through his head. Harry felt like his entire world was spinning. He was, at least, glad that he didn't need to fight the dragon. But even still, Harry didn't know any spells that could be useful against a dragon. He didn't know much them. Running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more then it already was, as he searched for the one of the few people he trusted to help him. Turning round the corner, he saw who he was looking for. However, he wasn't alone. He was with a girl, also in Slytherin. Harry couldn't see her properly, but she had a resemblance to Daphne, except she was much shorter, barely reaching James' shoulders and her hair was jet black instead of the silver blonde hair that Daphne had. The two were the alone in the corridor and Harry kept his distance for the time being, though he could hear what they were saying.
"Why do you deny it?" The girl asked, as she stood a bit closer to James
"I'm not denying anything Astoria" James replied "I just don't feel anything"
"I can tell that you are lying" Astoria said softly, placing a gentle hand on his chest, where James' heart was "I know you feel the same as I do"
"Astoria…I…" James stuttered, unable to find the right words
Harry watched, as the two looked at one another, before they started to slowly lean closer to one another. Harry's eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen and decided to slowly back away and leave. However, he must have made some noise, as James and Astoria turned in his direction, their faces inches apart.
"Oh…hey Harry" James said, looking uncharacteristically flustered
Astoria blushed a bright red and quickly mumbled a goodbye, before rushing off, her face getting redder by the second. James watched her leave, before clearing his throat and approached Harry, looking his usual self once again, save for the slight pinkish tinge in his cheeks.
"Who…was that?" Harry asked
"Astoria, she's Daphne's twin sister" James said, pulling on his collar slightly "Anyway, enough about that, I'm guessing you need me?"
"Umm…yeah" Harry nodded, sensing that James wanted to move on "What do you know about dragons?"
"Quite a lot" James replied "There's a lot of books about them, though why are you…wait a minute…hang on…dragons are part of the First Task?"
"Yes" Harry nodded
"Dear Merlin, are they crazy!" James exclaimed, running a hand through his hair, as he paced back and forth "The Tournament is already deadly enough…and they expect teenagers to fight a bloody dragon?!"
"We don't need to fight them" Harry spoke up "We just need to steal something from them…I believe Hagrid called them 'nesting mothers'"
In an instant, James had grabbed Harry by the shoulders, his nails almost piercing through the fabric of his robes and digging into the skin. It made Harry hiss slightly, from the small amount of pain he felt, as he could feel one of James' fingers pressing against one of his scars, given to him by his uncle. However, he quietened down, seeing the look in James' eyes. Shock, fear, and even a small amount of insanity was looking back at him.
"Nesting Mothers?" James repeated "Are you sure?"
"Yes" Harry nodded "We have to steal a golden egg from their nest"
"ARE THEY FUCKING CRAZY!" James yelled, pushing away from Harry and grabbing his hair with both hands "Harry, a normal dragon is bad enough…but you never want to cross paths with a dragon that's a nesting mother…nesting mothers are extremely temperamental, deadly and extremely protective of their nest and unborn children…they'll torch an innocent sheep if it got to close to their nest…and they want you, a 14 year old teenager, to steal a fake egg from their nest which, if I had to guess, is hidden amongst real eggs…this isn't good…not good at all"
"That's why I need your help" Harry said "I don't know any spells that could be effective against a dragon…let alone how I'm going to be able to get to their nest"
"Something tells me they'll have a protective charm around the egg, stopping you from simply using a summoning charm on the golden egg" James sighed, rubbing a hand over his frustrated face "Things would be so much easier if you could…I need some time to think about this…I also need to talk to Daphne about this…you have nothing after lunch do you?"
"No I don't, free period" Harry nodded
"Good, meet me and Daphne at the back of the library…I'm serious Harry, nesting mothers are dangerous" James said, as he began walking off "Whoever is running this tournament are fucking idiots"
…
Across the country, a small, vile creature opened its eyes. It hated the fact that it was trapped in this small, frail, pathetic body. He felt weak and he hated feeling weak. He needed a new body. And soon. Thankfully, his spy was able to get Harry into the Tournament. Hopefully, they'll do their job properly and make sure Harry is the one to win the Third and Final task. The plan relied on that happening. Twice now, his plans of getting a new body have failed. But this time…this time he will succeed.
And the Wizarding World will witness the death of the Boy-Who-Lived.
…
Harry felt a chill run down his spine, as he sat at the Gryffindor Table, eating his lunch. He wasn't sure where it came from and why. The Great Hall was quite warm from the floating candles and all the food on the tables.
"You okay Harry?" Neville asked, who noticed him shiver
"Yeah, I just got a random chill" Harry nodded
Neville and Ginny looked to one another, before shrugging. Harry took a moment to look to the Slytherin Table, where he saw James and Daphne talking. They were talking in hushed tones, whispering to one another, however from the looks on their faces Harry could tell James had told her about the dragons…and Daphne seemed even more furious then James was…as well as looking quite disgusted about the whole thing. Thinking about the dragons, brought a thought that Harry hadn't considered before. Hagrid had shown Harry the dragons, probably to help him a bit. Madam Maxime was also there, meaning she'd probably tell Fleur. No doubt Karkaroff would somehow cheat to find out about the dragons too. That leaves Cedric completely in the dark about the whole thing. This left the question, should Harry tell Cedric about the dragons? Harry felt like it was only fair if he did. Cedric was one of the few who did wear a badge, or say anything about Harry behind his back.
Besides, Cedric was the true Hogwarts Champion. Harry was merely dragged into something, out of his control, with the possibility of someone trying to kill him. Harry wasn't even supposed to be here. Harry decided to inform Cedric about the dragons the first chance he got and hopefully soon, as the First Task was only a couple of weeks away. Looking up from his plate, with lunch ending very shortly, Harry caught a glance of James and Daphne leaving the Great Hall. Finishing off what was left of his lunch, Harry got out of his seat.
"I'm going to the library" He said to Neville and Ginny "Try to find something that could help me with the First Task"
"Oh, okay Harry" Ginny said, giving him a small smile "We'll see you later"
Harry nodded to the two of them, before heading out of the Great Hall, ignoring the whispers that he could hear behind his back. Shaking his head, as he felt his temper rise from the few harsh words he was able to hear, Harry continued on his way towards the library, where James had told him to meet himself and Daphne. Sure enough, at the very back of the library, just outside the restricted section, the two of them were waiting, whispering to one another. It was a more quiet area of the library, where not many students went to, so thankfully it would allow them some more privacy. However, to Harry's surprise, Fleur Delacour appeared from one of the aisles. She looked surprised to see him, however that surprise turned to a look of impassive coldness, before walking out of the library, in an elegant grace. Harry watched her for a moment, before shrugging and walking towards James and Daphne who noticed his approach.
"Hey guys" He said "Did you know that Fleur was here?"
"Yes, we saw her when we arrived, she was too busy looking through a book to notice us" James replied, leaning back in his seat "And, judging by the book she was reading, she knows about the dragons too"
"Well Madam Maxime was with Hagrid, it would make sense" Harry replied "Only Cedric and Krum seem to be the only ones who don't know"
"Oh, I'm sure Krum already knows" Daphne spoke up "Karkaroff may sometimes be seen as a turncoat, or a coward, but he is also a slippery bastard…he's like a snake and always finds a way to get information, how, I cannot say…so it's possible he knows and has already informed Krum"
"If you ask me, he found out days ago, to give Krum a bigger advantage" James tutted, folding his arms
"So that only leaves Cedric" Harry muttered "So, do either of you have any ideas as to how I can complete the First Task?"
"Nothing solid" Daphne replied "Thankfully, you don't have to fight the dragon…there aren't a lot of spells that are effective against them and those spells are two advanced for people our age…however, you are still pretty defenceless, as you aren't that protected against fire, especially fire from a dragon…which is why we discussed the possibility of fire protection wards…though, there is a small hitch"
"What's that then?" Harry asked
"Fire protection wards aren't as easy to preform like a simple levitation charm" Daphne explained "They need to be…drawn on, let's say…the wards are runes, that need to be drawn on your body with a specific ink…with these runes on your body, it will protect yourself and any clothes you're wearing from any kind of fire"
"That doesn't really seem helpful" Harry replied "I doubt a dragon will stop attacking me, so I can draw some runes on myself"
"Even if it did, it wouldn't work" James spoke up "For the wards to work, the runes need to be drawn at least 24 hours in advance, so the runes can connect with ones magic properly…meaning this would need to be done a day or two before the First Task, but even then, the necessary ingredients for the ink aren't common, thankfully Daphne's mother is gifted in alchemy, but it will take some time for the ingredients to arrive and it's quite a lengthy process to apply the runes to an individual's body"
"Well, if it will give me an extra layer of protection, then I say we do it" Harry said, thinking about it for a moment "But, what do I do about the dragon…surely there's something I can do to slow it down a bit"
"There is one idea, I have" James replied, a small sigh escaping his lips "Though, I need to see if it would be possible to teach you first"
"What spell is it?" Harry asked "And why wouldn't you be able to teach me?"
"Its known as a sensory disruption spell" James replied "More specifically an individuals hearing…it may sound like a normal ringing sound to you, but to the target, it causes a ringing so loud it makes them disorientated, and causes a small amount of pain, such a spell should give you a few seconds of time to get to the egg…however, I need to double check through my books, to see if it's a piece of family magic"
"Family magic?" Harry repeated "You've mentioned that before, what's that?"
"The books I've given you" Daphne said "How much have you read?"
"Not much" Harry replied "There's a lot of information…I've probably read a quarter of the book"
"I'll take over from here Daphne" James said "Family magic isn't something taught in Hogwarts…and for good reason…because it cannot be taught to just anyone…as the name suggests, Family magic is a branch of magic that can only be taught to members of a family, whether they were born into the family or married into it and should you be divorced or disowned from the family, all Family Magic is stripped away from you"
"So, you have Family Magic?" Harry guessed
"I do" James replied, removing shrunken black book from his robes, before returning it to its normal size "This is the Badger Family Grimoire…a book that documents everything about the Badger Family...their entire history, members of the family that accomplished great things and even Family Magic"
"Am I allowed to read it?" Harry asked
"No!" Daphne spoke up quickly "If you aren't a part of the Badger family, then you wouldn't be allowed to…most families have one, I'm sure the Potters have one somewhere…a Grimoire contains defences that stop non family members from reading it…you are allowed to hold it and pick it up, but as soon as you open the pages, then the defences set by the families ancestors kick in"
"I've seen the defences for myself" James nodded "And the results were…gruesome to say the least…some people had both their arms mauled to the point they couldn't be fixes, whilst others had their blood boiled, causing them to die slowly and painfully"
"So…" Harry gulped, looking at the book, a little bit afraid "This spell…it's possible it may be Family Magic?"
"Yes" James replied "In this book, there are many spells created by the family…some are classed as Family Magic and can't be taught…others aren't…this Sensory Disruption spell is labelled in here, however I need to go through the pages to see if its Family Magic, or just a spell one of my families members created at some point, for one reason or another…if it's Family Magic, then we'll need to think of a plan B"
"Well, I did have something in mind, but it wouldn't work" Harry said "I'm a natural flier, so I thought about taking my broom with me, so I could fly rings around the dragon until I could grab the egg, but as it states in the rules, I can only take my wand with me"
"Not necessarily" Daphne spoke up "Do you know the summoning charm Harry?"
"Yeah, but not that well" Harry replied
"Well, if you practice the spell, then after entering the arena with the dragon, you can then summon your broom from the castle" Daphne explained "That way, if the Sensory Disruption spell doesn't work, or James is unable to teach you, then you at leas have a solid plan B"
"That is a good idea" James nodded, adding his own two cents "However, for that to work properly, then Harry will need to learn to summon an object from great distances, but that does seem like I good plan"
"Is there a place where I can practice?" Harry asked
"Give us some time, I'm sure we'll find somewhere private" Daphne replied, before standing up, brushing off her skirt "Now, if you don't mind, Charms is next and I want to spend the remainder of our free period going over the assignment due in, to make any minor corrections it may need"
"Okay Daphne, I guess we should all get going come to think of it" James said, standing up as Daphne began leaving, stopping for a moment to speak to Harry for a moment "Give me a day or two to go through everything…start practicing the summoning charm in the meantime…I'll send you a letter to meet me and Daphne, when everything has been sorted out"
Harry nodded and watched as James and Daphne left. He stayed where he was for a moment, before leaving himself and heading to the Gryffindor Common Room. He still had some time left of his free period and he wanted to write a letter to Sirius. He hadn't written to his godfather for a short while and no doubt the man was slightly worried. As he entered the Gryffindor Common Room, he caught sight of Ron and Hermione sat on one of the sofa's whispering to one another. Neither noticed he was there yet. Harry felt his temper rise at the sight. The more he thought about everything, the more angrier he felt towards them. As much as he appreciates James and Daphne helping him in this tournament, they shouldn't be the ones to do that. Ron and Hermione were the ones who should be doing everything they can to make sure he makes it out alive.
Harry, Ron and Hermione have been through quite a lot together, over the past three years, they know quite a bit about him, though not everything, yet the two turn their backs on him when he is forcefully placed in the tournament. Then there is James and Daphne. Two Slytherins and people who know little to nothing about Harry and yet, the two are helping him with the tournament and, they are teaching him so much more about the Wizarding World and even helping him learn more about his own family. James and Daphne had no reason to help him, or trust him, but yet they were. In mere days, the two have proven to be better friends then Ron and Hermione have been in three years. Shaking his head, not wanting to look at the two anymore, Harry made his way up to the boys dorm rooms.
He had a letter to write.
…
And done. What did you guys think?
No doubt, you lot noticed the small moment Harry walked in on between James and Astoria Greengrass. As you have seen, one of the pairings for this story is OC/Astoria Greengrass, however, I am doing something different in regards to their relationship. Instead of doing the typical, two characters start to develop feelings for each there, I am having the two characters already have feelings for each other, but are hesitant to do anything about it. I went through a similar situation at one point, so I decided to include such a thing in one of my stories. Before you say it, I know that in canon she is about two years younger then Daphne. This is why I chose to make Astoria Daphne's twin sister, making her the same age.
Anyway, that is all for now. If you have a story request, feel free to let me know. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.
Badger Out