A/N: Well, firstly I want to apologize for the long time until this chapter was posted. I know that you all have waited anxiously, some even fearing that I had abonened this story.

The main Problem was that this chapter was truly an original without any kind of hint in canon what happened in this timeframe right after the first task with the other champions, so me and HowInMadeHowie made the most stuff up as we got along in this chapter. That also meant many revisions on different points of this chapter so it would hold up, which took a long time. For example, my version of the article later in this chapter was very weak, and thanks to HowinMadeHowie it was corrected in the version you see now here.

On another note, we both were trying to include Clark and Lois in a believable way, so it would suit the story without creating plot holes along the way.

Now, I hope you all have fun reading this chapter and please leave a review.

Oh yea, first chapter over 12'000 words long...wow

Dumbledore was talking with Madam Maxime and Keira about how their students performed in the task when Cortana told him that Harry needed him where the dragons were kept. Dumbledore was also told why Harry had requested Dumbledore's presence.

Dumbledore looked at Cortana's in his glasses. 'I do hope I did not mishear you dear. Would the Chinese Fireball truly agree to stay on Hogwarts grounds in exchange for a new clutch?'

Cortana shrugged, confirming the report she had received from Callie. "According to Callie, it's highly probable that the Fireball will listen to us and our suggestion, if everything will be to her satisfaction. By the way, the handler is close to you." Dumbledore thanked Cortana for this information, but to keep up appearances, he had to wait until he was summoned by one of the handlers. He had not to wait long before a young wizard came up from behind them and called out to him.

Turning towards the younger wizard, Dumbledore told the two women that they could continue this talk later if they wished and followed the handler towards the temporary paddock for the dragons.

On their way, Dumbledore noticed that Hagrid was also in company of one of the handlers. They had obviously the same destination. "Would you like to tell me why you see it necessary for me and my Care of Magical Creatures Professor to be needed there?"

The handler turned his head to look at Dumbledore when he began to explain. "Because the Fireball's nest was destroyed, she was really angry with us. Charlie then had the brilliant idea to ask Mr. Potter based on today's task to be our translator as he is a parselmouth. He was able to calm the dragon down enough to talk with her, but he suddenly switched over to English after a short conversation with Mr. Rivia, who is also present. It seems that while we do not understand the dragons, they understand us well enough. Mr. Potter then asked us to get you and Professor Hagrid, as it seems that the Fireball has some demands that need you both." The handler shrugged helplessly, realizing this situation was way over his head now.

Dumbledore nodded, hoping that Hagrid had a good idea where they could place the mother dragon until her clutch would hatch.

—-

Yen was talking with Hermione, Daphne and Susan by the entrance to the castle when they saw Dumbledore walking past them with one of the dragon handlers. Hermione was worried that something bad had happened and wanted to follow them, but Yen held her back by the shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. "Do not worry Hermione, I am sure that Harry and Geralt are both safe, since there is no big fire from an angry dragon they were called to calm down. But I wonder what she wants from Dumbledore for them to call the Professor. I will ask Geralt later." When Hermione wanted to press the issue Yen shook her head. elaborating. "As a Witcher, it is often called upon them to act as a mediator in such situations. Magical creatures and some monsters know a Witcher lives and dies by their word, their honor. Just be patient."

While they waited, they heard someone walking towards the castle entrance. While the teenagers leaned over to look past Yen towards the newcomers, the sorceress turned around to see a young, tan skinned witch and a tall, bespectacled wizard. The young witch was taking notes on her notepad with a ballpoint pen, the young wizard took some pictures with his camera that looked surprisingly modern to Hermione.

The witch soon saw the small group by the entrance and turned towards them with the smile still on her face. "Good day to you, my name is Lois Lane, guest reporter for the Daily Prophet. This is my colleague, Clark Kent. We would like to ask you some questions, if you have the time for it."

Susan and Daphne raised their eyebrows, while Hermione looked over the grounds if she could see Harry walking up to them. Yen nodded and told the reporters to ask their questions.

Lois smiled and lifted the notepad from her side again to write on it before she asked her questions. To the surprise of the three teen witches Lois had pulled out a ballpen to write on her notepad instead of a quill. Looking back at Yen, she began her questioning. "Thank you very much Madam. Just tell me when you become uncomfortable with my questions. Now, I understand that you all saw the first task. What do you think about the champions' performance? And since Mr. Potter is, for the lack of a better word, just' a fourth year student in Hogwarts, I would like to know what his friends think about his performance especially, and if possible, I would also like to ask what kind of person he is. Of course, if you do not want to answer these questions, you can just say 'no comment' and I will let it go. And if you want to speak with your parents first if you would be able to talk with the press, we can postpone said questions for a later date."

The girls nodded and Daphne told Lois that that would be preferable if Lois wanted to talk with them alone. Yen smiled at the grown-up behavior from the Greengrass heiress and hoped that Lois would agree to that. To everyone's relief, Lois Lane nodded and then turned to Yen to ask her questions.

—-

Harry heard the handlers coming back with Dumbledore and Hagrid and told the Fireball that she would only have to wait a bit longer. The dragon just nodded and looked towards Dumbledore, wondering if he would agree if she could rebuild her nest. Geralt was standing to the side of them, having crossed his arms over his chest and waiting for the matter to be finished.

Soon after, Dumbledore stood next to Harry and Hagrid, with Harry translating what the dragon was saying to Dumbledore's and Hagrid's questions.

Dumbledore's first question was if the Fireball would offer her name so they could talk more civilly without addressing her just by her breed. She lowered her head and snarled. "My name, given by my own mother, is Huolong. If you ever misuse my name, I will burn you to a crisp."

Harry translated it word for word, so everyone would understand what was at stake right now. Dumbledore just nodded and then continued, not showing outward fear but looking at the dragon with respect. "As I understand right now, Huolong, you want to stay at Hogwarts to protect your new nest. I can understand that and am not opposed to it, however the question is where to place you. Also, when your new nest is ready for the world, do we return you to the preserve or keep you here at Hogwarts? We can not keep you too close to the castle after all. That would be too much of a distraction for the students."

Hagrid had an idea as he turned towards Dumbledore. "How about behind my hut? I could build her a paddock behind my hut to keep an eye on the nest while Huolong is away hunting for food."

Huolong turned her head to the half-giant now in front of her. "And where would this be? If the position of this paddock is safe enough from being discovered from the air, I would be satisfied with this proposition."

Dumbledore conjured a map of the grounds around them and pointed to a spot where he and Hagrid suggested for Huolong to build her nest. "Here would be perfect for everyone. While I can ward the paddock itself to protect it while you are out hunting, Hagrid could keep an eye on the eggs and see if everything would be all right with them during your absence. And while you are present, you would be able to relax because of the wards I mentioned before. Would this be satisfactory?"

Huolong looked at the map and turned towards Harry. "I would like to see the spot, not on a small piece of parchment. Also when this paddock be built. And a question for you, Witcher, when would the golden dragon be here?"

Callie snickered in Harry's head because the female dragon was eager to get laid, but she kept this at herself. Scanning their surroundings to make sure that no one allowed to be here would be listening in.

After Harry had translated everything relevant to Dumbledore and Hagrid, they talked with the handlers so they would release Huolong from her chains, so they could move towards the spot Dumbledore had suggested. The handlers were hesitant to do this, but Dumbledore and Harry both told them that Huolong requested to see the place where her new paddock would be built, and as such she would need to be able to move freely. Turning towards Harry, Dumbledore told him to join them since he was still needed to translate in case Huolong would not be pleased.

While Harry followed Dumbledore and Hagrid with the dragon handlers, Geralt stepped up beside him and had a smile on his face. This made Harry curious what his mentor had talked about with the handlers. Geralt explained to Harry that he made a small deal with the dragon handlers. "You see, they had asked me about the runestone you had traded with the Horntail. I then told them that we had developed a runic array that fed off magic to heat the stones they were placed upon. As these runes are not as easily copied like other forms of writing, they offered to pay us for the array itself so they could use it to make more runestones for the other dragons in the reserve. Yen will surely be happy to hear about the deal that I was able to strike. Anyway, I should return to my wife, since this matter with Huolong seems to be resolved now. So If you would not mind, I will take my leave now. Until next time Harry." Geralt clapped Harry's shoulder letting his young charge know he did a good job

Harry thanked Geralt and watched him walk out the forest in the direction of the castle when Harry heard Huolong calling him to them to translate that she was satisfied with the spot and would now eagerly await Borch's arrival. Unbeknown to Harry, he was now thinking the same thing as Callie had before, causing his partner to laugh out loud in his mind.

Harry quickly jogged over to where Dumbledore and Hagrid was standing, since they were watching Huolong. The next thing caught him a bit by surprise, since Huolong asked him how Hagrid would handle her hatchlings. Harry relayed the question to Hagrid as Harry looked at Hagrid with a raised eyebrow.

Hagrid listened intently and then looked up to Huolong. He then talked to her with a smile, hidden by his beard. "Not to worry, I have some experience looking after a dragon egg. I even got it to hatch safely in my hut, but Norbert, I called this dragon, was taken soon after by Mr. Borch. But I had read many books that explained how to raise a dragon, but when I think about it now, there was not a mention of a Chinese Fireball. Maybe we can discuss the matter when it is time for it. But when you are away, the wards will warn you and me if someone enters your paddock and I will protect your children with my life until you return. Count on it!"

Huolong looked intently at Hagrid, but soon let out a short snort as if she was laughing. Huolong growled as she looked at Hagrid. "This one has a pure heart under his rough skin. Then I will trust you, half-giant."

Harry was just a bit surprised at her revelation, but when Hagrid looked shocked at him after Harry had translated her response, Harry just shrugged. "To be honest Hagrid, I had my suspicions since we first met, but you are a kind person, and we do not judge someone because of their heritage. But it may be better to keep this between us, just to be safe."

Hagrid smiled again at Harry. "You are a really good friend Harry. Somehow I feel relieved that you know it now. Well, I should begin building, so off you go. If I need you again to translate, I will call you."

Dumbledore who stood quietly watching the exchange looked at Harry with a proud smile. He turned to the dragon handler who accompanied them and nodded. "It seems Huolong will be staying. I will keep you posted on her new clutch when it happens. After that, we will wait and see." Dumbledore turned back to Huolong. "Once Hagrid informs me the paddock is built I shall return and set up the wards. I will also be warning students and staff, and our guests to remember Hogwarts motto."

—-

Back at the castle entrance to the castle, Daphne and Susan were both laughing when Yen told Lois about the time when Harry had tried to swing a wooden sword three times his size when he was just 5 years old, while Hermione tried to hide her laughter. Lois was writing as fast as she could, while Clark was taking some pictures of the castle and the grounds around them. They soon were interrupted when Geralt walked up to them and asked Yen if she was ready to go back to Kear Morhen.

Hermione was very eager to ask Geralt when Harry would be coming back, to which Geralt told the group that Harry should soon be with them again.. He then explained what had happened with Harry and the Fireball. Geralt noticed the female reporter quickly writing down this new story and glared at her.

Lois saw Geralt glaring at her and took a big gulp before showing the older Witcher what she had written. When she noticed his questioning look, Lois explained her action after she had introduced herself and Clark to Geralt. "We were told by our boss that we should watch what we write, so I thought that you may want to see what I have written down before you try to defend your honor. We, Clark and I, both know Skeeter's reputation and assure you, that we do not print something that was not said or seen by someone else before. But since you are here, would you have the time to answer some questions on your own, Mr. Rivia, sir." Lois's tone was polite and respectful, she knew that trying to antagonize this man would not gain her any favors.

Geralt skimmed through the notes and nodded approvingly, handing the notepad back to Lois. "Well, at least some people know how to handle a Witcher. But I have to apologize, I do not have the time right now for an Interview. You can ask Harry after he returns from his small assignment, I am sure that he could answer your questions as long as they are about the first task and/or the Fireball. If you want to write about him, please ask him first and then send us a draft to check if we would agree with it. Is this acceptable?" Geralt's tone told Lois these were non-negotiable terms, with an underlying tone message of "Don't push it!"

Lois nodded happily when she turned her notepad back around so she could write some more in it. Meanwhile, Yen saw that Hermione and Daphne had a worried look again and leaned closer to them, speaking quietly. "Do not worry, it is the first time for Harry to be a mediator between a dragon and its handlers. But I assure you, he will come back safely. How about you show the reporters Hogwarts while you wait for Harry? He will find you later."

Just as Yen had said that, they heard Harry coming up towards the castle together with Dumbledore. Both were smiling while Geralt looked past them towards the forest. He then turned back towards Dumbledore. "So I guess that your newest guest was satisfied with the new residence, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded as he answered. "Very well so. All we need to do now is wait for Hagrid to build the paddock, so that I can apply the wards afterwards to keep the poachers out. Surely they will appear as soon as they know that a dragon now lives in Hogwarts." He looked at Lois with a raised eyebrow.

Lois smiled innocently as she looked at her notes. "Well, we can not keep it a secret for long, as I am sure that you will warn the students from entering the paddock because of the dragon." Lois paused as she thought over the problem, with a thoughtful look she added, "And they would surely write to their parents about this, causing a ripple effect. So my suggestion is that we write about the dragon, but do not say which one it is when we inform the readers."

Daphne hummed thoughtfully, causing the others to look at her. She noticed it and told them what she was thinking about. "Sorry, I just thought about how much Professor Hagrid would like to show the eggs and the hatchlings to one of his NEWT classes, but I am sure that the hatchlings would try to burn his hut down without their mother. Not that I'm suggesting he keep the hatchings in his hut when their mother is away, of course."

Dumbledore stroked his beard, turning around to look at Hagrid's hut. "Perhaps I should add some wards on his but too when I am down there for the paddock then, just in case."

While the adults, minus the reporters, said their respective goodbyes to Harry and his friends; the young Witcher had to look over to Lois as she had asked him a question. "Hello Mr. Potter, I am Lois Lane, guest correspondent from the Daily Prophet, and this is my partner, Clark Kent. Would you mind if we conduct an Interview with you?" Lois smiled politely and gave him a hopeful look.

Harry looked at Daphne and saw her nod, confirming that they already had talked with her and that she was indeed a respectful reporter. "I do not mind giving you an Interview, Ms. Lane. But would it be possible to add the other champions too?" While Harry hated being in the center spotlight he thought he could use this opportunity to share the attention and dispel the image that he was an attention-seeker.

Lois smiled, answering to this question that this was their plan all along, but they would need to find the other champions first. Harry nodded and walked in front of the small group towards the Great Hall, hoping that at least Cedric would sit in there and eat some snacks.

—-

Harry was still carrying the golden egg when he led the reporters and his friends into the Great Hall and looked for a free space on one of the tables. They soon found a spot and sat down, with Harry placing the egg under the table.

Lois smiled pleasantly and took her notepad back out. "Thank you for agreeing to this interview Mr. Potter. You may want to know that I normally write for the American Daily Herald, but my boss told me about this tournament and I wanted to cover it. Now we replace Rita Skeeter because Mr. Cuffe thought that we would be a better fit. I would like to ask you to tell me immediately if my questions become uncomfortable for you. Hey Clark, could you look for the other champions? If possible, I want to wrap this up as soon as possible."

Clark just nodded and walked around in the Great Hall and asked the other students if they had seen the other champions.

While Clark was doing that, Lois turned back to Harry and his friends and asked her questions. "Perhaps it was my imagination but you seemed, walking into the arena, confident in your goal to talk to the Horntail. Did you know what the task was going to be before today?"

Harry hesitates but since he did not cheat per se he saw no reason to lie. "Not on purpose. When the dragons arrived in the forest their arrival was not...subtle. Pretty sure anyone with enhanced hearing would be hard pressed to ignore the sound of four roaring dragons." Harry said dryly, shrugging nonchalantly. "Knowing that dragons can speak and understand parseltongue is a little known secret. So knowing this, I just acted accordingly; as often explained to me by Geralt. 'Do not go rushing into combat without knowing what the facts are. Not every monster is going to act aggressive on sight. Some monsters you can even talk down to find out why they were acting out'. So I tried, as many Witchers have before me, diplomacy first."

Lois nodded, quickly wrote down his response, making a notation on her notepad that Harry is quoting Geralt. "Okay, next question, what do you think about the other champions? Do you see them as someone you have to watch out for?"

Harry had to think about that for a short time before he answered. "Not really no, they all have their strengths and weaknesses of course, and I think that they have many things where they are better than me. I mean, they have almost two or three more years of magical knowledge than myself. But at the same time I am not competing as a wizard, am I? You will have to ask them that one, I'm afraid."

Lois leaned in a bit closer to Harry, her eyes gleaming. "That is some high praise for your opponents. But I think it is better to overestimate an opponent than underestimating them. Now for your lovely friends here, what would you say is the most noble characteristic of Mr. Potter here?" Lois looked between three girls to gauge their reaction.

The three girls began to blush, but before they could answer they were saved by Cedric sitting down next to Harry. His smile was also bright when he addressed the young Witcher. To everyone's surprise, Cedric answered Lois's question. "Well I am sure that they would tell you that Harry is a very noble Witcher. It was after all his suggestion that made me think of a plan against my dragon. Speaking of Harry," Cedric turned to look at the taller boy with a raised eyebrow. "I have to wonder why you are still in your armor."

Harry laughed when he patted himself down, making some metallic noises. "Ah, I did not have the time yet to return to my common room, and to be honest I think that when I would arrive there, I would not return back here. You know how Gryffindors can get when it comes to parties after such an event like today."

Lois wrote everything down before she asked her next question. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory just mentioned that you told him that you would face dragons during the first task. Did you also tell the other champions about it?"

Harry shook his head in the negative. "I was not able to talk with Fleur or Krum before the first task about it, since their respective heads kept them on their own grounds, so to speak." Harry decided to keep it to himself when he was informed that both Maxime and Karkaroff were in the forest before the first task to see the dragons for themselves. It did not help that revealing this would also put Hagrid on the hot seat, so the less said the better.

After Lois had written down his answer, she turned toward to look at Cedric. "Mr. Diggory, I was wondering when Mr. Potter told you about the dragons, did he also tell you how to deal with them?"

It was now Cedric's turn to shake his head. "Not exactly, as I said earlier he made suggestions based on what he knew to be possible but the spells I used are NEWT standard and Harry merely suggested the idea, which was better than my first thought." Cedric smiled sheepishly when everyone looked at him expectantly. Cedric scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. "I thought I could just..summon my broom from my dorm and outfly the dragon."

Harry snorted a laugh and shook his head. "Sorry! But last I checked I own the only Firebolt in Hogwarts not you."

Soon, Fleur and Viktor both joined the group around the reporter while Clark was once again taking some pictures from behind Lois. Harry glanced at the photographer and somehow felt something strange about him. Harry took note of his camera, which was a very modern one, compared to what he knew Colin Creevy' used. Harry asked Callie if she would be able to investigate the obvious technological difference between America and Britain.

Callie acknowledged the assignment and scanned the camera with Harry's watch's sensors. Compiling all information, she found out that the camera was the newest model that humans could come up with in this world. But it also struck her as odd that a wizard was using a seemingly non magical device, since she could not find any signs of runes or something similar like on Colin's camera on this one. So she decided to ask Cortana about it, as her sister was on this world far longer than Callie was.

Cortana received the report and was reading it through, in the space where the AI got together, so she and Callie could talk directly with each other. Callie walked closer to her sister in their space, looking at the files her sister was accessing. Not wanting to sound impatient but she hated waiting when a mystery was afoot. "And? What do you think about this? Are the Americans more open to modern technology than the Brits?"

Cortana nodded slowly and shook her head in confusion, storing the data and sending it up to the Infinity to inform ONI about this. "At first glance, it seems that MACUSA is much more modern than we had anticipated from the outside. But It is also possible that the statute of secrecy is much more lax across the Atlantic. That is surely something that ONI can find out on their own. How about we ask Harry if he could talk with Mr. Kent in private about they are done? I am sure that Hermione is bursting with questions about it. Based on her curious gleams she has in eyes it would be obvious to everyone that there is something special about this wizard."

Callie thanked Cortana for her suggestion and relayed Harry Cortana's suggestion. Harry nodded and turned towards Clark. "Mr. Kent, since I need to change my outfit, would you like to accompany me to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room? On the way, you could take some pictures of the castle for your article." Although Harry doubted the pictures would be used for the article but he wondered if the camera worked inside a magically rich environment.

Clark lowered his camera and looked at Lois with a questioning look. Lois was smiling and told Clark to go for it. "We may not have such a chance for some good pictures of the castle again for some time. I am sure that even the Herald would like to see some of the pictures you took today for their article, so that works well for us. Just make sure that you take some good shots on your way." Lois waved her hand to dismiss Clark and Harry, shooing them away so she can continue her interview.

As Clark nodded with a smile to Lois, Harry told the girls that he would try to come back soon and stood up from the table, he picked up the egg and led Clark out the Great Hall to the staircase that would lead them further up into the castle.

–-

Harry walked up the staircases towards the Gryffindor common room while Clark walked behind him and took more pictures on the way up. Harry then stopped and opened an empty classroom and nodded towards Clark to enter it.

Both were now in an empty classroom, with Harry closing the door and erecting a privacy charm on the door. "I apologize if I come off a bit too strong Mr. Kent, but I am curious about something. According to common knowledge here in Britain, your camera should not work inside this castle or the grounds around it. So how did you make it work?"

Clark placed his camera down on the desk and leaned against the desk when he turned to look at Harry. "I noticed your and Ms. Granger's glances towards the camera I am using. I was unsure about her knowledge of the technology that a No-maj, that is what we call people without magic, can muster to match us."

Clark was surprised when Harry laughed out loud and shook his head. "Mr Kent, Hermione is a muggle-born. She and the other muggle-born and muggle-raised would know more about the technology then others in this castle. Hermione even knows more than the muggle studies professor. But this is not a surprise, since that class has not updated for at least 60 years." Harry folded his arms as he leaned against the wall by the door regarding Clark and the camera.

Clark frowned as he looked down at his camera thoughtfully. "Well, this is a surprise. Ilvermorny does update Muggle studies every year, so the students would be able to blend in much more successfully. That is also the reason why me and Lois are much more adapted with the No-Maje devices that we use. And since you are a Witcher, I am sure that you already have a guess what me and Lois really are."

Harry cooked his head to one site, thinking about it. Callie helped him with it when she pulled out her data about a newly arrived book in Kear Morhen's library. "You both are Technomancers, something rather rare even in America. That would explain why your camera works in the castle, with all the ambient magic around us. Could you explain to me how this works by the way?"

Now it was Clark's turn to laugh. "Well, I could try, but this is something I can do on my own. No teacher in Ilvermorny taught me how this works, but somehow I am able to make everything work in my hands. Maybe you could introduce us to Madam Metz and Mr. Lambert, as they seem to be very open about new things."

Harry shrugged and told Clark that he would ask them, but could not promise anything. He then removed the privacy charm on the door and opened it, thinking that the conversation was now finished. Clark thanked him for his time and said goodbye after both had left the classroom, because Harry moved on towards Gryffindor common room while Clark returned back to the Great Hall.

Clark still smiled and walked around the corner. Soon afterwards, Harry arrived in front of the Fat Lady so he could enter the common room. And as soon as the Fat Lady swung open, he was bombarded by the sound of a giant party. He sighed and walked in, determined to just go to his dorm, remove the armor and place the egg in his trunk to be safe, and then get out again. Although this was one of those rare times he wished he could turn his hearing off, or at very least have Callie filter it down. Callie reminded him that only worked inside GUNGNIR armor, but she will try to do what she could.

—-

Lois was having a field day with the different champions as Clark returned. He saw them all smiling and laughing as it also seemed that Lois had ended the interviews a few minutes before and was now just making small talk with the champions and Harry's friends. When Clark stopped beside Lois, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I think we are finished for today Lois. We just need to talk with Headmaster Dumbledore to get permission from him to publish these pictures and we are set."

Lois nodded and asked Daphne if she knew where Dumbledore was. But just as Daphne was about to answer that she did not know where the headmaster was, the man in question walked into the Great Hall together with Hagrid and John. Daphne just pointed towards the door and told them that the headmaster had just entered the Great Hall.

Dumbledore was talking with Hagrid and John, who had already removed his armor in his office, when the three men were approached by the two reporters. Clark let out a whistle when he looked at John. "Wow, and here I thought that Mr. Hagrid is big. But you seem just a bit shorter than Professor Hagrid. Are you two related?"

John restrained himself from rolling his eyes and shook his head. Cortana had no such restraint. "Honestly, you'd think people would notice Hagrid is taller than you by now!"

Dumbledore stepped between them and asked the reporter how he could help them. Lois let out a small cough to get the old wizard's attention and continued the conversation. "You see, Headmaster, while we write about the Triwizard Tournament for the Daily Prophet, we are still from America. Back home, we ask the people depicted in our articles if they would agree to publish our pictures. If you want to see them beforehand; we can just delay the printing of the article until the pictures are developed and shown to you." Lois smiled politely, hoping Dumbledore understood the subtext of what she was asking.

Dumbledore thought about it before answering. "I do not mind you publishing these pictures in the Daily Prophet, Ms. Lane. But you mentioned America, do you also want to publish these pictures in your American newspaper?"

Lois nodded excitingly. "Yes, if possible. The Triwizard Tournament is something we only know from our history books. I am sure that our readers are eager to know more about it. And as Ilvermory, our alma mater, is according to our beliefs modeled after Hogwarts I would also like to show our readers how majestic your school is."

Dumbledore nodded again and looked towards John. "If our own chief of security has no objections against it, I do not think that it would harm us." Dumbledore quickly thought to Cortana adding silently. 'Although I am rather curious how these two Americans got modern technology to work in Hogwarts.' Cortana quickly explained, through Callie's latest report, that Mr Keant is a natural Technomancer.

John also nodded and gave Lois the go ahead to publish the pictures of the castle in the Daily Herald. But he also told her that only the castle and the grounds where the task was held should be published in your papers.

Lois nodded in understanding. "I can agree with this sentiment. I will see that only those pictures will be printed back home in another article I am writing for the Herald. This concludes our work for today, so we will take our leave. Until the second task."

Just as she wanted to leave, they heard Dumbledore calling them back. "Ah, but Ms. Lane, there is an event during the winter solstice, so you may want to attend too. I hereby invite you and your partner to participate in it, if you want."

Lois looked at Clark, who shrugged. Lois then turned back to Dumbledore with a smile. "We will think about it, Professor Dumbledore, as you mean the Yule Ball that will be held on Christmas. We have some plans with our families back home, but if it is possible for us to attend the ball, we will send you an owl. Have a good day."

—-

Harry had evaded the party in the common room well enough after telling everyone that he wanted to change into his normal robes and soon found himself in the dorm room. He placed the egg on his bed, along with his wand and removed Fang from its mag clamp before turning to his wardrobe closet to retrieve his robes. While he did that, he asked Callie if she could do a deeper scan of the egg for some clues if the opening mechanism on the top of the egg would also have a secondary function.

After Harry had put his armor in the trunk by the foot of his bed, he looked at the egg again and asked Callie if she had found anything.

Callie projected herself and shook her head. "I did a deep scan of the egg. Although Cortana says that there should be a recording inside it, I could not detect anything. Which means that it has to be magical, leading me to conclude that it is likely runic based recording. Besides this, I did not find anything that could hurt you when you open the egg , so go ahead."

Harry nodded and grabbed the egg with one hand while turning the latch around to open the egg.

As soon as the egg had opened like a metallic panel, Harry had to let it fall to the ground because he had to put his hands over his ears due to the wailing that came from the egg. Callie winced and was able to muffle the sound immediately with a counter frequency to the sound coming from the egg so Harry used his hand again to close it. The silence afterwards was welcome as Harry let out a sigh. Harry looked at Callie with an unimpressed look. "I think you need to redefine unpleasant, because that is most definitely unpleasant."

Harry frowned as he stared at the egg wondering what that was, Callie had a surprising answer for Harry. "That was Meerish, a language spoken by merpeople and other sentient water creatures. According to my data there is a colony in the Black Lake. The funny thing about this is that mermish sounds like English underwater."

Harry nodded in agreement as he put the egg in his trunk. Harry looked up at Callie with a thoughtful look. 'We would also need a place to listen to the egg without disturbing the others, but that will be something for another time. How about we return to the Great Hall?' Callie nodded and vanished from sight.

Just as Harry was about to leave the dorm, the door opened and Ron walked in. Seeing Harry, he steeled himself to talk with him. "Hey Harry. Listen, I wanted to apologize for my behavior since Halloween. I do not know what came over me…."

Harry held up his hand, stopped Ron in his apology. "I, on the other hand, know exactly why you reacted that way Ron. Please forgive my bluntness, but you have shown a severe case of low self esteem and jealousy since day one on the Hogwarts Express. Adding to this, you also seem to take everything for granted, without knowing that sometimes you have to work for something you want. Remember when I shared the snacks on the train when we came here for the first time? Think about it, did you thank me for sharing?"

Ron was at a loss for words, so Harry continued. "No, you did not. While I would not care about something this small, as soon as school started you began to bully Hermione, because she was better than you, instead of asking yourself why that was the case and take your studies seriously. And there were many more instances where you did not show any kind of compassion for your schoolmates. Now, I will forgive you for your behavior until now, but I would suggest that before we call each other friends again, you try to find your own faults and try to correct them. If you are willing, I may see you as a friend again if you put in the effort."

Harry walked past Ron, not turning around to see the redhead looking to the ground, dejected. Harry just hoped that this time, Ron would see his faults and would try to correct them.

—-

Harry soon arrived back in the Great Hall, his stomach just becoming empty enough for him to notice it. Looking around, he soon found Hemrione talking with Susan and Daphne, as well the other champions sitting on the opposite side of the table. Smiling as Callie had pointed out a small loophole in the rules of the tournament on his way down after contemplating the egg with Callie, he walked over to the spot where the others were and sat down between Susan and Daphne. Harry looked between the group and asked. "Hey, did I miss something?"

Hermione leaned forward a bit so she could look past Susan to Harry. "Well, not much. Ms Lane asked us some things about Hogwarts and how the classes are. On the other hand, she asked Cedric and the others on how they thought about you, as you were younger than them. But they all told her that they would not comment on this question and then she let it drop with a smile." Hermione shrugged, since she does not have much experience with reporters she didn't question Lane's behavior.

Krum picked up at that point while he explained his point of view to the group. "Ms. Lane is a much better reporter than I had the pleasure to meet in my professional career. If you tell her that you would not answer a question, she just accepts it and looks if she could find a question you would answer, without touching the previous theme again. It was rather refreshing to be honest. I never talked so much about Durmstrang since I became a professional Quidditch player. Speaking of which."

Krum turned back at Harry and looked at him interestingly. "You and Diggory both told me that you are a decent seeker. When would I be able to see it for myself?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and had an idea that will get everyone in Hogwarts excited. "Perhaps but why stop with just a game with Gryffindor, when other houses would feel slighted to be left out. Since Hogwarts Quidditch has been canceled due to the tournament a lot of people are using this year to practice. What if, instead of making it Gryffindor versus Durmstrang we make it Hogwarts versus Durmstrang." Harry looked at Fleur, who was frowning at him. "Beauxbatons can put together a team too if they're interested." Fleur nodded, accepting that idea.

Cedric leaned forward on the table and shook his head at Harry. "C'mon Harry, we both know you will be playing Seeker for the team, that leaves me grounded." Cedric mock glared at his friend.

Harry shook his head as he continued with his proposal and voiced it. "Perhaps, but you won't be left out. We will need someone to manage the team, you have experience since you are Captain of Hufflepuff."

Cedric straightened up and gave Harry a critical look, nodding slowly. "That's true, but this is a big plan though, we should get the headmaster's approval, for which I'm sure he would grant." Cedric glanced at Daphne with a frown. "Although I'm not sure Slytherin will be too keen to offer up some players."

Daphne shook her head slowly. "I doubt it, even with Flint gone I do not know who the new captain is. Not many Slytherins are open to working with all the houses like this."

Cedric shrugged and looked over at Krum. "This idea will take time to put together a team, so let's say we set games for spring giving the team time to practice, yeah?"

Krum nodded in agreement. "Da, I will approach my classmates and put together my team. Not all of us brought brooms anyway so some will have to owl home for them." Krum looked to Fleur with a raised brow.

Fleur shrugged and offered her thoughts on this proposal. "I do not play Quidditch but many amongst us 'ho came wiz me do. I will bring zis over zem to let zem. Zey will be most grateful to play Qudditch here."

With the Quidditch plans tabled on hold pending approval from Dumbledore, to which Cedric offered to bring up during dinner; Harry decided to "even the playfield" as a whole. Harry leaned forward and lowered his voice a bit so only the champions and the girls around him could hear him. "I have a hint on how to decipher the egg. And I hope you would not mind me sharing this information."

Cedric smiled, nodded and shook his head bemused. "That is just like you, Harry. You already warned me from the dragon, so I could prepare for it. Now, what is this hint you are talking about?"

Harry nodded but paused seeing the people around him looking at him attentively. Harry smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck in a nervous tick. "Ah well, it was more by accident really how I found this out." Harry explained. "After I took off my armor and put on my robes I was having a drink of water when I was curious about the egg. Finding the latch wasn't hard, but whatever you do, do not open it unless it's submerged in water." Harry noticed everyone staring at him in blank confusion so Harry hastened to explain why. "The noise it emits is , well, even for me loud and screechy. By accident I dropped my water into it to cover my ears and suddenly the egg was no longer screaming." Harry was not surprised when he saw Hermione having a "eureka" moment.

Hermione's eyes widened when she realized the significance of what Harry revealed. "Mermish!" Hermione gasped out getting everyone's attention.

Daphne looked at her friend with a raised brow. "Hermione, we know you're smart but how could you have figured that out so quickly?" Daphne also came to that same conclusion when she put the pieces together herself.

Hermione blushed in embarrassment and shrugged. "Well, logically sound changes when you put it in through a different medium. For example, if you put a sheet of parchment over a speaker you'll notice the sound is somewhat muffled. But Harry filled the egg with water and the first thing that came to mind was Mermish because it sounds vastly different underwater."

Krum looked at Hermione with an impressed look but Cedric had a dismayed expression and planted his head on the table in annoyance. "Why? Why can't we have the second task in March, or even April?"

Susan looked at her housemate in confusion, wondering why he was complaining about the date. "What are you complaining about Cedric?"

Cedric looked up from the table and sighed. "The second task is in the Black Lake. I know there is a merpeople colony at the bottom. In other words, we're going into the lake in February!" Cedric threw up his hands in protest. "Wasn't facing a dragon enough?"

Susan gave him a deadpan look and shook her head exasperated. "Are you a wizard or not? Have you forgotten this novel charm called the warming charm? Hmm?" Susan crossed her arms and gave Cedric a challenging look.

Cedric's arms fell down to his side and looked at Susan in embarrassment. "Oh, I forgot."

Fleur was next to complain about the location of the second task. Shaking her head vigorously she looked at Harry worriedly. "Non! S'il te plaît, dis-moi que tu te trompes! Nager est une chose, plonger sous l'eau? Non!" Fleur shook her head again with a worried expression.

Daphne offered to translate for Fleur, for the people who are not fluent in French. "She doesn't like the idea of diving underwater. She hopes Harry is wrong. I presume it has to do with your =Veela nature?" Daphne directed her last question to the French witch who nodded. Daphne looked at Harry with a raised brow silently asking if he had an idea of how to help Fleur.

Harry saw Daphne's look and subtly nodded to her. Harry turned to Fleur and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Fleur. I may be a fellow champion but I take my responsibility to look after people seriously." Fleur gave Harry a grateful smile, but it was still hard to dispel her worries.

The hours almost flew by while Harry and his friends were talking with each other in the Great Hall and before they knew it, the hall filled itself with students who came to eat dinner. Daphne, Susan and Cedric said their goodbyes as they had to return to their house table, but both Fleur and Krum stayed with Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

Hermione was very curious on how Durmstrang managest their classes in the different subjects in comparison to Hogwarts. Krum was very happy to answer all her questions. They were soon interrupted when Harry pointed towards the staff table, where they now could see Cedric talking with Dumbledore and the other heads of house as well as the headmasters from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.

Krum nodded respectfully in the direction of Cedric, who had a giant grin on his face as he returned to the Hufflepuff table.

Dumbledore stepped towards the podium to get everyone's attention for an announcement. "Students, honored guests, I will keep this brief. Because of what happened during the first task, we had a small incident with one of the dragons. But thanks to Mr. Potter's mediation, we came to an agreement with the Chinese Fireball. For the time being, she will live close by, and some of you may even be able to meet her personally during one Care of Magical Creatures class if she feels like it. All I want you to remember though is that this is still an adult dragon. As such, I implore you all to not provoke her in any way, shape or form. The relationship between her and us is as tense as it could be right now." But before the students could start up about this unexpected development Dumbledore held up his hands to forestall them as he had more to say.

"On a more enjoyable note, we were approached by Mr. Diggory with a proposal on how we could fill the time. With the canceled Hogwarts Quidditch season Mr Diggory a small Interschool Quidditch Tournament, so to speak. For this, we would like for everyone who would like to try out for the different teams to turn to their respective headmasters for further information. That means, Hogwarts will pool members from all houses onto its team. Now, enjoy your dinner."

With that last announcement there was an explosion of sound within the Great Hall. Harry glanced at Angelina, who was frowning at the staff table. Feeling Harry's gaze she turned to him with a raised brow. Harry offered an apologetic smile and explained. "It's for the best Angelina, but you can still try out for the Hogwarts team. I've already put myself down for Seeker." When the others at the table heard this declaration they knew Hogwarts can't lose.

—-

Harry woke up the next morning, yawning a bit before standing up and looking out the window next to his bed. He stretched himself a bit before looking around in the room to see if any of his roommates were already awake. Seeing only Neville's bed empty, Harry concluded that Neville must be in one of the greenhouses with Hannah. Harry grabbed his toiletries and used the bathroom to brush his teeth before he would go out to the obstacle courses for a small workout. He would take a shower afterwards before going to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry soon returned from his morning workout and noticed Hermione sitting in her perferred spot on the sofa near the fireplace, reading a book. Thinking that it would be better to approach her after his shower he quietly headed up the stairs to take one.

When he returned back to the common room, saw Hermione still sitting in her usual place reading the same book. Suddenly feeling a bit daring, Harry silently walked over and leaned in very close to her to hug her from behind and place his chin on her shoulder. "What are you reading, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head a bit so Harry lifted his head and then turned her head as far around as she could. Hermione blushed from the way Harry was looking at her. "Oh, nothing important, just a novel Hannah suggested to me. It is funny how much muggles know about us, but not knowing that magic is really real. Are you going down for breakfast?" Hermione quickly placed a bookmark where she was reading, closed her book, giving Harry her full attention.

Harry nodded and released her from his hug so she could stand up and put the book into her pocket. She smiled up at him and walked in front of him to open the portrait hole to leave the common room.

As they walked down the stairs, they discussed everything that had happened yesterday. Hermione was very interested in the fact that they now had a dragon on the school grounds that was already an adult. She still remembered the short time when Hagrid hatched a baby dragon. At the time, she was happy that Borch came as soon as it hatched and took it with him, since she could not think how it would have worked out for a dragon to grow up inside a wooden hut.

Harry chuckled ruefully and saw Hermione look at him with a raised brow. Harry explained how he was able to convince Hualong to get over the loss of her clutch. "Seems Borch is very well known amongst the dragons in Romania that she was so eager for Borch to pay her a visit. Kept asking me when Borch would come, in fact." Harry rolled his eyes while Callie snickered in his head.

Hermione blinked in surprise, and gave Harry a questioning look. "Do you mean to tell me that we may soon see a new clutch of eggs?" Harry nodded. Hermione shook her head bemused, mumbling to herself. "Oh Hagrid will love that."

As they passed a window where you could see Hagrid's hut, the newly made paddock had big fences around it, built of sturdy metal, could now be seen. It was open at the top, so Huolong could take to the sky and go hunting for food. Not that it would be necessary, as Hagrid just placed some big piles of raw meat just outside the entrance to the paddock before opening the gate and throwing said pile into the paddock.

Hermione watched the red dragon with curiosity, asking Harry if it would be possible to visit Hagrid later and asking him if she could get closer to the paddock to look at Huolong. Harry looked at Huolong's relaxed but cautious behavior and voiced his thoughts. "Well, maybe she would accept us visiting her, but I think we should leave her alone until her nest is built correctly. She will be under much stress right now, even if she does not look like it right now."

Hermione nodded and they continued walking down the stairs until they reached the Great Hall. As they entered it, Harry heard Cedric calling to him to sit down with them. Looking around where the Hufflepuff Prefect was, until Harry saw Cedric sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Fleur and Susan. Hannah was just a few places further down the table, talking with Neville. Harry saw the blush in his friend's face and guessed that Hannah was flirting with her fiancee. As it was a Tuesday, it was not mandatory to sit at their own house table during meals.

Shrugging his shoulders, he placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder and pointed over to where Cedric was, asking her silently if they should sit with the other champions. She nodded and walked in front of Harry with a smile and greeted her friends with a cheery "Good morning".

Hermione sat down next to Susan while Harry took a seat between Hermione and Fleur; on the opposite side of Cedric. Harry then grabbed a goblet and filled it with orange juice when he heard the owls arriving with their different parcels and letters. Some were carrying the Daily Prophet and Harry noticed when he looked up that one owl was accompanied by Hedwig. Soon Hedwig and the other owl, which turned out to be Sarina, had found him and dived down towards Harry, who just lifted his arm above the table so the owls had a safe place to land. Hedwig aimed for Harry's shoulder, while Sarina looked at the offered arm instead of the table to land with a thankful hoot..

Hedwig and Sarina landed in perfect unison and while Sarina held her leg out with the small letter attached to it, Hedwig hooted and demanded her bacon that Harry could pick up with his free hand. The small group around Harry laughed at this small display of affection from the owls as an issue of the Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione after an owl released the paper from its talons.

Harry gave both owls a strip of bacon each and opened the letter to read it. "Ah, it is from Triss and Catherine. They wanted to let me know how proud they are of me because of my performance during the first task. Speaking of which, Anything about it in the Prophet?" Harry looked over to Hermione, who had unrolled the newspaper.

Hermione nodded as she was still reading the article, but Harry could at least read the headline very clearly. He had not to wait for long before Hermione handed him the newspaper to read.

Triwizard Champions Face Dragons for First Task

By Lois Lane

As per tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, the first task features magical creatures for the champions to face. For this year's tournament dragons were brought in. But not your run of the mill dragon either, nesting mothers, complete with their clutch of eggs. The goal the judges have set for the champions? Retrieve a golden egg from the nest.

While each champion showed different approaches to tackling this challenge it cannot be argued that Hogwarts champion, Mr Cedric Digggory, of Hufflepuff, has shown the best results. Utilizing a combination of transfiguration and charms, Mr Diggory was able to distract his dragon, a Swedish Short Snout, to retrieve his egg. He would have gotten away unscathed if he had not turned around to face the dragon. For his effort the judges awarded him 45 points!

Facing a dragon is no mere challenge as Miss Fleur Delacour had discovered. While the Beauxbatons champion proved she has a firm grasp of charms but to put her dragon, a Common Welsh Green, to sleep would take multiple wizards to accomplish. Although she, like all the other champions, came to discover that an anti-summoning ward was set up around the nests. Hoping for a quick grab with a summoning charm was, at first, wishful thinking. But knowing the limitations of the ward does help! In the end Miss Delacour has earned 38 points.

While the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum, proved he was more than a Quidditch player his approach to facing his dragon, a Chinese Fireball, might be controversial at best. We learned that the curse Mr Krum used, conjunctivitis curse, a painful blinding curse that many agree is an effective way to get past a dragon. The problem Mr Krum discovered is that a blind dragon may not see him as a threat but she wasn't able to see her own nest either. In the end in her agony the Fireball destroyed her own nest. It was, as we come to learn, that any damage to any of the dragons' eggs would see a loss of points. Although Headmaster Karkaroff has shown his bias to his champion Mr Krum scraped the lowest score of 25 points.

Finally, the most anticipated challenge of the first task, Mr Harry Potter. If you had read the other article you would know that Mr Potter engaged his dragon, a Hungarian Horntail, in the least violent manner possible. But getting his egg from the Horntail was not as straightforward as he had hoped. Learning that the golden eggs radiate heat and the Horntail was not eager to give up a source of warmth for her clutch, Mr Potter sought to trade one heat source for another. Of course to create a second heat source Mr Potter had to break off one of the large granite boulders to create a runestone. And by "break off" we mean he gave a mighty spinning kick at the boulder! Then Mr Potter pulled a very wicked looking knife that was sticking to, of all things, a special magnetic clamp, to his armor. While it took some doing Mr Potter was able to create a runestone that used the Horntail's own dragonfire to store heat. Given this method of retrieving the golden egg was the most effective, and taking a bit longer than the other champions, Mr Potter earned 40 points.

But the most surprising bit of information that came to light was what I learned after the task. The strategy Mr Diggory used to get past his dragon was not originally his own! Mr Diggory confirmed to myself that Mr Potter had given his insight into how to take on a dragon as Mr Diggory relayed. "Well, Harry said if he was going about this tournament as a wizard that is what he would have done but he did not have the experience in terms of spells that I used since they are NEWT standard spells."

An interesting side note, when I asked Mr Potter what he would have done if he had his wand Mr Potter casually shrugged and answered, "Probably summon my Firebolt and try outflying the dragon."

There you have it readers! The First Task has been, indeed, very exciting to watch and we look forward to the Second task, which will be held February 24th.

(For more information about dragon species used in task, see page 5)

To no one's surprise, there was a followup story about Harry alongside the article on the first task.

Harry Potter, Dragon Whisperer

By Lois Lane

Anyone has ever witnessed Newt Scamander work with magical creatures, they can tell you that Mr Scamander has an unique way of connecting to them. But yesterday, during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, Mr Harry Potter showed that you don't need to make a connection, you just need to speak their language.

The highlight of yesterday's First Task was, obviously, the youngest champion, Harry Potter. But the expectation of his performance was held in suspense because Mr Potter was not going to take on the challenge as a wizard but as a Witcher. He further proved this fact when It was revealed that Mr Potter had turned over his wand to his headmistress, Madam Metz.

But what has shocked the spectators more than anything is that Mr Potter did not engage his dragon, a Hungarian Horntail; a dragon known to be the most vicious and dangerous of all known dragon species. When Mr Potter entered the arena he did so showing his hands were empty and that he presented himself to mean no harm. That he just wanted to, of all things, talk to the dragon!

That's right readers, Harry Potter did not engage in combat with his dragon, he talked to it! We all know that Mr Potter is a parselmouth as revealed earlier this month, but what is less known is that dragons can understand and speak parseltongue.

After the task I was able to get clarification from Mr Potter's guardian, Yennefer of Vengerberg. "I am not at all surprised by Harry's approach to his task. Many people assume that Witchers are a 'kill first, ask questions later' type of hunters, but fact is far from that. It's the first rule when approaching a monster or magical creature that is sentient; engage it diplomatically. Often it is revealed that there are underlying circumstances that led up to the creature' behavior."

While being a parselmouth is not a widely held skill in Great Britain, it is commonly sought out in countries where venomous snakes are commonplace such as India. But those same parselmouths do not advertise that they can also speak to dragons.

Mr Potter's unique ability was vital to resolving a very irate Chinese Fireball (see story accompanying story about First task). In order to resolve the matter with the Fireball, the dragon handlers needed to get more input because Mr Potter could not unilaterally make decisions on Hogwarts' behalf. Headmaster Dumbledore and Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Hagrid were called in. It was later revealed that the Chinese Fireball would rather stay at Hogwarts than return to the reserve in Romania. At the time of this printing a new paddock is expected to be set up to keep students out of the Fireball's new enclosure. It is not known why the Fireball, Hualong, has decided to stay but that detail is being kept quiet for privacy's sake.

(For more information about Parselmouth see page 6)

Harry handed the newspaper over to Cedric with a grin. "Hey look, they got your picture right. Soon you will see how it is to be famous like me."

Cedric laughed and read the articles too. They were soon joined by Krum and Fleur in their laughter and just talked a bit after they had calmed back down..

—-

In Wiltshire, the Malfoy house elf was collecting the glass shards on the floor after his master had destroyed another firewhiskey glass by letting it fall down.

Lucius stared at the article not wanting to read it again, while he had little knowledge of this…Lois Lane but she was, admittedly, more coherent than Skeeter's wild speculations. Shaking his head he rubbed his temple, somehow he hoped that it was a mistake, that there would not be a Chinese Fireball on Hogwarts grounds. One that was almost indebted to Harry Potter. There was no overlooking the fact that being a parselmouth means being able to speak to dragons. Lucius wondered if the Dark Lord knew this fact, but brushed it off as unlikely otherwise the Dark Lord would have mentioned it before.

Lucius then grabbed a sheet of parchment so he could write a letter to his son to remind Draco that he should not taunt Potter or the dragon in any way. 'Draco was lucky when they had hippogriffs in the Creatures classes, but a dragon would not stop if you angered it. Luckily Draco was already removed from the class, so he would never be too close to it.' Lucius paused and grimaced. 'Why am I suddenly thinking of Hogwarts' motto? Ah yes, because my son would be foolish enough to tickle a sleeping dragon! Well, perhaps this will remind him that some dragons will sooner roast you before you could even try.'

He then called the house elf again to fetch his owl so he could send the letter immediately. Now he was just hoping that his son would finally listen to him.

–-

Sirius was sipping his coffee while he was reading the article about the first task in the newspaper. Hearing Amelia coming into the kitchen to get a mug full of coffee for herself, he placed the papers on the table so she would be able to read it for herself before going to work. "Good morning love, slept well?"

Amelia glared at him as she grabbed her mug and walked over to the table. "Well I would have if you hadn't tossed and turned so much. It is not as bad as it was in the beginning, so the therapy seems to work well enough to reduce your nightmares a bit."

Glancing at the Daily Prophet, she smiled as she turned it around so she could read it better. "Ah, I see that Skeeter truly was removed from the Tournament. And Ms. Lane seems to do a good job. " Reading through the first article, her eyes soon became as wide as saucers in surprise. "Really now? He just talked with the dragon? An Hungarian Horntail no less? Any other witch or wizard would have an injury at least."

Sirius nodded at her assessment. "Yes, I thought so too. But being a parselmouth seemed to work well for him. It only shows that we have ignored this ability for far too long that we have forgotten that it also can be used to talk to dragons. In hindsight, it should have been obvious."

Amelia looked at Sirius with a raised eyebrow before placing the paper on the table to address him. She wanted to confirm his hunch about the dragons also speaking Parseltongue "Well, after the whole debacle with the Basilisk, I became curious and contacted some people in India, and they told me that it was very rare that they had to talk with a dragon and were afraid that those mighty beasts would use another dialect. Luckily for Harry, that was seemingly not the case." Sirius paused in thought. "Huh, I wonder…"

Amelia looked up from the newspaper and gave Sirius a curious look. "What are you thinking?"

Sirius frowned in thought. "Well, it just seemed so obvious, it made me wonder, did ol' snakeface know this too or did he just assume it only works with snakes?"

Both adults were now looking at each other, asking themselves silently on how many surprises Harry could pull out of his proverbial hat.

‐–‐—-

Voldemort was sitting in the wingback chair he was placed in by his servant and was reading the newspaper he had requested. He was curious on how much the Potter had revealed of his abilities during the first task. He had already read that Potter was a parselmouth, but he was surprised that it also worked on dragons. That made him ponder if he should recruit some dragons when he got his body back. But Voldemort soon dismissed the idea, since snakes had something that dragons were sorely lacking, namely subtlety. A giant dragon would catch everyone's attention even without doing anything.

After Voldemort was finished reading the articles, he threw the Daily Prophet into the fireplace next to his chair where a fire was already burning. He then called for his servant, who immediately came into the room and knelt in front of him.

Voldemort looked down with a sneer, with a cold voice he demanded. "What have you found out about the abilities of a Witcher, except their prowess to kill monsters?"

The servant looked up to meet his master's gaze. "Not much, I am afraid. The only thing truly known about Witchers in our circle is that they are very proficient with a blade, but there is something that I still wait to be confirmed. I had found a very old book that described the Witchers as being able to cast some minor spells, but their main strength is their heightened senses and faster reaction time. I think that it would be our best course of action when we apprehend Potter, that we bind him with some magical suppression chains, so that Potter would be hindered from casting any kind of magic in the first place. This way, we can be sure that he will be held securely until we have everything from him that you desire, my lord."

Voldemort nodded and looked back into the fire when he asked his next questions. "Any word from our man inside Hogwarts?"

The servant stiffened, knowing very well that this was something that he could be punished for. "No, my lord. I am afraid that Crouch was compromised and found out, either by Potter himself or his associates who now are also in Hogwarts. Luckily, we have prepared for something like that. I will see that we can find another way for your plan to succeed." The servant braced himself unsure how his master would take this development.

Voldemort paused as he considered Crouch's failure, but another question came in his mind that he wanted answered. "You said that Potter has associates in Hogwarts now. Do you know who they are?" Voldemort idly caressed the handle of his wand as he considered the news in his mind.

The servant answered, but prepared himself to run out the room in case his master would lash out in anger. "Yes, according to my sources it is the sorceress Keira Metz and her husband, the Witcher Lambert."

The servant saw how his master was now also stiff, but did not show any signs of attacking him. He then heard his master chuckle. "Ah yes, I remember those two. They were not weak by any means the last time I saw them, but they will not be a problem for us if the plan goes as planned. See that it will be this way." Voldemort paused and without warning he pointed his wand at his servant. "CRUCIO!" After a brief moment Voldemort lifted the curse to end his servant's screams. "Get that information confirmed! I will not tolerate rumor or hearsay. I want facts!"