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Champion

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Гарри Поттер

Четвертый чемпион

Автор:

Джеймс Спуки

Гарри, который, как полагают, погиб в ту роковую ночь вместе со

своими родителями, вызван из забвения для участия в Турнире Трех

Волшебников. Тем временем Сириусу, Ремусу и Дамблдору

предстоит разгадать загадку: кто мог знать, что Гарри жив.

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Художественная литература T

– Английский – Приключения/Дружба – Гарри П. – Главы: 21 – Слов:

156 503 – Обзоры:

– Статус: завершено – id: 7222456

27.07.2011, 05:28:59

– Опубликовано:

15.09.2011, 01:41:02

– Избранное: 4072 – Читает: 2230 – Обновлено:

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15.09.2011, 01:41:02

27.07.2011, 05:28:59

1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He blinked. He blinked again. He tried for a third time, but nothing

changed. It was like some strange dream. He tried to make a fist, and

drive his fingernails into his palm. The stinging pain he felt made him

confident that it was no vision or dream. Yet, the still smoldering piece of

parchment was proof to the contrary.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore lifted his eyes from the

smoldering parchment and looked around the Great Hall to all the

students who sat silently, waiting to hear the name on the last piece of

parchment that had been shot out by the flaming goblet. The silence was

so heavy, the Hogwarts headmaster could feel it on his shoulders,

pressing them down.

Never in his over one hundred twenty years could he have ever imagined

this exact situation, as he stared at the neat scrawl on the singed

parchment in his weathered old hand.

Harry Potter.

Staring disbelievingly at the burnt scrap in his hand, the old man felt his

chest constrict tightly. It just wasn't possible, and yet, he had the proof in

his very hand. Someone else knew that the boy was alive. All of his work,

and plans and they were for nothing. Someone knew the boy was alive

and they seemed determined to bring him out of hiding.

Harry Potter had been entered into the Triwizard Tournament.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and

Wizardry was completely flummoxed as to how young Harry's name got

into the Goblet of Fire, which had been tasked with selecting the very

best candidates to participate in the tournament. Dumbledore was quite

proud when Cedric Diggory's name had emerged from the Goblet.

Diggory was a very popular seventeen year-old Hufflepuff, and would

have been captain of his House Quidditch team that year, had not the

tournament taken president.

But then young Harry's name had emerged after the other school

champions had been selected. This was very bizarre, especially

considering that Harry Potter did not attend Hogwarts. In fact, as far as

most of the world was concerned, Harry Potter had not survived that

fateful night thirteen years ago.

Dumbledore, remembering that everyone was watching him, clutched the

scrap of parchment into his hand and led the others responsible for the

Tri-Wizard Tournament into a small room just off of the Great Hall where

the three champions now waited for their instruction.

Once everyone was locked inside the small room, glittering with shining

trophies from past Hogwarts students, Dumbledore turned to face the

other judges, and the two ministry officials, Barty Crouch and Ludo

Bagman.

"Vat does it say, Dumbledore?" Igor Karkaroff asked, looking quite

irritable.

"It appears that someone has tried to pull some kind of prank."

Dumbledore spoke calmly. "A fourth champion has been selected."

"A fourth? 'Ow is zis possible?" Madame Maxime, the head of the French

Wizarding school, Beauxbatons asked, looking down on them all, as she

was easily several feet taller than them all. Her young charge, and

champion for her school, Fleur Delacour looked very confused as she

came to her headmistress' side. "Zere are only three schools competing.

Unless of course your ministry has failed to inform us of a fourth school."

"No other schools were contacted about participating, I assure you,

Madame Maxime." Ludo Bagman flashed what he felt was one of his most

charming smiles. The impossibly tall French headmistress merely gave a

nod that she'd heard him.

"I am unsure. Though I theorize that the name was put under a fourth

school, how else could it be chosen. What is more upsetting is the fact

that this person is under the age set under the new rules. He is only

fourteen." Dumbledore said, looking imploringly at Crouch who was in

charge of the entire tournament.

Crouch, and tired looking man with a pencil thin moustache and basset

hound eyes began shaking his head.

"This is most disturbing." He said as he began to pace. "The Goblet of Fire

represents a binding magical contract, even if someone else submitted the

name, this person must compete or risk losing their magic. Who is this

new champion, Albus?"

Dumbledore clenched his fist a bit tighter.

"Are you sure they must compete? Is there no way to release them from

this obligation?"

"You know the rules as well as I do." Crouch said firmly. "The new

champion will need to be contacted and brought here to take part in the

tournament."

"What if they are dead?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.

"Then their name would not have been selected. Dumbledore, you

already know all of this. What is going on?" Ludo Bagman asked. Ludo

was a stout man with a barrel chest and a charming smile. He'd once

been a champion Quidditch player in his younger days, and still held a

bit of popularity to this day, despite his obvious ego and the dirty little

secret, which wasn't as secret as he thought. Ludo Bagman had a serious

gambling problem.

"The name selected…" Dumbledore took a breath before continuing.

"Was Harry Potter."

There was a collective gasp from nearly all of the inhabitants of the

room.

"But he…" Cedric Diggory stammered.

"That's not possible." Crouch took several steps away from Dumbledore.

"Mon Dieu." Madam Maxine and Fleur Delacour said simultaneously.

Both Karkaroff and his school's Champion looked rather indifferent at this

news, while Ludo Bagman's nearly permanent smile began to fade from

his face.

"Rumors of the child's demise were greatly exaggerated to protect him."

Dumbledore sighed. "I was one of a very few who knew the boy was

alive, and as far as I know, I am the only one who knows his current

whereabouts, which I had wished to keep a secret."

"But he will need to return here." Crouch said, looking up from the chair

he'd stumbled into. "He must compete in the tournament for whichever

school he attends."

"But they were not contacted." Karkaroff shouted. "It is the Tri-Wizard

Tournament. Not the Quadruple. This is a flagrant disregard of the rules

we all worked so hard to agree upon. This fourth school was not present

for the negotiations, so why should they be allowed to participate?"

"It is not an entire school." Maxime shouted the Bulgarian Headmaster

down. "It is but one child. One, who if you recall, is now being forced to

participate against his will. He did not submit his own name. And

Dumbleydore said he was not of age. 'Ow is 'e expected to manage

against three wizards much older and more educated than 'e?"

"Thank you for your understanding, Madame." Dumbledore gave a small

bow.

"Dumbledore, you must bring the boy here immediately so that he can

compete. The consequences for him should he not will be dire. He could

die from the loss of his core." Crouch said urgently.

"I still can't believe the boy's alive." Bagman said. "We all thought that

he'd met his fate along with You-Know-Who, and now you're saying that

he's actually alive? Think of what this will do to the morale of our

country, Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore gave the softest of smiles as he inspected the mysterious

scrap of parchment once again. A tense silenced filled the small room for

a moment, broken when Bagman cleared his throat.

"Why keep it a secret? Why not let us all know that our savior was alive?"

Bagman pressed. Dumbledore merely shook his head.

"Do you not remember how things were then, Ludo?" Barty Crouch said

tensely. "His followers would want vengeance, and not a single one of

them was above killing a child. I think it was a smart move. I just wonder

when you were going to let everyone know the truth, or if you even

planned to."

"I had hoped that I would never need to. It was better for him to grow up

away from the fawning and whispers and whatever else he might have

had to endure from our people. To be famous for something he would

never be able to recall and to have thousands throwing themselves at him

with praise and worship. Would you have chosen differently for the child

who was barely able to walk on his own?"

Barty Crouch shrugged and then after a moment shook his head. He knew

the old Headmaster had chosen correctly for the boy, and if he'd been in

the same position, Barty hoped he would have put the child's needs

ahead of his own.

"Very well," Dumbledore said, his voice sounding much stronger than it

had since that last name had emerged from the Goblet of Fire. "As it

seems clear that we have no alternative, I shall contact mister Potter, and

have him join us here to participate in the tournament. It is getting late,

and I am sure the champions would like to get back to their fellows, who

are no doubt waiting to congratulate them."

Dumbledore ushered everyone out, listening to their conversations.

Karkaroff was clearly agitated over the news that a fourth champion

would be joining the tournament. He was speaking in rapid Bulgarian to

Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang champion. Madame Maxime had been a bit

more understanding of the situation, which Dumbledore was most

thankful for. He had always gotten on well with the French Headmistress.

Both Crouch and Bagman were discussing what it meant that Harry

Potter, the savior of the Wizarding world was not only alive, but

returning from oblivion to compete in the tournament.

"Sir?"

Dumbledore turned to face Cedric, who was still in shock. Dumbledore

could only guess what this young man might be feeling. He would have

been three or four when a baby managed to stop the most powerful Dark

Wizard in a hundred years. He would have grown up hearing stories

about the death and devastation Lord Voldemort wreaked upon their

world. And then one day, for no apparent reason, he had sought out a

child. A defenseless babe, and had somehow been destroyed, along with

the entire Potter family.

Only Dumbledore and a very select few knew the truth of what had truly

happened that night.

"Yes, Mister Diggory?"

"Is it true? Is Harry Potter really alive? Is he really going to be coming

here to Hogwarts?" Cedric asked, looking truly awed by just the thought

of it. There was no doubt that like many children, Cedric would have

heard the story of the brave Potter family and the sacrifice they made to

save them all from suffering. Dumbledore himself was still puzzled how

the story had gotten out in the first place, but it had, and it was one of

the most famous stories in wizarding history.

"It would seem so. But I urge you to not let your imagination get the

better of you. He is only a boy, not to different from yourself a few years

ago. He will be leaving everything he knows behind, and will likely be

quite alone here. He may need a friend. Someone who might understand

what he's going through."

Cedric nodded his understanding. Harry Potter would most likely need a

friend, though Cedric doubted the legendary figure would be lacking for

friends. Still, Cedric was willing to try and help out a fellow champion if

he could. After all, the tournament was supposed to be about creating

bonds of friendship, wasn't it? "Am I allowed to tell anyone?"

Dumbledore actually smiled, and patted Cedric on the shoulder. "I think I

would be very hard pressed to prevent this news from getting out. Yes,

Mister Diggory, you may divulge what you have learned. I will be making

a formal announcement at breakfast tomorrow morning. Now, you'd best

be getting back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It is nearly curfew, and

I expect the rest of the Hufflepuffs are waiting to congratulate their

champion."

Cedric nodded with a smile and headed away, presumably to celebrate

his selection and to let all his Housemates know that Harry Potter would

be coming to Hogwarts.

Dumbledore began the trek to his office, where he would need to begin

making arrangements. If he were honest with himself, he should have

seen this coming. It was only three years ago that the first signs that the

Dark Lord was trying to rise to power again. Had it not been for himself

and his trusted potions master, then Lord Voldemort would have indeed

managed to come back to power. Thankfully, the wards they had set had

alerted them to Quirrell's presence near the Stone, and they had managed

to rob Lord Voldemort of his vessel.

The following year had seen the release of Slytherin's great beast. The

school had very nearly been closed as student after student was petrified

by the Basilisk's stare. Thankfully no one had died, thanks mostly to the

bravery of Young Ginevra Weasley coming forward and admitting that it

had been she who had opened the Chamber of Secrets. As it turned out,

the girl was not at all responsible for her actions, as she had been

possessed by the spirit of Tom Riddle, whose spirit resided in diary, now

locked in Dumbledore's office, while he tried to solve it's mystery. Young

Miss Weasley was doing much better these days thanks to regular visits

with the Headmaster, and had even led the Gryffindor House to a great

Quidditch Victory the previous year.

But this was truly troubling. How did anyone know that young Harry

Potter was alive? Were they simply taking a chance, hoping that it paid

off, or did whoever behind this scheme actually know Harry was alive?

And what was the purpose of entering him in the tournament?

Dumbledore remembered the sudden reemergence of Lord Voldemort's

faithful followers at the Quidditch World cup this past summer. Was it

coincidence, or was something far more fiendish in the works. As

optimistic as Dumbledore could be, he felt that he was most likely correct

in assuming the worst.

Unfortunately, there was only one way to learn of the plot, and that was

to bring Harry Potter out of seclusion and back to his home country.

In truth, he was rather excited to meet the young man himself. He had of

course received reports on the boy's upbringing. It had been a part of the

agreement he had with Sirius Black, the boy's Godfather.

Dumbledore remembered the last time he had actually seen the child,

that night in the ruins of the house.

He had arrived shortly after the alarms in his office told him that the wards

had been breached on the Potter home. The house was barely standing, and

there were small fires about. Dumbledore quickly extinguished them as he

progressed deeper into the ruin. His eyes stung when he came across the body

of James Potter near the door. It was clear he tried to protect his wife and

child, but had not succeeded. Dumbledore hoped that the Dark Lord had been

quick with his sentence.

His old heart leapt into his throat when he heard the wailing of the child

coming from upstairs. Taking care as he climbed the staircase, the next thing

he saw gave him pause, as it had been he last thing he expected to see.

Lying as if thrown very violently from a great distance, lay the ruined,

mangled and bloody body of Lord Voldemort. His deep red eyes opened wide

in a look of purest surprise. Dumbledore stepped over his body and followed

the sounds of crying into what had been the nursery. There, upon the floor in

front of the child's crib, was Lily Potter. She had placed herself between the

Dark Lord and her only child.

And then, standing in his crib, blood caked on his little face which was

contorted with his grief, or anger, was baby Harry Potter. His chubby little

arms reaching for his mother desperately.

"James? Lily?"

Dumbledore lifted the crying babe, recognizing the voice of Sirius Black. The

man who had been the secret keeper to the Potters, the only one who could

have given away their hiding place. Dumbledore pulled his wand and prepared

to deal with the traitor.

Dumbledore found Sirius sobbing over the body of James Potter.

"Are you pleased with your handiwork?" Dumbledore said accusingly. Sirius

looked up and suddenly Dumbledore was conflicted. This was not the face of a

man who had just betrayed his lifelong friend, though he had no proof that it

was not Sirius who had divulged the secret to the Dark Lord.

"I wonder what it was that the Dark Lord bestowed upon you as a reward for

your betrayal." Dumbledore said scathingly.

"It was Peter." Sirius said through his grief. Tears spilled down the man's

cheeks as he looked up at the leader of the light, not really surprised that it

had been Dumbledore to arrive first. "I'm going to find that rat and kill him

myself."

"Peter?" Dumbledore's wand fell to his side. "Peter Pettigrew? But you were the

Secret Keeper." The old man eyed the younger one, who was getting to his feet,

his grief being replaced by outrage.

"We switched. I felt it would have been obvious that I would be the Secret

Keeper. Lily didn't want to put me in that kind of danger. Both James and I

knew I'd be targeted anyway. This way, they'd get nothing from me. I

convinced James to use Peter. I figured no one would even bother thinking of

Peter. The man can barely transfigure a teacup." Sirius broke down once

again.

Dumbledore couldn't believe what he'd just learned. It hadn't been Sirius who

had betrayed them all, but Peter Pettigrew. The young man everyone seemed

to believe incapable of deceit. He looked at Sirius, who was still staring at the

body of his best friend, his brother in all but blood. Sirius looked as if he was

steeling himself to go seeking his own vengeance. It was then that the idea

popped into Dumbledore's mind. He had a chance to save more than just one

person on this night.

"Sirius, There is something far more important you must do. Lord Voldemort is

dead."

Sirius looked up at Dumbledore. "What? He asked incredulously. "Are you

joking?"

"I assure you that I am not. I have seen his body myself. Go up the stairs if

you wish. But I tell you, he is dead. But more important, your godson is alive."

Dumbledore held out his arm a bit where Harry lay, now still, contented to be

held by someone. Sirius came at once to the old man's side, and took Harry

into his arms. The baby smiled as he recognized Sirius. Sirius held the child

closely, tears of happiness falling from his eyes now.

"He must be protected Sirius. Lord Voldemort's followers will be looking for

revenge. You must take him far away from here, and raise him as James and

Lily would have. He must be kept safe, for I fear that this war is not truly

over."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius looked, at the Headmaster's words. "If

the bastard's dead, than why shouldn't the war be over?"

"Lord Voldemort delved deeper into the Dark Arts than anyone witch or

wizard before him. While trying to find a way to defeat him, I learned many

of the things he researched and now I believe that he may have somehow

secured himself to this world, and one day might return and attempt to bring

our world under his control once again. If that is true, Harry Potter may be

the only person capable of saving us all."

"This isn't funny, Albus." Sirius said sternly.

"As you can clearly see, I am not laughing. I know that James told you the

real reason he and Lily were forced to go into hiding. Did they ever tell you

why?"

Sirius shook his head, trying to wipe his tears, while holding onto the sleeping

babe. "I think they wanted to tell me, but I think they felt the less I knew, the

better for me. They did tell me Snape had warned you to protect them."

"He did indeed." Dumbledore nodded. "He thought only of saving Lily and her

son. Despite everything, all the torment your four put him through, he still

tried to save his greatest rival's child. He tried to do what was right."

"Then I owe him more than I can ever repay." Sirius sighed, tightening the thin

blanket around Harry a bit more securely."

"Sirius, I want you to take Harry and flee the country. Tell no one where you

are except me, so that I may contact you should any emergency arise. Protect

his identity at all costs."

"One day he'll want answers. What do I tell him?" Sirius nodded towards the

boy in his arms, who was now beginning to yawn.

"I leave that to you." Dumbledore said sagely. "But remember this, this boy

deserves to have as normal a life as can be afforded. I have a dreadful belief

that he has just taken his first step on the path that fate has been lain before

him."

Sirius nodded, and gathered his coat around the child. "I'll be in touch." He

said before mounting a large motorcycle. Several loud pops sounded, and both

men turned towards the sound.

"Go!" Dumbledore urged, and Sirius kicked the motorbike into gear, and tore

off into the night. Dumbledore watched in amazement as the motorcycle rose

into the air and disappeared behind the clouds.

Dumbledore saw the approaching shadows. He saw that they were aurors led

by Barty Crouch. Dumbledore strode to meet them. In a few hours, word

would spread about the defeat of the Dark Lord, and the child saviour, Harry

Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. He cringed ever so slightly hoping that moniker

didn't come back to haunt him in the future.

Sirius had done as he had been ordered, and wrote the old Headmaster,

keeping him up to date on the goings on in Harry's life. When the boy

turned eleven, a serious decision had to be made. Whether it was time for

the boy to return to England and attend Hogwarts, or stay away and

attend another institute of magical learning.

It was ultimately decided that it might be best for the boy to be educated

abroad, as he would not be well known, and could in fact be an average

young wizard in training. Sirius had cultivated a new identity for the boy

and registered him at the Salem Academy in America, and according to

the yearly reports, was doing quite well in all subjects, especially Charms,

Defensive Magics, and Transfiguration. It appeared that he would be in

the top of his class by his seventh year.

But it seemed that fate had other plans for the young man, and an echo

of a prophecy made at a private meeting so many years ago repeated

itself in Dumbledore's mind.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh

month dies…

With a great sigh, Dumbledore knelt before his fireplace and cast a

handful of floo powder into the merrily crackling flames. He was not

looking forward to this, but it had to be done. He did not t Harry to lose

his magic, especially if his suspicions were correct. Harry still had a part

to play in the war, though what it was was still unclear.

"Salem Academy of Magic, Headmistress Blaylock's office."

There was a long pause as the floo connection was made. Dumbledore

hadn't expected it to be instant, as connections across the ocean

sometimes took a good deal of time. Finally, a rather tired looking

woman, much younger than Dumbledore, her auburn hair quite wild as it

was clear that she had just been awoken.

"Albus Dumbledore?" The woman asked, her voice scratchy and hoarse.

She was a thin woman with silver gray hair and a very pointed chin and

sharp brown eyes.

"I am deeply sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but I have something

rather important to discuss with you, and it can not wait, I'm afraid."

"Of course. It has been a rather long time since we spoke last. How may I

help you?"

Dumbledore went on to explain about the Tri-wizard Tournament, which

had not been held in a very long time. Headmistress Blaylock's eyes

widened a bit at this news but her shock over that news was nothing

compared to the news that one of her students names had emerged from

the Goblet of Fire. The American Headmistress wished to know how it

was possible, to which Dumbledore could only shrug, making him look

quite like the fool that so many of his political enemies often likened him

to.

"Needless to say, This student will need to come to Scotland to compete,

or suffer great consequences." Dumbledore sighed.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're talking about James Black?"

Headmistress Blaylock asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"How ever did you guess?" Dumbledore asked, a smirk twitching his

mouth.

"Maybe it's the fact that you've checked up on him twice a year for three

years, not to mention it was you who personally met with me about

admitting him before his first year. Despite what some might think, I'm

no idiot."

Dumbledore began to laugh along with his American counterpart.

"Well, I'm afraid he's not in school at the moment." Headmistress Blaylock

said when she got herself under control. "We've only just started our

autumn break. The students aren't scheduled to return for two more

weeks."

"I see." Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, I shall have to contact him

directly. I should warn you that young Mr. Black may not return to your

fine institution. I had already been considering bringing him back to

attend Hogwarts before this little incident. Now it seems I have no

choice. Though, while he's competing in our tournament, he will still be

representing your school."

"I can think of very few better choices. If I can help him in anyway,

please let me know. He will be sorely missed by many here."

"I am sure of that." Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you Headmistress."

Dumbledore pulled his head out of the green flames, and brushed the

soot out of his beard. Rising to his feet Dumbledore heaved a great sigh.

Dumbledore had hoped that he would be able to bring Harry here

through the floo and have the boy there by Breakfast, but it appeared

that fate had other ideas. It was clear that Dumbledore was about to go

visit the United States. Well, at least the students would have something

to look forward to. There was no doubt that by breakfast, the whole

school would know that Harry Potter was alive, and he was returning to

Hogwarts.

2. Chapter 2

"Why can't we just fly brooms?" The black haired, green eyed fourteen

year old asked as he double checked his helmet. He stood close to the

edge of the cliff, admiring the rather breath taking sight of the desert

below.

"One, because there are a ton of muggles around." Sirius Black, A tall

man with shoulder length black hair and a well trimmed goatee grinned

as he checked the rigging. "Two, because this is going to be just as fun as

a broom, and it's less dangerous. And three, it's going to be amazing up

there. You speed along on that broom of yours, you never slow down and

appreciate the beauty of the world."

"I do to!" The boy snapped. "I just want to know why every time we go on

vacation, we end up doing these adrenaline adventure things. We almost

died on that bridge a few months ago, remember?"

"That's your recollection. The bungee cords were quite secure. Besides, as

I recall, you did it four times, Harry."

Harry Potter grimaced as he remembered that he had in fact really

enjoyed bungee jumping. In fact, as much as he complained, he always

did enjoy all the cool stuff he and his godfather had done over the years.

Sirius often reminded him that these little adventure helped to remind

them what it meant to be alive. Harry didn't think he needed to jump out

of an airplane or to scale a sheer cliff face to remind him of that simple

fact. Just waking up each morning was enough of a reminder.

And so, Harry always complained about whatever stupid thing they were

about to do, even though he always enjoyed each and every adventure.

Most of them, he usually got really excited about. It had just become a

sort of tradition for Harry to object, and Sirius would wonder what was

wrong if Harry didn't put up some sort of resistance. Truth was that

Harry had truly been looking forward to hang gliding ever since Sirius

had mentioned it a few months ago. Once school had let out for autumn

break, Sirius had whisked him away to New Mexico for the trip. The fact

that it was also a camping trip just added to Harry's enjoyment. Some of

Harry's fondest memories were of him and Sirius camping. They'd gone

camping in so many different places, that Harry couldn't even name them

all.

"Ok, I think we're ready. Get over here." Sirius waved the boy over. When

Harry was close enough, Sirius hooked him into the harness before

strapping himself in as well. Together they hefted the hang glider up and

with a count of three, the two men sprinted and with a primal scream

from them both, they leapt off the cliff.

Harry felt very comfortable in the air. He was a seeker on one of the

Quidditch teams at his school, as well as a prominent figure in the broom

racing scene, which was a relatively new up and coming sport. There was

nothing better than soaring at top speed through the air with the wind

whipping your face as the earth speed underneath you.

But, there was something to be said for cruising slowly through the air

and taking in the majesty of the New Mexican desert. It was so quiet and

breath taking that it was hard no to find peace.

Harry caught sight of a hawk soaring in the distance and Harry couldn't

help but smile.

"See, I told you you'd like it." Sirius grinned.

"I never doubted you." Harry smiled in return, and Sirius returned the

smile before allowing the quiet to envelope them again. Sirius kept them

in the air as best as he could, being fairly new at the sport himself. He

kept them fairly close to the lake where they were camped near as he

doubt Harry would enjoy a ten mile hike while carrying the hang glider.

As they descended lower and lower, Harry felt his heart sink, as he had

really enjoyed being in the sky. As they soared over the small lake, Harry

reached down hoping to touch the glassy surface. He suddenly realized

however that they were very close to the water, and it didn't appear the

Sirius was going to pull up.

"uh, Sirius? We're still kind of far from the shore. You can pull up now."

"I've been trying. I think we're going to get wet."

"Ah, damn it." Harry sighed.

A few seconds later, the two crashed into the lake. Sirius was able to

disconnect them both from the harness. Harry swam out from under the

glider with Sirius right behind him. They broke the surface of the lake,

spluttering and coughing.

"Not bad for our first time." Sirius commented.

"Yeah." Harry responded cheerily. "At least we didn't just dive bomb into

the canyon."

"Cheeky blighter." Sirius smirked, splashing his godson. Sirius tried to

evade his godson, who splashed him in retaliation.

"Alright, alright." Sirius held up his hands in surrender. "Let's get to shore

and make sure no one's around, then I'll get this thing back to camp."

"Then we can eat?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yes, then we can eat. Come on, cub."

They swam a short distance before the lake began to shallow, and they

could walk the rest of the way. Sirius grabbed Harry into a one armed

hug and they trudged clumsily through the water.

"A very interesting looking device. I daresay with a bit of practice, you

might keep it in the air indefinitely."

Both Harry and Sirius looked up at the source of the voice, and Harry felt

his Godfather stiffen. The man was very obviously a wizard. There was

no way he could be with those soft blue robes covered in moons and

stars. The pointed hat, or the impossibly long snowy white hair and

beard. He wore half moon spectacles, and had a long thin crooked nose.

"Sirius Black, it has been a very long time. I'm very happy to see you

again. And you," The man said, now turning his attention to Harry.

"You have grown into quite the young man, Harry."

"Uh… thanks?"

Sirius relaxed slightly, but he still stepped in front of Harry, shielding

him a bit before pulling out his wand and aiming it at the newcomer.

"The last night we saw each other, what was it you said to me?"

"I said many things that night, but I stressed how very important it was

that Harry must be kept safe as he was the only one who was capable of

saving us all." the man smiled, his light blue eyes twinkling in the setting

sun.

Sirius slowly lowered his wand and stared at the man.

"How did you find us?"

"It wasn't easy. You cover your tracks well. Using Muggle transport

instead of portkey. Very smart. My compliments."

"The less magic I do, the harder I am to track, I figured."

"Very wise. Perhaps we should allow you both to get out of the lake, and

maybe have some dinner. We have a great deal to discuss."

Harry followed his godfather, a very puzzled expression on his face. Once

he was on the shore he got a good look at the rather old looking wizard,

who was smiling brilliantly at him, obviously pleased to se the boy,

though Harry was quite sure he'd never met the man in his life. Still, he

seemed familiar, and for some reason, Harry felt he could almost trust

this man.

"Harry, I'm so sorry." Sirius said, turning to his godson. "This is Albus

Dumbledore.'

"You're Dumbledore?" Harry's eyes lit up with recognition. He'd heard

many stories about the great Albus Dumbledore from Sirius. He'd been

told that it was Dumbledore who helped Sirius get him away from the

house where his parents had died, and who had been helping them

through the years. Harry had often wondered about the man who had

taught not only his godfather, but his mother and father as well.

"It's an honor, sir."

"No, I believe the honor to be mine, Harry… If I may call you Harry?"

"Oh, yes sir."

Sirius urged them to hurry along and soon Harry had changed out of his

wet clothes and was sitting in front of a small fire while Sirius threw

some steaks onto a grill as well as a couple of cobs of corn while

Dumbledore conjured a rather comfortable looking chair to sit in.

"You never answered my question, Albus." Sirius said without looking at

the old man. "How'd you find us?"

"I went to your house in Salem. Headmistress Blaylock informed me that

the autumn break had just begun, and I hoped to catch you there. I was

clearly too late. However, I did see a few notes regarding camping and

hang gliding adventures in New Mexico. I felt it would be wise to at least

take a look."

"I knew I forgot to burn those notes." Sirius chided.

"I doubt anyone else would have thought much of it. Try not to beat

yourself up too much." Dumbledore smiled lightly. "This is a very

beautiful area. I must admit I have never had the opportunity to visit

America. I am quite impressed."

"Sir, If I may ask, why have you come? I mean, I'm really excited to meet

you, but I kind of thought that… well…" Harry asked, looking nervously

from Dumbledore to Sirius, both who looked rather grave.

"How much do you know of what led to you living with Sirius?"

Dumbledore countered Harry's question.

"Everything, I think. My parents went into hiding from Voldemort

because he'd threatened to kill me. They trusted the wrong person, and

Wormtail betrayed their location. Voldemort killed them and that you

found me right before Sirius showed up, and you asked him to hid me."

"You've hidden nothing from him." Dumbledore looked to Sirius who

stared defiantly back at the old headmaster.

"I swore that I'd never hide anything from him. I've always been honest

with him when ever he asked me anything. When it was time for him to

attend school, he wanted to go to Hogwarts like his parents and me, but I

explained that we felt it wasn't safe."

"I see." Dumbledore smiled softly. "Well it seems that fate has other ideas

for us. This year, Hogwarts is hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"Really?" Sirius sat up a bit straighter. "I thought it was banned after so

many people died?"

"It had been, but certain people felt that the time was right to bring it

back. Better safety precautions have been established, and age

requirement of seventeen was implemented."

"What does this have to do with Harry?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow.

"Harry's name emerged from the Goblet of Fire. I have come to bring him

back to Hogwarts so he may compete."

There was a long pause while Dumbledore's words sank in. It was Harry

who found his voice first.

"Um, how is that possible?" Harry asked, looking quite confused. "It was

my understanding that everyone believed I was dead."

"That is just one of the major questions we have been unable to answer."

Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps you should turn those steaks?"

Sirius shook himself and went to tending their supper before it became

little more than ash. He and Harry listened attentively as Dumbledore

explained how Harry's name had emerged from the Goblet of Fire and the

resulting discussion between the Headmasters and someone named

Barteimus Crouch and Ludo Bagman. Dumbledore did his best to make

both Harry and Sirius understand that this was not how he had hoped to

reintroduce Harry to his homeland, but that there was very little choice.

"So, Even though I didn't enter myself, I still have to compete in this

thing or risk losing my magic?"

"This is ridiculous, Albus. He's not ready for anything like this?"

"Hey!" Harry said, looking a bit dejected.

"Harry, I've seen you do some really great stuff, and you've worked really

hard in school, but you are only fourteen, and have yet to learn much of

what you'll need for this tournament. I know that you are capable , but

you're still untrained, for lack of a better word." Sirius said, hoping to

placate his godson. Harry simply glared at his godfather.

"Sirius is right." Dumbledore smiled. "What is being planned is going to

be quite difficult, and not to insult you, but it is unlikely that you would

truly be able to perform adequately enough. Still, we have no alternative.

I have tried to find some sort of way to get you out of this predicament

without losing your magic. Unfortunately The power of the Goblet of Fire

is quite binding. I have already explained our predicament to your

Headmistress and arrangements are being made for your return."

"I'm going to Hogwarts?" Harry asked excitedly. "I'm really going to see

Hogwarts, and walk through the halls?"

"And attend the classes, yes." Dumbledore smiled at the boys excitement.

Clearly the boy wished to attend the school where his mother and father

had met, been educated, and fell in love. Given how the boys life had

turned out, Dumbledore could not blame him.

"So, he'll be attending Hogwarts this year?" Sirius asked, still rather

confused on how this had all happened. His sole concern was for Harry's

safety.

"Yes, though he will still be registered as a student of Salem Academy of

Magic, he will attend classes at Hogwarts. Perhaps, after this year is

finished we may enroll him into Hogwarts properly, if that is Harry's

wish." Dumbledore said with a grin at the teen's faraway look.

"And what about the tournament? How's he supposed to get through it?"

Dumbledore's grin faded almost at once and he turned to Sirius, who was

now pulling the steaks and corn cobs off the fire and Harry stood to get

plates and utensils. There was silence for a few minuets as Sirius dished

up food and Harry passed a plate to Dumbledore before taking his own

and returning to his spot in front of the fire.

"The rules are quite clear that the champions can not ask for help from

teachers or anyone of the judges. However, there is no rule that says that

the champions can not seek help from one another, or other students.

Perhaps Young Harry will be able to make new friends and they might

offer assistance. There is more than a few young people with very bright

minds who might prove to be helpful. I happen to know that the

Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory, is most anxious to make your

acquaintance. He will, I think, prove a most valuable companion."

"So Sirius can't help me." Harry began. Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not officially."

Harry missed a look that passed between the two adults, but did see that

Sirius relaxed quite a bit.

"But I can get help from other students?"

"The Champions, which include you, shall not know of the nature of each

task until the moment they are expected to begin. So, there is nothing

stopping a champion from research and perfecting their performance of

spell work. The Hogwarts Library brimming with books just full of

incredible magic, as I am sure your godfather can tell you, as he and his

school chums learned more on their own than they did in classes."

Harry grinned at Sirius, who was also smiling lightly, remembering many

hours spent researching spells, charms and potions that he and his friends

could use to cause all sorts of chaos in school.

"Will I be sorted?" Harry asked.

"No. Not while you are still enrolled at Salem Academy. Though, if at the

end of the year if you decide you would like to keep on at Hogwarts, then

you will be sorted." Dumbledore smiled as he shook his head. Harry seem

to deflate for a second.

"So where will he be staying then?" Sirius asked.

"Harry will have his own private room, with an attached bathroom."

Dumbledore explained.

"Sounds pretty great, but what about his protection. Once the country

knows that he's not only alive, but at Hogwarts, what's to stop any of

Voldemort's followers from trying to kill him?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore

gave a sad smile.

"Need I remind you that there is hardly any safer place in all of Great

Britain safer for someone to be than at Hogwarts. Though I must say

there is little reason to worry about as nearly everyone of Lord

Voldemort's followers have gone to ground …"

"Don't try condescending me. Remus told me all about that mess at the

World Cup."

"You still correspond with Remus Lupin?" Dumbledore sounded surprised.

"My only living friend? Of course. I've never told him where I was, but

we've written often over the years. I've been kept appraised of the

situation while he's been hunting down Peter."

"Ah, that explains a lot." Dumbledore nodded, and smiled. "That was why

he so readily took the job as Defense teacher last year."

"We thought that Peter might be hiding in the castle as a rat. He'd have

plenty of food, and loads of hiding places. So I sent Remus the map, and

the last word was that he had very nearly caught the swine."

"So, the traitor was right under our noses the whole time?" Dumbledore

asked, looking quite upset that he'd not been informed of this.

"No, as it turns out he was living with the Weasley family. Remus said

that Peter's name didn't appear on the map until the students arrived."

"That was why he came so quickly to Hogwarts. He was hoping to catch

your former friend before school started."

"That was our plan. Once the students were there, it was harder for

Remus to catch the bastard, but he finally nearly had him before

Christmas. Remus lost him in the forest." Sirius explained, and both men

looked upset, though for very different reasons.

"And what about Snape?" Sirius asked, changing topics. "Remus told me

that you've been letting that murderer teach all these years? You know

how he felt about Harry's family. You know that he all but swore that

he'd see James dead. You're going to let that coward teach children?

Teach Harry? That's just asking for trouble."

"Severus sacrificed more than anyone at the end of the war. He turned

spy for our side. If not for Severus, we might not have been able to save

the Longbottoms. I am sure that he has out grown such pettiness as a

school boy rivalry."

Sirius arched an eyebrow at Dumbledore, but chose not to respond. He

decided it would be better just to prepare Harry for anything Snape

might throw out him. Remus had made it quite clear that Snape had

changed very little over the years. Sirius hated to think of what he might

try to pull on Harry given that he was a nearly mirror image of his father.

"I have only one more question, Professor." Harry said, leaning forward.

The light from the fire made his young boyish face look almost devilish.

"What are the girls like?"

Sirius roared with laughter and rolled onto his back, holding his sides.

Dumbledore also chuckled mildly at the young man's query. Harry Potter

may be the only person who could save them from a future that

Dumbledore himself prayed would never happen, but he was also a

fourteen year old boy. Of course the only thing on his mind would be the

fairer sex.

For the next few hours, Dumbledore gave Harry an in depth history of

the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He pointed out certain rules that had been

placed on the current tournament to hopefully prevent the champions

from being permanently hurt. Harry tried several times to get

Dumbledore to tell him what tasks were planned for the tournament, but

the old Headmaster was very evasive on that subject.

Finally, Sirius told Harry to get to bed as they had a lot to do in the

morning to prepare for their move to Hogsmeade. Harry reluctantly rose,

and bade the two men good night.

As he lay down in the tent, Harry's mind was super charged with

anticipation. As he closed his eyes, he imagined a grand castle filled with

secret chambers and hidden passages where he and some nameless girl,

who strangely enough looked like a girl he'd been crushing on at his own

school, could hide away to make out.

"So what do you think is going on?" Sirius asked after an hour when he

was sure Harry was now asleep. Dumbledore looked pensive for a

moment.

Sirius had no illusions about Dumbledore showing up all of a sudden. He

at least suspected more than he'd been saying so far. Sirius had always

hated the way Dumbledore tried to handle everything on his own. Secrets

got people killed, and barely anyone knew that better than Sirius Black.

"Don't you dare try keeping this to yourself. You better start telling me

what the hell is happening."

"I suspect that Lord Voldemort has sent one of his followers, perhaps

Peter himself, to place Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. I believe there

might be a connection between Harry and Lord Voldemort. Tell me, has

Harry ever had pain associated with his scar?"

"A few times in the last three years. Although…" Sirius paused.

Dumbledore looked pointedly at the other man, waiting for Sirius to go

on.

"He… he woke up at school from a nightmare a few weeks ago." Sirius

said worriedly. "He said the dream was incredibly real to him. A voice

talking to two men that he didn't know, but from the description Harry

gave, I think one of them was Wormtail. He mentioned something about

a tournament. That's all I remember."

"Interesting." Dumbledore said, leaning back in his conjured chair. "Did

he describe the second man?"

"No, Harry said he couldn't see him very well. He said they were talking

to someone in a high backed chair, and he saw someone killed. A

muggle. Harry was quite sure that they were planning something, but he

was so freaked out, that he wasn't really sure what."

"How often has this happened, These nightmares?"

"First time that I can recall. He wrote me straight away when he awoke,

but it didn't seem that important to me. He had a few headaches during

his first year. He claimed they were centered around his scar, but neither

of us thought it was anything more than stress. They went away after his

first year."

"His first year, you say?" Dumbledore leaned forward, his hand stroking

his long white beard.

"Yeah, why? What happened?"

"Lord Voldemort possessed our Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher

that year. He was seeking the Philosopher's Stone."

"The Philosopher's? But I thought it was a myth." Sirius looked shocked.

"Oh no. It was quite real. It was given to me by Nicholas Flamel to be

destroyed, while he put his affairs in order. He felt it was long past time

to make his leave of this world. I had heard rumors of things that made

me believe that Lord Voldemort was at last gaining power once again. By

themselves, these incidents were trivial, meaningless. But together…"

"How did he manage to hide from you, How long was he in the school?"

"To be honest, no one had any reason to suspect Professor Quirrell. He

had returned from a sabbatical a little more skittish than he had been

before, but there were rumors of a breakdown. He was still a quite a

teacher. However, Severus noticed strange mannerisms that reminded

him of his former master. It was decided to set up a trap. Myself and the

other teachers prepared a serious of obstacles to lure Quirrell to the Stone

even though it had already been destroyed. Severus and I ended up

killing him. It was then that we learned the horrible truth that Lord

Voldemort had been possessing the man."

"Remus mentioned you had some trouble the year before he started, but I

had no idea…" Sirius began, but Dumbledore chuckled.

"I believe Remus was referring to the reopening of the Chamber of

Secrets. A diary found it's way into the hands of a young girl. The diary

was something… sinister, and the young girl had become possessed.

Fortunately, the girl found the courage to come to me and admit that she

was behind the trouble. No one was seriously hurt, only three

petrifications, and we were able to heal them all."

"What was in the Chamber?" Sirius asked, but Dumbledore shrugged.

"It was never reopened, and the poor girl could not remember what the

creature might be." Dumbledore sighed. "We don't even know where the

chamber is."

Silence fell over them again, disturbed only by the choir of cicadas and

the crackle of the fire.

"So how are you planning to protect Harry?" Sirius finally asked.

"There is little I can do. The Tournament has a great number of risks that

every…"

"Not from the tournament." Sirius corrected. "Wormtail can obviously

sneak in to the castle whenever he wants. What's to stop him from getting

inside and making off with Harry, or worse, killing him in his sleep?"

"I do not believe that Harry will be harmed. I suspect there is something

greater being planned for him. Why put him in the tournament

otherwise? No, I fear there is something else being arranged. I only hope

that I can figure out what it is before it's too late."

"I'm coming." Sirius said softly but with determination. "I'll get a house in

Hogsmeade so I'm close if I'm needed."

"I have already arranged a suitable house for you both. Everything has

been taken care of. Since Harry will be in school, I hope that you might

help me by trying to discover where your former friend is hiding.

Between you and Remus Lupin, I have great faith that you might locate

him, and we can stop whatever plot he and his associates are staging."

"Sounds like fun." Sirius grinned maniacally.

"I think it is time that we both get some rest. We have much to do

tomorrow so that Harry may start school on Monday."

"For once, I don't think he's going to be upset that we're cutting his

vacation short." Sirius chuckled, knowing Harry's enthusiasm to actually

go to the same school as his parents.

By Sunday evening, the entirety of Hogwarts was a buzz with

anticipation of the new arrival. Cedric had of course told his housemates

that the legendary Harry Potter was not only alive, but returning to

Hogwarts to compete. This news had spread over the weekend.

When Dumbledore arrived back at the castle late that night, he was met

by a few of his teachers who had not been privy to the conversation after

the champion's selection Friday evening. He had left quite early the day

before, and had only left a letter for his deputy Headmistress, informing

her that he would return the next evening.

"Albus, Is it true?" Minerva McGonagall asked, leading the other faculty

members. "The students are all talking about Harry Potter coming to

Hogwarts."

Dumbledore smiled at his friend and then turned to look at the other

teachers in turn. "A formal announcement will be made tomorrow

morning, and Young Mister Potter will be here in time for dinner

tomorrow evening where he will be introduced to the school."

"My gods." Squeaked Filius Flitwick, the diminutive Charms professor.

"We all thought he was dead. I mean, his body was never found. Did you

know…"

"Yes, I knew." Dumbledore sighed, leading the teachers into the castle.

"I've corresponded with his godfather over the years, and was kept

abreast of their movements."

"But why now?" Pomona Sprout asked curiously. "Why didn't he come

here sooner?"

"Safety." Dumbledore sighed again. He was tired after all the travel and

the other business he'd done that day. He desperately wished to get

something to eat and go to bed. "It was discussed at great length, and it

was decided for Harry's own safety, he should attend school elsewhere.

Somewhere he was not famous for doing something that he could not

only not remember, but would have no way to explain to anyone. It was

best to give him as normal a childhood as possible. However those plans

were torn asunder when Mister Potter's name emerged from the Goblet of

Fire."

"He's to compete?" McGonagall asked in sudden shock. The other teachers

all stopped suddenly at this revelation.

"That's what all that commotion was about." Flitwick said, snapping his

fingers. "After the Goblet of Fire ceremony, you and the other judges

stated arguing."

"it wasn't an argument, although Karkaroff thinks we deceived him

somehow." Dumbledore explained. "Mister Potter's name was entered

under a fourth school. As such, he will be representing his own school for

the tournament."

"Wait a minute." Sprout waved her hands in front of her, as if waving

away smoke. "How can the boy compete? If memory serves me correctly,

he isn't seventeen yet."

"That is correct, Yet, he must compete. His name emerging from the

Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. Harry potter must

compete, or lose his magic. Now, I'm afraid I must get some rest. We will

speak more about this tomorrow. Good night."

They had arrived at the gargoyle which guarded the Headmaster's office,

and subsequently, his living quarters as well. Dumbledore bade them all a

pleasant evening and went to his office. He was quite surprised to find

Severus Snape awaiting him there.

"Severus, I am very tired. Can this wait until morning?"

"Thirteen years, and you never once thought to tell me Lily Evans son

was alive?" Snape hissed. He glared at the Headmaster through a curtain

of long greasy black hair.

"Would it have changed anything?" Dumbledore asked, slipping off his

traveling cloak. "Would you have been able to let go of your hatred of

James Potter, or his friends and lived a good life? Would the knowledge

that the child survived made you try to be a better man? Tell me, what

would that knowledge have changed in you?"

"Does he…" Snape began, looking away from the headmaster. "Does he

look like her?"

"Only in the eyes. Other wise, he is the spitting image of James Potter."

Snape hissed. "Wonderful. It'll be like Potter has returned from the great

beyond, mocking me at every turn."

"Are you so certain? Perhaps he has more of his mother in him than his

father. You simply can not judge the boy before getting to know him. In

fact, I would think, given what his teachers at Salem Academy say about

him, you might even find him engaging. He has received top marks in his

transfiguration, Charms, Defense and Potions work over the last three

years."

Snape seemed to bristle at this information, and turned back to

Dumbledore. "Where has he been all this time? Who was taking care of

him?"

"Are you concerned about his well being because you wish it was you I

entrusted to care for him?"

"Certainly not!"

"Then why ask me about his upbringing at all?"

"Just tell me."

Dumbledore sighed, knowing full well what was about happen. Bracing

himself for the explosion, he looked his potions teacher in he eye. "Sirius

Black was taking care of him. He is the boy's godfather after all."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER LOVING MIND!" Snape roared. "What

could you have possibly been thinking? Black? The most irresponsible,

immature, self centered man to ever have walked this earth, and you let

him run off with lily's child?"

"SEVERUS!" Dumbledore shouted the man down. "There is simply nothing

you can do to change things, so ranting like a lunatic will not help. I am

tired, and have been traveling most of the day. I would like to rest.

Tomorrow, you will be introduced to the boy along with the rest of he

school. For now, I suggest you continue with your duties."

Dumbledore motioned for the door, and Snape just stared coldly back.

After a moment, Snape's shoulders sagged a bit and he left, muttering

under his breath.

Exhaustion settled onto the Headmaster, and he sighed for the millionth

time.

"There is no doubt about it," He contemplated. "This is going to be a very

interesting year."

The floo flared green and bright and a man with graying sandy blonde

hair stepped out into the small cottage. He was immediately gathered up

in a bone crushing hug from a man he'd not laid eyes on in thirteen

years.

"Remus, it is so good to see you again, my friend!"

Remus Lupin held tightly onto the last living Marauder, at least in his

mind. Sure, Peter was still alive, but as far as the two men holding tightly

to one another now, he was dead to them.

"The years have been most kind to you." Remus chuckled, messing Sirius'

hair a bit.

"And to you." Sirius replied, leading his friend to the kitchen for a drink.

"Found a hot young witch to uncage your inner wolf?"

"Oh, ha ha. I see that parenting has not matured you in the least." Remus

replied with a wry smile as he sat down. "Speaking of which, where is

he?"

"Unpacking. He's rather confused and a little nervous."

"I expect. What happened anyway? I was sure you weren't going to return

until after Harry graduated Salem Academy."

Sirius went into a long explanation about how Dumbledore had found

them, and all he knew of Harry's name suddenly emerging from the

Goblet of Fire, as well as all the suspicions the old man had shared

regarding it's purpose. Remus listen closely, waiting to ask his questions

when Sirius finished. Before he could however, a slender built teen with

messy black hair entered the kitchen.

"Harry, I'd very much like you to meet Remus Lupin." Sirius said,

introducing the ragged looking man sitting at their table.

"Moony?" Harry asked, his slightly tired looking eyes opening wide in

delight. "Oh, this is so cool!" Harry said, reaching for the man's hand. "I

have so many questions to ask."

"Calm down, Harry." Sirius laughed. "Remus isn't going anywhere just

yet."

"It is truly an honor to see you again after all this time." Remus smiled

cheerfully. Harry smiled and took a seat at the table, grabbing a bottle of

butterbeer on his way.

"So you're going to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" Remus

asked, a look of worry crossing his face.

"I suppose I have no choice.' Harry sighed. "Dumbledore said since my

name came out, I had little choice."

"I'm more interested in how you name got in that cup to begin with."

Sirius grimaced.

"You think it was Wormtail?" Remus asked, and Sirius nodded.

"He knows the castle, and with his rat form, it would be quite easy for

him to slip into the castle and slip out again unnoticed."

"Maybe, maybe not. Dumbledore has Moody teaching Defense this year.

You know how paranoid that man is. There's rumor that he has ways to

tell if animagi are around. I don't know if it's true or not, but I rather

think what ever he might have set up goes crazy whenever McGonagall

does her demonstrations."

Sirius laughed at that remembering fondly that it was McGonagall's

demonstration that had led to himself, Wormtail, and Harry's father to try

and become animagi themselves. He also knew Alastor moody, having

worked with him shortly before the war came to an end thirteen years

ago, and the man had been… well, paranoid was the nicest way of

putting it.

"Speaking of Hogwarts, I brought this.' Remus smiled, pulling a folded

piece of parchment out of his pocket. Sirius' eyes lit up at once as he took

it and examined it fondly, before turning and handing it to his godson.

"I think you have the most use for this."

Harry took the parchment, and looked at it strangely. "Uh, what is it?"

"That, my boy, is the key to the castle. Nearly every secret passage,

hidden room and the location of every single person at any given time.

That is the Marauder's map."

"No Way!" Harry exclaimed, opening the parchment in excitement and

then frowning when he saw that it was blank. "Is this another lame joke?"

"Perhaps you should tell him how to activate it." Remus grinned at the

boy's indignance.

"I guess so." Sirius smiled. He slipped his wand out of his wrist holster

and tapped the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, the map appeared and showed Harry the glory of the castle he

was about to enter. There before him was every level of the ancient

fortress, and hundreds of names upon moving dots. He saw that

Dumbledore was in his office, while someone named filch was chasing

after two names, Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil. Professor McGonagall

was walking along a corridor on the second floor and Professor Vector

was standing very close to Professor Babling.

"This is so cool." Harry grinned.

"Just remember to deactivate it when your done." Remus said, taping his

own wand to the parchment. "Mischief Managed."

"Thank you. This is going to come in so handy." Harry grinned.

"Harry's planning on snogging every single girl he possibly can this year."

Sirius remarked, causing Harry to blush slightly. "Course it won't be too

terribly different from his own school. Last year I got several letters from

the Headmistress about him exploring broom closets."

"That was totally innocent." Harry protested, but Sirius merely grinned,

and Harry caved a bit. "Well, most of it was."

"Well, just be careful." Remus warned. "Try not to let girls make you

forget what you need to focus on. Along with classes, you need to

prepare for the tournament as much as you can."

"But I don't even know where to begin." Harry sighed, folding the map up

again. "I don't even know what the tasks are, and as much as I tried,

Dumbledore wouldn't tell me a thing. I mean, I shouldn't even be in this

stupid thing." Harry sighed, ruffling his own hair.

"I just noticed something, I figured Harry would have had James' vision

issues." Remus said suddenly. Sirui grinned, and nodded.

"He did."

"So why's he not wearing glasses?"

"Laser surgery." Harry smiled.

"Laser what now?" Remus looked between the two men in confusion.

"Really, Remus, are you living in the dark ages? The muggles have done

things with medicine that are simply amazing. They were able to fix

Harry's eyes with a laser. No more glasses sliding off his face when he

dueled or flew." Sirius grinned.

"And the girls love it. They can really see my smoldering eyes." Harry

said, sitting back in his seat, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Here was a

pause before Remus and Sirius roared with laughter.

"He is most definitely James' son!" Remus said gasping for breath, wiping

tears out of his eyes.

The three talked some more, with Remus sharing a few embarrassing

stories about Sirius and a girl in their fifth year. Sirius tried repeatedly to

argue that the story had been embellished, but Remus offered to show his

memories of the event in question, which promptly quieted Sirius

protests.

Finally, Sirius sent Harry off to bed as he was supposed to report to

Hogwarts in the morning. Harry asked Remus when they'd meet again,

and Remus informed Harry that he would be around as much as possible.

Once Harry left for bed, the two old friends caught up on lost time,

talking late into the night about as much that had happened while they'd

been apart before Sirius offered his old friend the spare bedroom for the

night. Remus took his old friend up on the offer, not wanting to miss

seeing Harry off to Hogwarts.

3. Chapter 3

Hey Friends! I want to thank everyone for their awesome reviews,

none of my other stories even came close to the amount of response

this one has gotten so far, and we're only two chapters in. So

Thanks.

Now, I want to thank everyone for suggesting their favorite

pairings. You all gave me a lot to think about. So real quick I want

to say that neither Fleur nor Daphne made the cut and here's why.

I've done the Daphne thing and need a break. Though she will be in

this story, she will not be paired with Harry, not even for a date.

Fleur was never a choice because I have something else in mind for

our favorite Veela. Plus, the differences in maturity levels would

never EVER be easy to write. At least not for me.

So, that being said, the girl who I've decided to pair Harry with will

actually be introduced in this chapter, and I hope you all like my

choice. Let me know either way, and as always, if you have a

question or concern, let me know and I'll do my best to ease your

mind.

And to the reviewer calling himself Timber, and anyone else who

pointed out that Dumbledore should have just put Voldemort's name

in the Goblet of Fire and not told him so he would lose his power, I

ask this of you... Where' be the fun in writing that story?

Now, on with the chapter...

Chapter Three

It was a very sleepy Albus Dumbledore who stepped into the Great Hall

on Monday morning. Traveling half the globe in a single day really took

it out of a wizard, and Dumbledore hated to admit it sometimes, but he

wasn't quite as young as he once was. He had hoped to get a good night's

rest, however, his conversation with his potions master, as well as the

underlying concerns with the coming new arrival, and the still

mysterious reasons for the boy to come out of hiding, had kept his mind

working, making sleep nearly impossible.

He stopped short when he noticed the noise in the Great Hall. It was not

yet seven o'clock, and the Great Hall was already full. Even the student

delegations from the visiting schools were already up and enjoying

breakfast. Well, they were eating breakfast at least. At once, Dumbledore

knew the reason. It was quite apparent as the noise level dropped to dead

silence when the students spotted him entering the Great Hall.

The old headmaster had to stifle the low chuckle as he made his way to

the head table. It was clear that the children would not be able to

continue eating, much less anything else until the ultimate question was

answered by the school's headmaster. He had planned on giving the

announcement when breakfast was nearly over, but it was clear that they

would not wait, and if he wanted a peaceful breakfast, he would have to

tell them the truth.

He happened to catch the eye of Ginny Weasley, who was sitting next to

Hermione Granger. Dumbledore had introduced the two himself not long

after Ginny had brought the cursed Diary to him, terrified that she was

going to be expelled for her hand in the debacle that had plagued the

first half of her first year. Dumbledore had recognized the girl's need for

a friend, and had observed that Miss Granger had become quite

ostracized for her intelligence. Dumbledore felt he had been right in

introducing the two girls. They had become very good friends if he wasn't

mistaken. He knew he wasn't/ Ginny often talked about the muggleborns

during their sessions

Both girls looked as if they might leap over the table and tackle him to

get the truth out of him. In fact, nearly every student looked ready to

attack him to find out if the rumor that had clearly spread throughout his

school in his absence was true.

So, he stepped up to the podium in front of the head table, and turned to

face the expectant faces.

"Good morning." He said, clearing his throat. "By now, you have all no

doubt heard that the Goblet of Fire chose a fourth champion. I have

already contacted our fourth champion, and made arrangements for him

to join us here at Hogwarts for the duration of the tournament."

He paused here, and watched as students turned to each other, breaths

held for the name they all knew was coming. Dumbledore had to admit

to feeling a bit wicked in making them wait, but, he had nothing more to

say to lengthen the suspense.

"I know that you've all likely heard who it is, and I am very pleased to

confirm that the champion from Salem Academy of Magic in America is

none other than Harry Potter."

There was a tidal wave of whispers and even a few students shouting if

the old headmaster was quite serious. Dumbledore allowed a moment for

the students to murmur and mull over this new piece of information.

After a few seconds, he went on.

"I ask you all to refrain from asking him about that fateful night thirteen

years ago. I have no doubt that any of you would wish to discuss such a

painful memory as losing family to complete strangers. Also, it is highly

unlikely that he has any memory of the events that took place. As he will

be attending classes with many of you, I ask that you treat him as you

would any other student. He is no different from any one of you. You will

all have the chance to meet him when he arrives this evening. Now, let

us carry on as normal. Thank you."

The Great Hall erupted in chatter, and Ginny Weasley turned to her best

friend Hermione Granger, her eyes as big as dinner plates.

"I can't believe it. Not only is he really alive like my Dad always said, but

he's actually coming here." Hermione had never seen Ginny so excited.

She was usually a bit more reserved than this, and it made her smile

softly.

"So now we'll have two famous wizards competing, Won't your brother be

so pleased." Hermione said wryly.

"Still stinging from what he said the other night?" Ginny's excitement

ebbed away as she watched Hermione's smile fall away as well. It was no

secret to any one that Ronald Weasley, Ginny's older brother by a year

hated Hermione, though no one knew the reason. They had been enemies

since their first year. Hermione could not figure out what it was she had

done wrong, she had only tried to help him and he'd made her seem like

some ogre. He'd said some terrible things that had truly hurt the young

girl, and it had led to Hermione locking herself in a bathroom where she

had cried for hours, missing the Halloween feast.

That was the night a mountain troll had somehow found its way into the

school. Hermione still got the shakes when she thought about it. She was

incredibly lucky that Professor Flitwick had seen the troll enter the Girls

lavatory and heard Hermione's shrieks of terror. The diminutive Charms

teacher had made short work of the troll, and since then, Hermione and

Ron had been enemies.

Hermione tried to understand it. Fred and George Weasley were very

pleasant to her, and Ginny was an angel… well in comparison. Ginny did

have a bit of a wicked streak in her, but it was one of her most endearing

qualities.

"Look, forget about Ron." Ginny said quickly. "We have more important

things to worry about."

"Like my Runes assignment." Hermione smiled again knowing how Ginny

was going to react. As if on cue, Ginny gave a very frustrated growl and

rolled her eyes.

"Nooooo. We have to find away to be friends with Harry Potter so we can

lord it over Malfoy." Ginny replied condescendingly, rolling her eyes

again for emphasis. "I heard him bragging that he and Viktor Krum were

becoming the very best of friends. This would really piss him off."

"What about Harry's feelings?" Hermione looked affronted. "You're just

going to use him to make Malfoy jealous?"

"Of course not." Ginny look scandalized. "I also want to snog him if he's

really cute."

Hermione stopped short and stared at Ginny who was laughing

manically.

"You're mad, you know that right? Absolutely mad."

Ginny and Hermione were not the only girls discussing the reemergence

of the legendary Dark Lord slayer. At the Ravenclaw table, a group of six

girls were leaning in close and discussing the confirmation of the rumor

that had been going around, and what Harry Potter might be like.

"I saw a picture of him in Rise and Fall Of the Dark Arts." Su Li, and short

petite Asian girl with very long black hair said to her friends. "He was the

cutest baby, with the wild tuft of black hair."

Su Li could be considered the leader of her pack of friends, if she

subscribed to that sort of thinking. Su felt she was no better or no worse

than any of the other girls in her Ravenclaw class. But, she was the ring

leader in a sense.

"So he was a cute baby." Padma Patil shrugged. "That doesn't mean he's

Merlin's gift. For all we know he could make Crabbe and Goyle look like

models or something." Padma Patil was a bit taller than Su and also had

very long black hair, due to her Indian ancestry. Though she was nearly

identical to her twin sister Parvati, Padma was a lot more practical, and

not nearly as giggly, or gossipy.

"Whoa!" Lisa Turpin said, waving her hands wildly. "There is no one on

this earth, or even this plane of existence that hideous. Even if Potter was

horribly scarred, he'd still be much better looking than those over grown

apes."

Lisa was tall for her age. She was the tallest girl in her year. The trouble

with that was she hadn't really begun developing in any other way. Her

mother kept telling her that she was going to be a late bloomer, as she

had been, but Lisa felt that this was late enough. She had shoulder length

blonde hair that she usually kept tied in a loose ponytail, or braided. She

was often the voice of reason, and the other girls usually came to her first

when they had a problem because she was an incredible listener, and

didn't pass judgment, no matter what the situation.

"Ok, true." Padma consented. "But what does his looks matter if he's as

dumb as a rock? Who wants a boy that you can't even have a

conversation with?"

"How good a kisser is he?" Eloise Midgen smiled. The other five girls

laughed at her joke and she smiled back. Eloise was a very sweet girl,

though she had a definite weight issue, and a really horrible war going

on with acne. She was also incredibly boy crazy, which made for some

very interesting conversations late at night in the dorms. Eloise had an

older sister who was quite experienced apparently and often passed on

stories to her younger sister, who was more than happy to share with her

friends.

"Can I be the first to find out?" Morag McDougal laughed, raising her

hand. The rather athletically built girl had a very pretty face with a

smattering of freckles across her button nose. She had light strawberry

blonde hair cut in a very cute pixie like style.

"I thought you were going after Kevin?" Su asked, glancing down the

table where the boy in question was discussing something with his friend

Anthony Goldstein.

"Well, yeah. But we're not engaged yet." Morag smiled mischievously.

"Or even together." Eloise pointed out.

"Details!" Morag shouted her down. "The point is, A girl is allowed to

change her mine, and if Potter strikes my fancy, why should I not allow

him the pleasure of kissing me."

The girls all laughed again at this, and Morag simply smiled self

righteously.

"All kidding aside," Mandy Brocklehurst said, looking up at the head table

and then back at her dorm mates, her chestnut hair falling over her face a

bit. "We can speculate all we want, but none of it matters, we'll all see for

ourselves tonight. What I think we should be wondering is if we'll have

him in any of our classes. I mean, what year is he in. I know he's not a

seventh year."

Many was very different from her five outgoing friends. She was reserved

and soft spoken. It was nearly the end of their first year before anyone

had heard her speak. She was thinner than Morag, but just as tall.

Though it was Padma who had begun developing breasts first, Mandy's

chest was larger. However, despite how noticeably attractive she was, her

shyness prevented her from doing a lot. Unbeknownst to her, her five

friends had been conspiring during the summer to try and bring her out

of her shell this year, even if it killed her.

"No, you're right." Lisa said pointing a half eaten piece of toast at her

friend. "He was born the same year as me, so he's at least a fourth year."

"Wait a minute." Su said, holding up a hand. "How can he even compete

in the tournament? I thought the judges made it so only people of age

could enter."

"How did his name even get in the Goblet of fire?" Eloise asked pointedly.

"He wasn't even here to submit his name. And let's not forget that

everyone believed he had died, right?"

"It's all really strange." Padma admitted.

"Too right it is." Su said. "Come on, we'd better get to class. I'm just

telling you all right now, so you don't try anything funny, I'm going to be

snogging Potter first."

"Yeah right." Lisa grinned. "Even if he's a complete troll?"

"He's Harry Potter." Su said as if this closed the matter. "I'll be able to tell

everyone that I snogged him."

Luna Lovegood watched her housemates walk by, still laughing about

making time with the famous Harry Potter. It was truly amazing how

much one could hear, especially when others thought you beneath their

notice.

Luna was a vibrant girl with long dirty blonde hair that fell nearly to her

waist and large protuberant blue eyes that gave her a very dreamy

expression. Everyone called her "loony" an image she did nothing to

dissuade. It was almost Slytherin like in the way she held onto that

façade. It made it so much easier to really get a look at who people truly

were.

Luna found it fascinating that the girls would be so interested in getting

physical with a boy they'd never seen much less talked to. It made Luna

wonder idly if maybe kissing Harry Potter might imbibe the recipient

with special power, or give them second sight, or any number of abilities.

This was of course ridiculous, but one could never be sure about

anything, as her father would often say.

Luna was most intrigued by the idea that Harry had not only survived

that fateful night thirteen years ago, but had been hidden. This was a

very curious bit of information. The Dark Lord had been vanquished,

hadn't he? Without a leader his followers had been rounded up or hid

themselves away, and Harry would have been protected and cared for, so

why was the magical world led to believe that he had died?

What also puzzled her was a question her housemates had posed. Why

was Harry even being allowed to compete in the tournament age limit

had been set at seventeen? Why were they making an exception, unless

Harry was the second coming of Merlin himself, and the Ministry wished

to show off Harry like some sort of trophy. But then again, why was he

hidden all this time?

Luna wondered if Harry himself knew the answers to these questions.

Unfortunately, she was going to have to wait just like everybody else at

Hogwarts for her answers.

Getting to her feet, Luna hefted her school bag and headed off to the

greenhouses. She hoped Ginny Weasley was saving her a spot. She really

liked Ginny, she made classes so fun.

"Eet is exciting, out. But is also unfair." Fleur said forcefully as she and

her best friend Claudia followed the other Beauxbaton students to the

carriage. "Zis tournament has become nothing more than a circus that we

now have no choice but to participate in."

"How can you believe zat?" Claudia asked.

"No one was told of a fourth champion. And if I am not mistaken, zis

Harry Potter is not even of age. I overheard zat mister Bagman saying

that he was thirteen or fourteen. He is barely older than Gabrielle."

The girl in question looked at her sister, who had clearly forgotten that

she was right beside her, and glared.

"Excuse me." Gabrielle said, her voice dripping with venom. "I may be

thirteen, but we both know that I am quite capable of..."

"I am not insulting you, Gabby. I am simply stating that someone of your

age is not ready to participate in such an contest. I am seventeen, and I

do not believe myself ready for such trials. It feels like this is some big

production for something else."

"Madam Maxine does not seemed to be worried over zis development, i

do not see that you should be either. Besides, what can you do?" Claudia

asked, looking bored with the conversation.

"Nothing." Fleur said simply, though she clearly looked upset. "I will

simply have to do my best and bring home the Tri-Wizard cup for dear

Beauxbaton."

Gabrielle simply smirked at her sister's bravado. She had little doubt the

other two champions were not boasting their claims of winning at this

very moment as well.

"You've asked that question six times now." Susan Bones smiled at her

dreamy eyed friend, Hannah Abbott. Susan had deep red hair and a very

ample bosom. She had a very pale complexion and big bright brown eyes.

Her friend, Hannah was blonde, though built very similar, though slightly

taller.

"Yeah but come on." Hannah said. "We've both seen the pictures of his

dad, and he was a pretty good looking guy, and his mother was gorgeous.

Not to mention what a cute baby he was."

"Yes, and I already said that I'm more than a bit curious. But let's be cool,

and not fall all over him like some air headed fan girl. Do you really

think that will impress him? Besides, every single girl in this school is

going to be thinking the same way you are. He's just another boy until he

proves otherwise, so stop drooling and let's get to class before

McGonagall has kittens."

"What do you think Professor Sprout wanted with Cedric?" Hannah posed

the question as the rounded the corner that lead to the Transfiguration

courtyard and their first class.

"I don't know, I wasn't close enough to hear, but did you see his face? He

looked really nervous." Susan remarked.

"It's probably something to do with the tournament." Hannah shrugged. "I

can't wait to se Cedric in action. Maybe we'll get lucky and his shirt will

get ripped off in the first task."

"Oh my gods, you are so obsessed." Susan look scandalized. "You see him

one time… ONE TIME without his shirt and it's all you can talk about for

nearly two years."

"Trust me." Hannah said, grabbing her friend's arm, if you had seen what

I saw you'd feel the same way."

"What ever. Come on we've got to…" Susan stopped short when she saw

the two men and a boy with black hair heading down the corridor

towards them. The first man had shoulder length black hair and a well

trimmed goatee. The second man she recognized from the previous year.

It was their former Defense teacher, Professor Lupin.

"Hannah." Susan hissed, her eyes glued to the boy between the two men.

Susan felt Hannah's grip tighten on her arm and knew that she must be

thinking the very same thing. They were looking at Harry Potter.

He was a bit taller than the both of them, thin, but no too skinny. His

hair was raven black and short and rather messy looking, though it was

rather charming. He was looking into the courtyard, a soft smile on his

face. He had a thin red scar on his forehead just over his right eye that

looked a lot like a bolt of lightning. As he got closer to the two of them,

he turned and caught their eyes, and gave a warm, appreciative smile as

he passed, even turning to look at them over his shoulder. Both Hannah

and Susan were instantly enthralled by those sparkling emerald green

eyes, and neither of them took a breath as he passed them.

Both girls were deathly silent as the trio passed and when the men were

out of sight, the girls let out a long slow breath.

"Ok." Susan said softly. "He's hot."

"Oh yeah." Hannah agreed.

It was a few seconds before they remembered they were supposed to be

in class, and ended up slipping into McGonagall's class just as the bell

rang. it wouldn't be until lunch that they would learn that they were the

first Hogwarts students to set eyes on the new arrival.

Dumbledore finished his breakfast quickly, and just before he left the

Great Hall, asked Professor Sprout to send Cedric Diggory to see him

after the meal, excusing him from classes for the day.

Dumbledore had thought it would be a good idea for Harry to have a

guide around the castle for a few days, and felt it best it be the Hogwarts

champion, as they would have at least something in common. He was

also hopeful that Diggory might introduce Harry to some of the fourth

year students, and Cedric was very popular and had associations in every

house, one of the few students who did. Dumbledore didn't wish Harry to

only befriend children from one house, as seemed to be the case with

most of his students.

Dumbledore wondered just what the student populace might be feeling

now. Harry Potter, The hero who vanquished the Dark Lord, was long

believed dead, though he had been celebrated as a hero. Dumbledore had

actually heard a few of the bedtime stories that these children had likely

heard growing up after the war. While none of the tales Dumbledore had

heard painted Harry as some sort of god like being, they did manage to

make the child look quite powerful and brave. Dumbledore had always

feared that that sort of thing might be too much for the boy. He could

have become over confident and reckless, trying to live up to his legend.

Or, he might have gone the other way, and tried to use that fame to get

his heart's desire, eventually succumbing to greater temptations, and

forever losing himself to darkness.

The boy he had met only two days ago was humble, and charming, in his

way. He was exactly what one might expect a boy, only just fourteen to

be though Dumbledore could not deny the obvious influence of the boy's

godfather. Dumbledore knew that Harry was quite intelligent, and gifted

with magic. He had no doubt in his mind that the boy's godfather had

been teaching the boy from an early age, and Harry still had untapped

potential.

But, Harry was still a boy, and deserved to have as normal a childhood as

could be afforded to him. It was for this reason that Dumbledore was so

frustrated at the situation. No one should have known the boy was alive.

Not until it needed to be known.

The answer to the puzzle was there, just out of reach. Dumbledore hoped

that perhaps after Harry was at the school, something would happen that

would give Dumbledore the answer he sought, and with luck, before it

was too late to prevent what the old headmaster feared had been

building since that Halloween night.

A knock upon his office door broke him from his thoughts and brought

him back to the present.

"Enter." He called, and was unsurprised to see Cedric Diggory, along with

his Head of House, Pomona Sprout.

"Ah, Mr. Diggory, Thank you for coming. I have a favor to ask of you. I

intend to excuse you from all classes today so that you may play tour

guide and host for Mister Potter. I would like you to show him the

grounds, and the castle. I wish for him to be kept away from the rest of

the students as much as possible, at least until dinner this evening."

"Of course, Professor.' Cedric said with his customary half smile. "But,

why me?" Surely someone closer to his age would be more appropriate."

"Perhaps. But, you and Harry have at least one thing in common. You are

both Champions in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I hope that during the

day, you might find more things in common, and perhaps even form a

friendship. You will of course remember what I told you this Friday last?"

Cedric nodded, and Dumbledore smiled. Another knock came and upon

Dumbledore's word, the door opened, and Cedric got his first look at the

boy of legend.

Cedric was thoroughly gob smacked.

He didn't exactly know what the vanquisher of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-

Named would look like, but never in his life would he have expected

anything like what came through the Headmaster's door.

He was about average height for any fourth year boy, with a thin build,

and a light complexion. He had a mop of thick black hair that stuck out

here and there as if he'd only just awoken and neglected to comb it. His

eyes were a startling green, that roamed the office in excited curiosity,

and a thin lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, hovering above his

right eye.

"Ah, very good, right on time." Dumbledore smiled, rising from his desk

to shake hands with both Harry and the two men who'd entered with

him, who Dumbledore introduced as Sirius Black. Cedric had already met

Remus Lupin, but shook his hand anyway, happy to see the man once

again.

"Soory for our lateness, but Remus and I thought it'd be fun to give HArry

a quick tour." Sirius smiled at Harry, who was obviously enjoying the

Headmaster's office. He was trying to take in everything, from the

portraits of previous Heads, to the small table overflowing with tiny

silver instruments.

"Not to worry." Dumbledore smiled. "I imagine the two of you rather

enjoyed pointing out to young Harry some of the best places to hide

should he be looking to escape some diabolical prank."

Both Remus and Sirius blushed slightly, though they laughed at

Dumbledore's joke. At least, Cedric thought it was a joke.

Black was an interesting person, who after being introduced and shaking

hands with the Hufflepuff champion, then embraced Professor Sprout,

exclaiming how delightful it was to see her once again. Sprout blushed,

while claiming Black had not changed at all since he'd been at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore then introduced Harry to both Sprout and Cedric, and after a

quick explanation of his wishes for the two of them, allowed them to be

on their way, followed by Professor Sprout who had a class to teach.

"I'll ask Alastor to watch over him." Dumbledore said, watching Sirius

stare at the door where Harry and the older boy had left through.

"I have real faith in that kid, Albus, I really do. But he's not ready for

this." Sirius turned around to look at his old headmaster. "He won't sit

out, or half ass it either, it's not in his nature. He's just like Lily in that

respect."

"Ah, yes. I do remember how tenacious she could be.' Dumbledore smiled

fondly. "I will do my very best to protect him as much as I can, but I am

quite limited as I am one of the judges. But Alastor will be able to watch

him quite closely. You will be able to see him on the weekends, and

during the tasks. Also, as you are not a teacher, nor a judge, the both of

you will be able to impart any knowledge to him you feel beneficiary."

"Any clues on how this happened yet?" Remus asked.

"None I am afraid." Dumbledore sighed. "My best guess is that our mutual

friend Peter Pettigrew somehow found out about the tournament and

slipped into the castle and entered Harry's name."

"It fits except for one thing." Remus said flatly.

"He wouldn't have known Harry was alive." Sirius finished the thought.

"Not unless he was working with someone who did know, and until we

can find him and question him, I am afraid we are stuck." Dumbledore

said, steepling his fingers.

"So, do you have any ideas where out little rat friend might be hiding?"

Sirius asked, leaning forward in his seat, a glint of undisguised malice in

his dark eyes.

Hogwarts was far more spectacular than Harry had ever imagined it to

be. And at the same time… rather blander. He'd grown up hearing about

the magnificent castle and all it's wonders. As he walked alongside Cedric

Diggory, Harry was simultaneously awed, and let down. Yet, he was still

filled with excitement. He was in the heart of the setting for every single

story Sirius had ever told him. There were so many things he wanted to

see for himself.

Cedric was a very patient companion, taking Harry everywhere he asked

to be shown. The Whomping Willow, which Harry explained hid a secret

passage that led to the Shrieking Shack which was in fact not haunted at

all. The Great Hall where his father had made a fool of himself over and

over again trying to gain his mother's favor. The Astronomy tower, The

kitchens, The Restricted section of the Library, the hospital wing. All the

places he'd heard so much about while growing up, they were now being

shown to him to his great wonder and awe.

While they walked about, Harry and Cedric talked, and to the Hufflepuff's

great pleasure, found that Harry was a truly interesting guy. Not only

were they both champions in the tournament, but both played seeker on

their respective Quidditch teams. They even discussed the possibility of

putting together a pick up game in the coming weeks just for fun.

"Where's your race course?" Harry asked as they approached they

Quidditch pitch.

"What?" Cedric looked confused.

"You do have a broom race league right?" Harry looked as if Cedric were

putting him on.

"You have a race league in America?"

"Wait a minute." Harry halted, holding up his hands. "You're telling me

you don't have a broom racing league here? How can you not have

broom racing? It's amazing."

Harry then went on to explain all about broom racing and how exciting it

was and how he had landed himself a spot on Salem's team after a very

interesting quid ditch match.

"They use hoops similar to the ones in Quidditch, only a bit bigger and

there's a ton of them you have to fly through. If you miss on you get

docked in your overall time. It can get really physical, especially if a

bunch of you are together. I got knocked out of the air by Francis Barker

my second race. I spent two nights in the hospital while my shattered leg

was regrown. By the way, Skele-gro… poison. There's no other word to

describe it."

Cedric laughed at Harry's joke, and they walked around the pitch so

Harry could see how different it was to the one at his school. Cedric

himself was very intrigued to learn that Harry's school went all year

round. As Harry explained it, they stayed in classes for around three

months and then got two weeks off and then they returned. At the end of

August, they would sit exams and then, if they performed well, they

would be advanced into the next year.

"I think it's so we don't end up forgetting stuff when we can't practice for

three months at a time." Harry suggested when Cedric asked why Salem

Academy didn't have a summer break. They were interrupted in their

discussion when they came upon the tallest man Harry had ever beheld

in his life. Though he'd never met him in his life, Harry knew exactly

who he was looking at.

"You're Hagrid!" Harry said with amazement.

Hagrid turned around and appraised the young man before him.

"Aye, and who're yeh?" Hagrid said rather shortly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Harry smiled, offering his hand. "I'm Harry Potter, sir."

Hagrid's beetle black eyes widened as he reached out one of his trash bin

lid sized hands and shook Harry's.

"My word, are yeh really. Well it's a great pleasure to met yeh. Knew

your mother and father, I did."

"I know. My godfather Sirius Black always speaks very highly of you."

"Sirius Black you say, No kidding. I thought he died. No one's heard from

him since… well a long time." Hagrid beamed. Then a strange noise

made the mountain of a man turn suddenly.

"So sorry, but I have to prepare for me class." Hagrid said apologetically.

"What are you teaching this year, Hagrid?" Cedric asked, coming around

to see what it was making the strange noise.

"Blast Ended Skrewts." Hagrid beamed proudly.

"I've never heard of them." Harry admitted, looking at the strange lobster

like creatures.

"Very rare." Hagrid said, stuttering a bit. Harry thought he could just

make out a blush on Hagrid's cheeks, though there was so much hair, he

couldn't be sure.

"Well, I got to get ready fo' me next class. Harry, I'd really like it if we

could have tea some time. I knew your mother and father pretty well,

and I'd be happy the share some stories, and get to know yeh a bit better,

if you'd like tha is."

"I think I'd like that. Sirius said you were one of a kind." Harry smiled,

and Hagrid beamed again.

Hagrid puffed out his chest a bit and smiled. "Always did like tha Sirius."

Cedric and Harry said goodbye and continued on their way. The

conversation turned to the more colorful characters around the school,

especially the teachers and students.

The bell tolled, signaling the end of class. The halls suddenly filled with

students journeying towards their next lessons. Yet, everyone was talking

about Harry Potter.

"Do you think he's already here?" Tracey Davis asked, angrily flipping her

uncooperative auburn hair out of her face. She'd been at war with her

lock since the summer when her mother had insisted on giving her a

haircut. Tracey had wanted something special and her mother insisted

that she could do exactly as Tracey wanted. It had ended badly, and what

was worse was her mother refused to take her to Diagon alley to get it

fixed.

"I have absolutely no idea, do I." Daphne Greengrass said, holing her

books tightly to her chest and keeping a wary eye on Theodore Nott

who'd been eyeing her all through class as if she was something to be

conquered. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and turn to

look at her best friend. "But he'll be here at dinner so you'll just have to

wait until then."

Do you think he's coming with someone from his school, or by himself? I

mean, Dumbledore said he'd be attending classes with us, but the other

schools aren't coming to classes with us, so I was…"

Tracey ran into Daphne's arm, and grunted. She turned ready to

admonish her friend, but Daphne's usually stony gaze was gone replaced

by a rather dreamy expression. Well, dreamy for Daphne. Tracey turned

and followed her friend's gaze and found that she was staring at Cedric

Diggory who was talking to that horrible Cho Chang girl, and her curly

haired friend, who's name Tracey couldn't recall.

But more importantly was the boy standing next to Cedric, shaking hands

with the curly haired girl and smiling politely, nodding as he listened to

the girls and Cedric. Tracey's breath caught in her chest as she saw the

boy's eyes. Two perfect green orbs shone like emeralds in the sun, and

got impossibly bright when he laughed at something Cho said.

"Is that Potter?"

Pansy Parkinson had pulled up next to Tracey and Daphne and was

actually wrinkling her nose. Both Tracey and Daphne turned to looked at

the girl as if she were out of her mind. Pansy was looking Potter up and

down appraisingly, and obviously not liking what she saw. However,

,Millicent Bulstrode, who stood behind her, and being much taller than

Pansy looked as if Harry was a very tasty piece of chocolate and she was

starving.

"I don't see what's so special about him." Pansy shrugged.

"But I bet if he and Draco become friends, you'll be falling over yourself

just to get his approval, won't you." Daphne said loftily.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you Greengrass. You'll do well to

remember he offered you a chance to be his last year, and you scoffed at

him." Pansy smirked as if she had just won the non existent argument.

"As I recall, she kneed his jewels." Tracey said as though remembering

something very pleasing.

"Whatever." Pansy snorted. "Let's go Millie." Pansy commanded and began

to head for class.

"We'd better get going too." Daphne said, her icy mask falling back into

place. "If we hurry, we can walk by him."

Tracey didn't need any more encouragement, and as she passed him, she

actually caught his eye. He held her gaze, and gave a sweet smile that

actually made Tracey giggle uncharacteristically.

Daphne had far too much fun the rest of the day imitating the moment,

and Tracey vowed not to invite her to hers and Harry's wedding.

"I knew you were going to be popular, but I had no idea that girls would

be going out of their way to get a glimpse of you." Cedric grinned broadly

as he and Harry began heading into the Great Hall for an early lunch.

"I have to admit, I'm a little frightened by all the attention." Harry

admitted. "But at the same time, having so many girls smiling at you is

kind of cool. I noticed quite a few of them checking you out as well."

Cedric stopped short and looked at Harry, who shrugged.

"What? I thought you knew and were just ignoring it. Besides, with a girl

like Cho, why would you bother noticing anyone else."

"Good point, you mind if I use that if I get in trouble with her?"

"If you think it'll help." Harry smiled as they took their seats.

"Listen, at dinner tonight, Why don't you sit at the Hufflepuff table and

I'll introduce you to some of the people in your year. That way you won't

feel awkward with people staring at you. I mean, I know you can sit

wherever you want and all, but I thought it'd make things a bit easier for

you, you know?"

"Thanks. I'll do that. Can you tell me about some of them before I meet

them?"

Cedric began telling Harry all he knew of the nine fourth year kids of his

house. Harry listened as Cedric told him their names and a little about

each one. This conversation led to Cedric telling Harry about all the

fourth year students he knew of and it expanded to other students and

teachers culminating in a discussion about the penultimate Quidditch

team.

"If I could make the perfect team, I'd pull Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet

from Gryffindor, and Thomas Bradley from Ravenclaw for the Chasers,

The Weasley Twins as Beaters, My own Keeper, Regina Summers, and

myself as Seeker. I think that team would be unbeatable."

"Why no Slytherins? I thought you said they'd won the cup for the last

ten years." Harry asked.

"To be honest, I don't know if any of them have any real talent. You see,

they're extremely good at cheating. Ever since Draco Malfoy got on the

team two years ago, it's gotten really out of hand. I feel like there might

be some truly gifted players, but I've yet to see it."

"I'd be interested in seeing them play." Harry said. "Watching a team play

can teach you a lot about what kind of people they are. At least that's

what my godfather says. I wouldn't ever tell him this, but he's actually

right. Some one who has to cheat is obviously over compensating for

something else that might be lacking in their lives. I've actually seen it

for myself."

"Interesting theory. I might have to pay a bit more attention in the

future." Cedric admitted.

"Ok, so I've met your girlfriend Cho, and Marietta, who's pretty

scrumptious…"

"Scrumptious?" Cedric asked, trying not to laugh to hard.

"There was this guy at Salem who graduated last year, and he always

called pretty girls scrumptious. Some of us just started using it."

"I'm not sure, but I reckon Marietta might actually like being called

scrumptious."

"Well, I'd never say it to her face." Harry said, blushing. "She might kill

me. Anyway, what are the other girls like? Who do I need to check out?"

Cedric grinned broadly and the two boys began talking girls, a universal

subject for all teenaged boys. Harry was now on the edge of his seat as he

listened to Cedric talk about his girlfriend, Cho Chang, and her best

friend Marietta Edgecombe in more detail before mentioning other girls

like Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Lavender Brown,

Daphne Greengrass, Samantha Fawcett, Patricia Stimpson, Leanne King,

The Patil Twins, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Su Li, Sally Anne Perks,

and…

"Of course the Ravenclaws are the brainiest kids, but if you really need

help with your studying, you should find Hermione Granger. She's in

Gryffindor, but she is tops in her year, and she could put a lot of the

seventh years to shame."

"Is she pretty?" Harry asked, a roguish smile on his face, and Cedric had

to grin as well.

"Have I mentioned anyone I felt was not pretty?" Cedric chuckled, and

Harry smiled as well. He was really liking Cedric. He was so easy going.

In a lot of ways, he reminded Harry of Sirius.

"She's got a hair problem. I don't mean she's hairy all over or anything.

She's just got this untamable mess of curls. But I tell you what, by next

year, she's going to start breaking hearts around here and people who

made fun of her, like that complete idiot, Ron Weasley, are going wish

they'd been nice to her from the beginning."

"That's the fourth Weasley you've mentioned. How many of them are

there?" Harry asked. They were currently walking through the fifth floor

corridor and Cedric was showing Harry some interesting shortcuts

around the castle.

"Currently, there are four. The twins, Fred and George, though how you

tell them apart is beyond me. Good for a laugh those two. Always

manage to brighten any day. Last year after Gryffindor lost a match

against Slytherin, all the members of the Slytherin team showed up for

breakfast the next morning, and as they passed through the doors of the

Great Hall their clothes disappeared, but they were all wearing very frilly

ladies underwear. No one got punished for it, but everyone, including the

teachers I think, knew that Fred and George were behind it. They're

legends.

Anyway, Ron's next. He's in your year, I think. I really don't know a lot

about him other than he got in serious trouble for fighting two Slytherins

last year. And finally the youngest, Ginny, who's a third year, and

personally I think is going to be the school's biggest heart breaker if she

hasn't started already. She's fiery, and I don't just mean her hair. I saw

her do a really complicated hex on someone who insulted her friend on

the train. It was pretty damned wicked.

"Any people I should avoid?" Harry asked.

"I can't tell you that. I think you should be friends with whomever you

want. There's a lot of house division, which I can't figure out. I don't

know why people think they should only associate with people in their

own houses. By sixth year, most people figure it out for themselves, so

you se people in sixth and seventh year hanging out no matter what

house their in, but fifth year and below, especially Slytherin, more or less

isolate themselves. It's really stupid. The only person I might warn you

against is Draco Malfoy."

"You've mentioned that name a bunch. And every time it was something

negative. Is he really that bad?" Harry looked over, watching Cedric's

face. Sirius had taught him that you could learn a lot about people based

on their expressions. Right now it looked like Cedric was trying to find a

nice way to say some pretty bad things. The more time he spent with

him, the more Harry liked Cedric. This guy didn't seem to have a nasty

bone in his body. Plus, he was easy to talk to. Harry hoped they might

become lifelong friends like Remus and Sirius.

"Well, for one thing, his father, Lucius is pretty powerful. And petty. He's

got the Minister's ear, and whatever he wants done, he can make it

happen. They're extremely rich, and it's something Draco loves to lord

over people he believes to be beneath him, which is pretty much

everyone in the school, teachers included." Cedric explained as they

began heading back to the castle.

"Is Draco like really powerful or something? I mean magically?" Harry

queried as they took another secret passage hidden behind a portrait of

twelve friars making wine. This led to a staircase that emptied out on the

second floor right near the hospital wing.

"Not that I've seen. He threatens a lot, but I've never actually seen him

cast. As least, not while someone was facing him. He's an opportunist, to

be sure. Always makes sure the odds are in his favor."

"So he's a bully, then." Harry posed.

"No question."

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about him? Surely someone could put

him in his place."

"It's been talked about, but you remember me telling you about Professor

Snape?"

Harry nodded and Cedric smiled. "He's the Head of Slytherin house, and

he's quite biased towards the little snakes. I will say this for the man, he's

truly gifted at Potions, I just wish he was a better teacher. It's like he

leaves steps out of his directions so you're guaranteed to screw it up."

"Got it." Harry nodded.

"Ah, Mister Diggory and Mister Potter."

The boys turned to find A tall thin woman who Harry swore looked as if

she'd been sucking on lemons. She was very stern looking, though her

voice sounded friendly enough.

"I have been looking for you both for nearly an hour."

"I've just been showing Harry around, Professor. Harry Potter, this is

Professor McGonagall, she teaches transfiguration and is the Head of

Gryffindor House." Cedric smiled as he made the introductions.

"Professor, it's an honor." Harry said taking the thin hand of the

Transfiguration teacher. "You played pretty prominently in all of my

godfather's stories."

"of that I have no doubts, Mister Potter. I hope you do not share his or

your father's love for mischief making."

"Time will tell, I'm sure."

Cedric couldn't be sure, but he swore he saw McGonagall's lip twitch

towards a smile. But it was gone in an instant, and she simply stared at

Harry.

"I have been sent to collect you for the Headmaster. He wishes to speak

with you before you are introduced to the school. If you'd follow me.

Mister Diggory, you may head back to your common room if you'd like."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll see you at dinner, Harry."

Harry reached out a hand and shook Cedric's. "Thanks for everything,

Ced. Save me a seat."

"You got it." Cedric gave a small bow to the professor before turning and

heading away. Harry turned and began following McGonagall through

the halls. He'd seen so much of the school, but he still felt lost, much like

he had in his first few weeks at Salem. He knew that he'd eventually get

used to it, and he had no doubt that he'd make some friends who'd be

glad to help him out, so he wasn't too worried. Besides, he now possessed

that very handy map.

"How are you enjoying Hogwarts so far?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Too be perfectly honest, it isn't exactly how I pictured it. Sirius always

said it looked like this gleaming jewel, or however he put it."

"Aye, it was, and will be again. You see, Hogwarts thrives on the magic of

its students. Before the last war, this school housed thousands of students

compared to the roughly five hundred we have now. The generation born

during war. Many families were lost forever before the You-Know-Who

fell."

"Who?" Harry looked up suddenly, and McGonagall looked back in

surprise at the boy's expression.

"My word, I thought you knew. Dumbledore said that you had been told

all about the wizard who killed you parents."

"Oh!" Harry's eyes lit up with recognition. "You mean Voldemort."

McGonagall gave a strangled squeak, and stumbled a bit, much to Harry's

own shock.

"We do not speak his name." McGonagall said firmly, trying to get her

composure back.

"Why?" Harry asked looking thoroughly confused now. "It's just a name.

A really stupid one at that."

"I don't suppose you would really understand. Those were truly terrible

times."

"No, I get that. It's just that by being afraid to say a stupid name like

Voldemort," Harry noticed McGonagall stumble again. "Just gives it more

power over you, doesn't it? Besides, he's dead, so you're actually letting

his memory have power over you, and that's just plain idiotic."

"Hmm, It's no wonder why Dumbledore is so fond of you. You sound a lot

like him." McGonagall said with a sniff. "Termite Toffee."

Harry hadn't realized it, but they had made their way to the stone

gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office in hardly anytime at all.

"The Headmaster is expecting you. I shall see you at dinner, and in my

class. Good evening."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said as he climbed the spiral staircase and

knocked upon the Headmaster's door.

"Enter."

"Ah, Harry. How are you? Did you have an informative day?"

Dumbledore smiled as he rose from his seat.

"Yes, I did, sir thank you. Cedric was really nice and I met his girlfriend

and another girl as well. Cedric said he'd introduce me to some of my

classmates at dinner tonight."

"Very good, Very good indeed. Well, I thought I might show you to your

quarters and we might have a chance to speak. Then we shall go to

dinner. Is that acceptable."

"I'd be honored, sir."

"So polite. It's a very good quality to find in one so young."

"Sirius made sure to show me how using simple politeness and respect

can get you further in life. It also makes it easier to deal with unpleasant

people a lot of times." Harry said with a smile."

"That it does." Dumbledore nodded as he waved Harry towards the door.

"Sirius has a very good point. It may also give you a chance to

understand that unpleasant individual."

"He failed to mention that." Harry shrugged. "But it's gotten me out of a

few rather um… sticky situations at school."

"I see." Dumbledore smiled. "Well, I do hope that you do not find yourself

in any sticky situations here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled,

and Harry smiled.

"I think it's a bit late for that, don't you sir? I mean, I'm taking part in

what I'm told is a very dangerous tournament." Harry pointed out.

Dumbledore had to agree.

"Indeed. I wish for you to know how truly sorry I am that I could not fix

this for you. I did try to find some loophole, but the magic surrounding

the selection process is very old, and quite binding. I have every

intention of discovering who is behind this conspiracy and find out who

they knew you to be alive and hidden. In the mean time, I hope that you

work very hard to get through each task."

"It'd bee more helpful if I knew what the tasks were." Harry pointed out,

and Dumbledore nodded his agreement.

"I'm sure it would be most helpful, though I am bound to secrecy. As I am

also bound to be unable to assist you, which is most unfortunate.

However, You may ask your fellow champions for assistance as well as

any of your new friends. Sirius and Mister Lupin would be most willing

to help in anyway they can as well. Ah, here we are."

Harry saw a rather ornate door with a wrought iron knocker upon it.

"These will be your quarters while here at Hogwarts for the year. To set

the password, simply tap your wand to the knocker and whisper it. Then,

all you need do is say the password anytime you wish to enter. I do

recommend changing the password every few months. Now, I think it is

very close to dinner. Shall we?"

They turned and began heading back towards the Great Hall.

"Sir, I was wondering something. Well, I've wanted to know for a long

time, but Sirius never had the answer, and I was hoping that you might."

Dumbledore cocked his head and waited for Harry to continue.

"Why did Voldemort try and kill me that night?"

"What has Sirius told you on this subject?" Dumbledore asked and Harry's

shrugged.

"Only that my parents had to go into hiding and that Voldemort wanted

to get me. Then we were betrayed by Wormtail, and he found us. He says

it's a miracle that I survived and that no one has ever survived the killing

curse. But he never knew why it all happened."

"Interesting." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"What is?"

"Your godfather and father were as close as brothers. What is interesting

is that your father never told Sirius the reason they needed to go into

hiding. I had thought for sure that James would have confided in Sirius.

It is clear that he wished to protect his friend as much as he wished to

protect his family."

"But why, sir?"

Dumbledore sighed heavily. He stopped just short of the entrance hall

and turned to Harry.

"It is a very long story, Harry, and while it is clearly your right to know it

all, I'm afraid that now is not the time. But, I will make you a promise

right here. At the end of the year, you, Sirius and myself will sit down

together, and I will tell you everything I know of the events that led to

that night. I will even try and convince a few others who were involved

to join us as they will have unique insights that may help us unravel a

few mysteries. Is that acceptable to you?"

Harry's shoulders fell a bit, realizing he was not being dismissed and that

obviously everyone's concern was for him to make it through the year in

one piece. Harry wondered just how bad this story was, and thought that

it might be a good thing Dumbledore didn't wish to tell it to him just yet.

"Alright, sir. When the tournament is over, and done with, we'll speak

about this again."

Dumbledore offered his hand, and Harry took it. He felt a warmth rush

through him and realized that Dumbledore had just sworn to tell him

everything without speaking the oath. Harry's opinion of the man just

rose in leaps and bounds.

"Well then, I think it is time to formally introduce you to the student

body. I ask that you await the announcement, then you may come in and

take a seat. Enjoy your dinner, Harry."

And with that, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall while Harry awaited

to be introduced.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ginny pestered Hermione for nearly an hour to head down to dinner,

owing to the desire to get a really good seat, and being able to offer

Harry a place to sit when he arrived. Rumor had it that Harry Potter was

already in the castle. Both girls had heard a few stories about other

people who had seen Harry Potter in the castle. Ginny had overheard

some girls on her way to lunch say that they had seen him in the Charms

corridor. Hermione related that she heard Hannah Abbott and Susan

Bones telling some of their friends in Herbology that they had seen him

on their way to Transfiguration right after breakfast.

Hermione had been wondered all day what kind of person Harry Potter

might turn out to be. She hated to admit it, but she had very little hope

that he would be any different from any other boy she'd met. Ok, Neville

was ok, and Fred and George were nice enough, but most every other boy

was just plain mean. She had suffered their pranks and insults most of

her life and she just couldn't see how this new boy would be any

different. Her mother just sighed and shook here head whenever

Hermione spoke of these things. She would always tell Hermione that it

would all change, and she'd be beating them off with a stick soon

enough. Hermione really loved her mother, but she was clearly deluded.

Only pretty girls had that type of problem, and Hermione knew she

would never win any beauty contests. For Merlin's sake, she was still

waiting for her boobs to finally develop.

Ginny's whines were becoming more and more insistent and Hermione

finally grew tired of listening to every single new thought her friend had

over Harry Potter and agreed to go to dinner early, if only to quiet her a

bit. It turned out that Ginny wasn't the only one with the same idea. The

girls took seats across from Katie Bell, Leanne Simpson, Angelina Johnson

and Alicia Spinet who were already talking about the boy with Parvati

Patil and Lavender Brown sitting nearby, though they were talking to

each other.

"- jet black hair that's kind of messy, but she said it was really cute on

him." Katie was saying. The other girls were listening pretty intently. The

all looked dreamy eyed and silly, and Hermione sighed as she sat down.

She had just left the common room with just Ginny talking about Harry

to now having to listen to five girls discuss the boy none of them had

seen yet.

"Are you talking about Harry?" Ginny asked as she sat down. Katie

nodded and continued.

"Cho said he was nice, and Marietta just looked like she was lost. Like

she'd just been hit with a serious cheering charm or something a little

more orgasmic in nature. Cho said that Harry kept looking into her eyes

when he talked and it just made her go all fuzzy in the head."

"They said he was really sweet." Leanne confirmed her friend's story.

"Well I say it's high time we had a gentleman in this place." Angelina

smiled, looking down the Great Hall as Fred and George entered followed

by Lee Jordan. "It might be good if some of these blokes could learn some

manners form Potter."

"You think we can get him to sit here?" Ginny asked as she kept looking

out to see if Harry might be waiting just outside.

"We have as good a chance as anyone else." Alicia smiled. "The

Durmstrang kids are usually sitting with the Slytherins, and the

Beauxbatons are sitting with the Ravenclaws, The 'Puffs have Cedric, why

can't we have Potter?"

"Actually, if you believe the rumors, he's been with Cedric all day, so it's

likely he'll sit with the Hufflepuffs, because he already knows someone

there." Hermione said flatly. The other girls just stared at her coldly.

Hermione cringed a bit under their combined menacing looks.

"Well… wouldn't you if you were in his shoes?" Hermione asked shakily.

Ginny rolled her eyes while Katie shook here head. Leanne turned to look

as some more people came into the Great Hall.

"We'll just have to try and appear especially friendly then won't we."

Angelina smiled, making a show of adjust her breasts and fixing her hair.

Katie snorted with laughter and the other girls followed suit, Alicia

nearly falling out of her seat with laughter. Hermione simply rolled her

eyes and wished she'd thought to bring her Runes book.

"Hello ladies." Fred Weasley said taking a seat next to Alicia while his

twin, George and Lee Jordan sat on the opposite side next to Hermione.

The twins wore identical grins as they sat, Fred bending to peck Alicia on

the cheek, making the girl blush slightly, though she leaned into him a

bit.

"Budge up you gits. We're saving a place for Harry to sit down." Ginny

hissed. George looked at Fred who shrugged, not knowing how to react,

and then to Lee before looking back at his sister who was still looking

quite stern and a bit McGonagall like.

"You've met him then?" He asked, not really sure why Ginny was

demanding him to move.

"Well, not yet, but if we look friendly, he might sit with us and…"

"Oi, George, I think our wee sister is in lo-uuf" Fred never got to finish as

Alicia elbowed his chest pretty hard. She narrowed her eyes dangerously

at her new boyfriend. Fred had asked her out on the train and made quite

a spectacle. Yet he'd been so sweet that she'd been unable to say no. that

and she happened to think Fred was the cuter of the Weasley Twins. But

Gryffindor Quidditch girls stuck together, and Alicia wasn't going to let

Firefly get picked on by her brothers.

"You'd better lay off Ginny, or I might forget that I like you at all, and

then you'll be stuck snogging yourself."

"Ouch. Cold." Lee said shaking his head.

"Seriously." George agreed. "Speaking of which, Angelina my dearest,

most fair of all ladies in Hogwarts, would you do me the honor of

allowing me to escort you to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Angelina blushed at George's invitation, but nodded, smiling as she did.

George stood up and leaned over the table to take her hand, nearly

knocking Hermione off her seat in the process to kiss Angelina's hand

chivalrously.

"I count the seconds until we are together" he said, causing the other girls

to break into giggles, and eye rolls.

"So when do we finally get to lay eyes on the legend?" Fred asked,

looking towards the Head table where a few teachers were now starting

to gather.

"A couple of the Ravenclaw fifth years saw him already." Katie said

picking up a fork and twirling it idly.

"Said he's quite dashing." Leanne said playfully, looking at the boys who

didn't seem to be bothered that some new boy was supposed to be

roguishly handsome according to the rumor mill.

"Does anyone else find it odd that we were led to believe he died and

now we find out he's been alive all this time? I mean, why hide him from

us?" Lee asked.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked, looking at them all. "Dumbledore

obviously thought he might be in danger after You-Know-Who died, and

as a baby, he'd have no way to defend himself, would he. So he sent

Harry away and told everyone that he died so no one would go after

him."

"So who knew he was alive and who put his name in the Goblet of Fire,

oh wise one?" Fred asked.

"What does she look like? A seer?" Ginny said coming to Hermione's

defense. "What does it matter anyway. All that really matters is that he'd

here now. He's probably missing his old friends and it would be good if

we can try and make things easier by just being nice to him."

"Especially if it means dragging him into a broom cupboard for a little

snog here and there." Katie smiled, but blushed immediately when she

realized she'd said it out loud.

"Now I'm wishing I were the new guy." Lee grinned, "Especially if that's

how you plan on extending the hand of friendship."

"Keeping dreaming dreadlock boy." Katie smirked.

"Gods, I wish they'd hurry up." Ginny whined, her fist tapping the table

nervously.

"Calm down Ginny, You'll have just as much of a chance to get to know

him as everyone else." Hermione said calmly.

"Maybe." Fred said, grinning as he nodded his head up the table to where

another redhead boy sat staring at the doors to the Great Hall. "Looks like

Ronniekins is just as excited to meet Harry as you are Gin-Gin."

"Never call me that again." Ginny narrowed her eyes before turning to see

her brother craning his head to try and get a glimpse of Harry before

anyone else. Ginny sighed and shook her head. It would just figure that

Ron would be acting like a star struck imbecile. He'd followed poor

Viktor Krum around for two days begging for an autograph before Krum

had finally had enough and threatened to do something very horrid to

Ron. Ron had now been telling anyone who'd listen that Krum was a self

centered prat who was charging galleons for a signature. Ginny wonder

what she'd say about Harry if Harry refused to be his friend.

"There's Dumbledore." Katie said, leaning forward in her seat, to watch

the Headmaster approach the Head table. Ginny tried to catch the old

man's eye, as had become something of a tradition. Ever since the events

of her first year, Dumbledore had gone out of his way to make time for

the youngest Weasley. She held great respect for the man and had come

to love him like a grandfather. She was looking forward to the next time

they would get to speak, and quite interested to know how well he

thought she was doing. It had been ages since she'd last had a nightmare,

and her school work had improved greatly, thanks in large part to her

best friend, Hermione. She'd also come out of her self imposed isolation

and made quite a few friends, including Luna Lovegood, a very lonely

Ravenclaw girl. She just wished Luna and Hermione got on better. Still,

at the moment there were a few more important things to focus on.

Everyone watched the old man as he took the podium and cleared his

throat.

"Your attention for just a moment." He smiled and the Great Hall fell

silent as if someone had used a silencing spell on everyone at once. "As I

told you this morning, The fourth champion has arrived. I ask that you

make him feel as welcome as you have made our other guests. It is my

great pleasure to introduce Mister Harry Potter of Salem Academy of

Magic."

Every head turned as Dumbledore motioned to the doors of the Great

Hall.

Ginny and Hermione sat up a bit straighter and got their very first look at

the boy of legend. He was well built for fourteen, tall, though not as tall

as Ron Weasley of Dean Thomas. His hair was short, though it looked

almost as if he'd just rolled out of bed and hadn't bothered combing it

out. He was dressed casually in dark cargo pants and black shirt, the

sleeves rolled up twice so everyone could see the wand holster on his left

wrist. As he came down the center aisle, Hermione could see the dark red

jagged scar above his right eye. As he passed, he gave a light smile, his

bright green eyes sparkling brilliantly in the candlelit Hall

"He's nervous." She thought, rather baffled by this. Given the way people

had been talking about Harry, she had somehow figured he'd be

swaggering into the Hall, maybe even winking at girls he thought were

cute or something, but this Harry, the REAL Harry was actually

uncomfortable looking with all the attention.

"Maybe he'll actually be nice." Hermione mentally shrugged.

Hermione felt Ginny stiffen a bit as Harry passed. Hermione turned

quickly to see Ginny watching the boy pass as if hypnotized. She was

squeezing her arm a bit and it made Hermione want to laugh. Ginny was

never tongue tied around any boys, and Hermione wondered how funny

it would be to watch Ginny talk to Harry right at that moment.

"Damn it." Ginny sighed as Harry took his seat next to Cedric Diggory.

Hermione felt Ginny let go of her arm and slump a bit next to her. "Why

do you always have to be right Hermione?"

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to invite him to sit with us tomorrow."

Hermione said turning to begin loading her plate. She heard Ginny gasp

at the idea of talking to Harry Potter, causing her to chuckle softly to

herself.

If Harry had thought about it at all, he would have started dreading

dinner much earlier in the day. Harry normally considered himself to be

fairly confident in himself. He could usually accomplish anything he set

out to do. If he didn't succeed on his first try, he would just keep trying

until he got the results he sought. Sirius often told him that his mother

was the same way.

As it was, Harry had never had to be introduced in front of an entire

school and walk in front of them while they all watched him.

Given all Sirius and Remus had told him the night before, Harry

wondered if the Hogwarts students had expected the doors to open and

find a tall strong bloke whose robes and hair were billowing out in a non-

existent wind with lightning arcing between his fingers. He wanted to

smile a bit as he imagined the collective groan of disappointment as he

actually entered the Great Hall.

As he walked by student after student, he felt himself grow a bit more

nervous. Harry had never felt more anxiety in his young life, not even

when he and his best friend Mark Laughlin fell out of a broom cupboard

landing on top of each other in a rather compromising position. They had

been trying to avoid getting caught out after curfew by their Charms

teacher, while at the same time trying to meet up with two girls, who as

it turned out, had lied about meeting them just to get them in trouble. It

wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't been caught by Cat Matthews, a

very gossipy prefect who then went on to tell everyone that Harry and

Mark were caught kissing. Thankfully, Gina Edwards and Scott Peerson

were caught two nights later in a far more compromising position, and

no one could remember Harry's story after that.

Still, Harry felt as if he were being judged by every set of eyes in the

Great Hall despite his lack of billowing cloak and obvious power

radiating off of him. Thankfully, Cedric stood up, and waved for Harry to

join him at the Hufflepuff table, and the meal commenced.

"You alright Harry, you look a little flushed." Cedric smiled as Harry sat

down.

"I guess I didn't realize that I would have to walk in front of the entire

school. It was a little unnerving."

Harry found himself sitting next to a pretty redhead girl, who was sitting

next to a cute blonde girl, both of whom Harry remembered seeing that

morning.

"Harry, This is Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. They're both fourth

years. That's Ernie Macmillan, Zacharias Smith, Justin Finch-Fletchley

and Sally Anne Perks. All Fourth Years. There's a few more of them

around here, but I don't see them." Cedric said pointing out all the fourth

years nearest him. Cedric had gotten to the Great Hall early enough that

he was able to see where the fourth years were congregating, and then

taking a seat near them. Susan had even asked him why he was sitting

near them as he usually sat closer to the Head table with his friends, but

Cedric decided to remain quiet and give them a bit of a surprise.

After introducing the fourth years, Cedric then introduced Harry to his

own friends who were all very polite, though clearly excited to meet

Harry.

"So how do you like Hogwarts so far?" Justin asked, being the first fourth

year to speak to Harry.

"It's pretty nice so far, but I'm anxious for classes tomorrow. It's going to

be really cool to see how they differ from my school."

"What is it like there?" Hannah asked, her voice squeaking a bit, making

Zacharias and Ernie look at her oddly from across the table. She shot

them both a glare, silencing them before they could comment.

"Well, first off, it's not a castle. It's like a bunch of really big mansions all

strung together. We only have three floors, but it's really nice, especially

in the fall when the leaves start turning colors."

"Sounds nice." Hannah smiled, and Harry returned the look as he placed

some roast chicken on his plate, following the others example. Harry

noticed how much food was available, so many different dishes, that he

could hardly believe it. He wasn't feeing to adventurous though and

decided to stick with things he recognized. For tonight at least.

"Cedric said you had a broom racing league?" A boy that Harry

remembered was named Curtis asked. Harry nodded, chewing quickly so

he could answer.

"Yeah. I was surprised that you don't have one. All the best broom makers

are here. America's got a couple that are pretty good, but Firebolt and

Nimbus are among the best in the world. It was a real shock." Harry said,

and Curtis and Cedric both looked surprised by this bit of news.

"What's broom racing?" Zacharias asked, and Harry launched into an

explanation of his favorite sport. His audience was leaning closer as he

explained all about how the courses were laid out and the rules of the

racing league.

"So the racer with the fastest time wins, but in order to get the fastest

time you have to fly through every hoop?" Ernie asked when Harry

finished.

"Pretty much. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you've got

three or four people trying to get through the hoop before everyone else,

and you don't want to stop and let someone ahead of you. It get's pretty

rough up there sometimes." Harry confirmed.

"Sounds really intense." Hannah remarked, and Harry turned and caught

her eyes.

"Not as intense as you might think. I happen to think there are a few

things that can be way more exciting than racing a broom."

Hannah's face tinged pink again as she smiled back at Harry.

Harry had been practicing this move for about a year, ever since Sirius

had told him about it. Sirius always told him that by holding a girl's gaze

as you spoke to her was the most effective form of flirting. It showed you

were confident, even if you felt like there were raging serpents in your

guts.

It was a fine line to walk however, because you didn't want to come off

as cocky. Girls could see through that, and had no trouble taking

advantage of it, usually making you seem an idiot, as his mother had

done to his father for many years.

The key was to make the girl feel like she had your undivided attention,

no matter for how long. Look her in the eyes as much as possible and just

be nice. Never try to be something other than yourself, and let the girl be

your guide.

Harry loved that it worked. Last year he'd been pretty sought after by

girls just because the all said he was "intense". Harry still had no clue

what that meant. It seemed to be working even better here at Hogwarts.

Hannah was the third girl he'd made blush so far, just by talking to her.

"So Harry," Susan asked, clearing her throat a bit. Harry turned and

stared into the redhead's bright blue eyes, making her shiver ever so

slightly. Harry wasn't attuned to girls well enough yet to know she had

just shuddered under his gaze.

Susan prayed that she wouldn't sound stupid in front of him. "What

classes are you taking?"

"I'm not sure yet." Harry admitted. "Most likely the same things as I was

taking at Salem, or the closest thing to it. Potions, Transfiguration,

Charms, Defense, Runes, Herbology and Creatures

"Pretty full schedule there." Ernie said, reaching for a roll and beginning

to butter it. "Not a lot of people taking that many classes here."

"Shows what you know." Sally Anne Perks spoke up for the first time,

looking intently at Ernie and clearly avoiding looking at Harry. "Most of

the Ravenclaws are taking at least that much, and Granger's got

Arithmancy on top of that."

Ernie looked nonplussed but Zacharias looked surprised. He looked like

he wanted to ask if she was pulling his leg, but Harry spoke up at that

moment.

"I've handled it pretty well so far. But I still don't know how different

things are yet." Harry admitted. "It might be a lot tougher than at my

school."

"Well, If you find yourself getting lost or whatever, you could always ask

one of us to help." Susan said, finding her gaze locked with Harry's.

"I appreciate that. I will definitely ask for your help."

Susan flushed and quickly turned to look at Hannah, mouthing silently.

"Oh my gods!"

"Already a hit with the girls, eh?" Justin smiled as he saw Susan's face

burn scarlet. Both Hannah and Susan chucked rolls at Justin who began

laughing, until Sally Anne who was sitting next to him stamped on his

foot and gave a scathing look of warning. Justin grimaced and turned his

attention back to his plate.

"I'm just hoping to make some good friends at this point. Harry smiled

having really enjoyed Justin's demonstration of how to insert his foot into

his mouth. Even more since Sally Anne was watching him like a hawk to

make sure he didn't do it again. Harry was guessing they were dating,

especially after Justin tried to make a pouty face to get him out of

trouble.

"I don't think that'll be to hard." Ernie said. You're a bit of a celebrity, you

know."

Harry shrugged. "I don't really care about that. Who the hell would want

to be famous for losing their family? It's mad. If I'm going to be famous

for something, I'd rather it be for my racing, or Quidditch, or for finding

a cure for something, you know? Right now I just want to be a kid and

have fun."

He said the last part looking at Susan who nodded in agreement, her

cheeks coloring slightly again.

"I'm sure you'll have loads of fun here." Hannah smiled brightly. "I mean,

I know we don't have Racing or anything, but there's loads to do, and we

get to go to the village every once in a while. In fact, this upcoming

weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. We could show you around if you

wanted."

"Subtle Abbott. Real smooth." Zacharias smiled coyly.

"Justin?" Sally Anne said with a sweet tone. Justin looked up, smiling

innocently. "Punch your friend for being an arse."

"Sorry mate." Justin said as he punched Zacharias in the arm, making

Harry laugh again.

"You'd better make time for training." Cedric said. "You'll want to be

prepared for whatever the tournament might bring."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that." Harry said, looking at the older

boy. "I just want to survive this thing, so I was hoping you might help me

a bit. Maybe help me learn some stuff I don't know that you think might

be useful."

"I don't see the harm in that." Cedric said, remembering Dumbledore

telling him that Harry would likely look to Cedric for guidance in some

ways.

"Wait a minute." Zacharias Smith said, turning sharply. "Why should you

help him? He's from a different school. He's trying to win too isn't he?

Don't we want a Hogwarts victory?"

"Duh Zach." Hannah rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, Harry's

a lot younger that Cedric, and was entered against his wishes. Do you

really want Harry to get killed just so you can live vicariously through

Cedric?"

Harry was trying not to smile as the cute blonde defended him. He

caught Susan smiling out of the corner of his eye, and had to laugh when

Zacharias bowed his head, unable to argue back.

"Don't worry about it, Harry." Cedric said, smiling as well, obviously

enjoying the melodrama unfolding in front of him as well. "I can show

you a few things that might prove useful. Though to be honest, without

knowing what the first task might be, I don't know how much it will

help."

"Everything helps, even if we're not sure how when we're learning it."

Harry smiled. "That's what my Charms teacher always says anyway."

Cedric nodded at the sage wisdom and dinner continued on with Harry

getting to know the Hufflepuffs a bit better, and even flirting a little with

Hannah and Susan. This proved to be really enjoyable as they were

clearly not used to being flirted with. It was very easy to make Hannah

blush, though Susan became pretty comfortable with Harry's manner of

looking in her eyes when they spoke. Once Harry learned Susan's Aunt

was the head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, thanks to

Ernie, Harry did back off a little, focusing a bit more on Hannah much to

Susan's irritation.

Ernie had trouble moving his arm the next day thanks to the myriad of

bruises Susan inflicted upon him back in the Common Room later that

evening.

"They are so lucky!" Su Li sighed for the fifteenth time. "I would give

anything to be right where Bones is right now."

"Blushing like an idiot?" Anthony Goldstein asked, clearly not realizing he

was potentially walking right into a mine field. He didn't even see some

of the girls near him look angrily at him as he kept eating his steak and

kidney pie.

"Maybe if you weren't such a completely hopeless git, girls might look at

you the way Abbot and Bones are looking at Potter." Eloise Midgen

snorted.

"Why would I want that?" Anthony gestured with his fork at where

Hannah was laughing at something Harry had just said.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that." Terry Boot said. Anthony and Kevin

Entwhistle both looked at him suddenly as if he'd just sprouted a second

head. "What? Look at him. He's got them eating out of the palm of his

hand. On top of that, nearly every girl, and I mean EVERY girl is staring

at him right now. Look at the girls from Beauxbatons."

They all glanced up the table and saw that Terry was right. Even Fleur

Delacour was eyeing him up and down. They then looked all around and

could see quite clearly that that many girls were either blatantly staring,

or trying to look as inconspicuously as possible.

"Ok." Anthony said finally. "So, he's got people's attention. But that'll fade

in a day or so. Then he'll just be another oddity around her."

"So you're honestly telling me that you don't want to even know the only

person who's survived the killing curse?" Padma Patil asked looking

disbelievingly at Anthony who shook his head.

"What proof do you have of that?" Anthony pointed out. "The only thing

we know for sure is that people thought he'd died that night, but he was

only in hiding. We don't know that he survived a killing curse or

anything. For all we know, Aurors showed up and defeated You-Know-

Who."

"Ok, as much as I hate to admit it, He's got a point." Lisa Turpin said,

looking as if it pained her a great deal to say it."

"But how are we supposed to find out the truth?" Mandy Brocklehurst

asked, her voice soft and very difficult to hear over the din of the Great

Hall. "We can't ask him. I mean that's just rude."

"Not to mention that he won't even remember." Su added. "But don't you

think that if Aurors had killed You-Know-Who the story would be

significantly different?"

"Ok, now she has a point.' Lisa smiled, happy to be on someone else's

side. It was pretty well know that Lisa and Anthony did not agree on a

great number of things. However, unlike some people, They often

debated rather than screamed at each other.

"The story goes that the Potter's were dead, but that You-Know-Who's

body was found in front of the baby's crib." Lisa reminded them all.

"Couldn't his mother have fought him until she had nothing left?" Terry

asked.

"The way I always heard it was that she died outside of the nursery,

blocking the door." Morag McDougal smiled softly as she took yet

another look at the boy in question, looking a bit jealous as Susan bones

bumped his shoulder with her own. Harry looked as if he had really

enjoyed that as he bumped her back.

"I heard it that way too.' Lisa nodded, following Morag's gaze and sighing

softly.

"So he clearly killed the mother and then went after Harry. So obviously

whatever happened, Harry was the one to turn it around and defeat You-

Know-Who." Su said with finality.

Anthony realized he was being ganged up on and wisely chose not to

continue his stance. A smart move as all the girls and even the two other

boys seemed to all be nodding in agreement.

"I wonder what they're talking about now?" Morag asked watching as

Harry was gesturing with his hand while those closest to him were

obviously listening intently. They suddenly broke into gales of laughter

and it looked as if Ernie MacMillian had snorted pumpkin juice through

his nose, which made them all laugh harder. Cedric was even pounding

the table.

"I wonder what house he's staying in." Su Li pondered aloud.

"He's got private quarters." Came a dreamy response. Everyone turned to

look at Loony Lovegood who was looking at something across the Great

Hall and gathering another spoonful of chocolate pudding. "I saw

Dumbledore showing it to him a few minutes before dinner."

"Hold on." Lisa said quickly looking at the odd girl who so often spoke of

things that made her wonder if Loony was playing with a full deck. "Are

you saying you actually saw Potter up close?"

"Yes." Luna smiled, now turning her protuberant blue eyes on Lisa. "He

smells nice."

"You smelled him?" Su asked looking mixed between envious and a little

creeped out.

"As I passed him, yes. He was very busy speaking with Professor

Dumbledore, so I didn't get a chance to say hello. But I think I will

tomorrow. I'm sure he'd appreciate someone being friendly to him. It

must be very strenuous coming to a new school in a whole new country

and leaving your friends behind. He's likely to get a bit homesick."

Luna's insight actually silenced everyone who heard it. They all glanced

at one another each feeling a tad guilty that they hadn't even thought

about how Harry might be feeling. And while he looked to be enjoying

himself at the moment, later on he might become a bit gloomy when he

really started missing his old friends.

"Ok, I feel like an idiot.' Eloise said, glancing at Harry. "All I could think

of was getting him into a broom closet."

Anthony laughed and was then elbowed by Su. Hard. Anthony looked

upset and ready to retaliate until he saw Eloise eyeing him hard. He

quailed under gaze and went back to his pudding.

"Ok, So we make an effort to make friends with him, right?" Mandy

asked, looking at her friends.

"Right." Morag said nodding her agreement.

"Of course." Su affirmed. "But I still get to snog him first."

The girls all laughed while the boys simply rolled their eyes and tried to

ignore the girls.

When dinner finished, Harry got up from the table, looking forward to

checking out his room, and getting a good night's sleep. With his classes

starting the next day, he was eager to see how they would differ from his

old classes, not to mention having the opportunity to meet more of his

classmates.

The Hufflepuffs had proven to be a fun lot, though there had been a bit of

awkwardness at first. Once they realized he was just like them, it became

more comfortable, and Harry had enjoyed talking about Salem Academy

and sharing a few stories about his other friends.

They walked with him to the doors of the Great Hall, Hannah and Susan

on either side of him. They all bade him goodnight, promising to see him

the next day. Cedric even shook his hand and told him they'd set up some

time in the library to do a bit of research. Harry thought that sounded

great.

He was just starting to head to his room when he nearly ran into two

girls. The blonde was smiling, at least Harry thought she was, her eyes

icy and stoic. The other girl, the one with auburn hair which fell into her

eyes almost as if it were out to get her was definitely smiling. She offered

her hand to him at once.

"Hi, I'm Tracey and this is Daphne." She smiled, though Harry thought

she looked a bit self conscious or something. "We wanted to welcome you

to Hogwarts."

"Thank you." Harry smiled, shaking the girls hand.

"We uh, that is, I know you've probably already been asked, or maybe

you haven't… I was um…"

"What my friend is trying so eloquently to say is that we were hoping you

might want to join us at breakfast tomorrow morning." The blonde girl,

Daphne said, giving her friend a shameful glance.

"We just thought that you might like to meet a variety of people from the

different houses and get kind of a broader look of the students here."

Tracey said, though it sounded like something she rehearsed."

"I think I'd like that a lot, actually." Harry smiled making sure to catch

each girl's eye as he spoke. "It be quite fascinating to hear different views

on the school and the people as well. Shall we say, what? Seven thirty?"

Harry said looking to the two girls for any objection.

"An early riser. I like that." Daphne smiled a bit more. "Seven thirty it is.

We'll meet you right here."

"I look forward to it. Goodnight ladies." Harry smiled as he headed

towards his room. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder as they

disappeared down into the dungeons where Cedric said the potions labs

were.

Harry headed up a set of stair into the corridor that held his room and

found it easily. He remembered that he hadn't set a password yet, so he

removed his wand from his holster and tapped the wrought iron knocker

and whispered, "Marauders."

The door opened and Harry stepped into his new bedroom.

It was very nice, Harry thought. There was a large four poster bed, much

bigger than his old one at Salem, though he had shared a room with

three other boys. Harry always considered himself lucky to room with

Mark, Kris and Danny. He felt he had the best room mates in his year.

But having a room all to himself was amazing.

There were two plush looking chairs next to a small sofa in front of a

large fireplace with a low table between them. Perfect for working on

homework, Harry decided. There was a small wardrobe on the opposite

wall standing next to a door that Harry found out led to a small

bathroom with his own shower.

After a thorough inspection of the facilities, Harry found all his

belongings were already there, including a brand new trunk with all his

books, quills and potion things waiting for him, as well as a new back

pack to carry his books to classes in. On top of everything was a note

from Sirius.

Harry,

Remus and I went ahead and got everything you needed for your school year.

Dumbledore contacted your headmistress and she'll be sending your things

along shortly, so you'll have your broom and the rest of your clothes and the

like.

I know that you're excited to be at Hogwarts, and I know what it represents to

you, but I want you to remember that it is still a school and you are still a

student. Make me proud and study hard. Make a lot of friends, and have fun

with the girls. But if one of them strikes your fancy, then allow things to

happen naturally and treat her right.

I know that you're probably overwhelmed by everything right now, but

remember what led to you being here. Trust in Dumbledore and keep your eyes

open. If anything strikes you as odd, do not hesitate to go to Dumbledore or to

contact me.

Have fun, and please come see me this weekend. I can't wait to hear about

everything.

Love,

Sirius.

Harry smiled as he set the letter back in his trunk. His godfather knew

him so well. He had been so lost in being at Hogwarts he'd all but

forgotten that he was entered into a very dangerous tournament by

someone who knew him to be alive and hidden away.

Harry swore that he would do everything he could to prepare for each

task and survive them. He didn't care at all about winning the damned

thing, as he hadn't even wanted to enter, much less known about the

damned thing.

Going to the wardrobe, Harry saw that it held the clothes he'd taken

camping and a new package of sock and underwear. Harry shrugged,

realizing they'd have to do until the rest of his things arrived. Taking a

pair of jeans and along sleeved t-shirt out as well as socks and

underwear, he set them in the bathroom, then he brushed his teeth, shed

his clothes and climbed into bed. It was so comfortable, and he was so

tired that Harry fell asleep nearly at once.

It was a very strange sensation. Like being on that hang glider again, but

so close to the ground. He smelled so many things, earth and moss and

fear. He could smell fear. It was extremely unnerving.

He had no control, and after he realized that he was simply along for the

ride, he relaxed slightly, but only just.

Up he rose, gliding just above the stairs. He could feel the power of his

muscles working to move him along, and finally he crested the top of the

staircase and moved into the room with the fire, following its warmth.

There was a man in the room. Short and stocky and shivering. He had

watery brown eyes and a stoop to his shoulder. His light brown hair was

sticking out and even from his angle upon the floor he could see the man

was balding.

"Nagini as returned, My Lord." the man said, sounding very much like he

wanted to break down and start sobbing.

"Good." Came a high cold cruel voice that sent cold shivers of

unexplainable fear down his body. "Milk her and prepare my supper you

imbecile."

The man bent low and grabbed his neck, forcing his mouth open and

shoving something into his mouth. He could feel fluid being forced out of

him and he didn't like it. He squirmed a bit, trying to get free. The cold

voice spoke softly.

"Be still, my pet. I know you do not like his hands upon you, but I need

your powerful venom to help heal me. I promise that should he no longer

prove useful, you may devour him. Be still my sweet. It is almost over. I

can feel him. He is closer. He has returned, just as we knew he must. He

has returned. Harry Potter has returned…"

Harry shot bolt upright in his bed, sweat cold on his face. His heart was

pounding in his chest and he was shivering. Throwing his blankets off of

himself, Harry went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold

water and then stared in the mirror. The dream had been so vivid, but

was slipping away from his consciousness so fast. He could remember the

stooped man with watery eyes, and the voice, but everything else was

slipping through his fingers like water.

Harry felt that it was familiar somehow. Like he'd dreamt of that man

before, and heard that voice before, but he just couldn't remember it.

Harry finally sighed and headed back to bed. Perhaps it was just

everything catching up to him. Everything had happened so fast. He was

hang gliding with his godfather only two days ago and now he was in the

very place he'd heard about for so long. Hogwarts, the place where his

father and godfather had become friends. The place where his father had

courted his mother. To Harry it was almost like stepping into his favorite

book. The place held so much promise, and Harry just couldn't wait to

see what fate had in store for him now that he was here at long last.

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Harry awoke at half past five, slipped on a pair of shorts and his trainers,

t-shirt, his sweatshirt, grabbed the Marauder's map and his watch and

headed out onto the grounds. He and his friends from Salem had started

working out in their second year when they had noticed two things.

Those who had really good stamina could last a really long time during a

duel. Secondly, the boys that had good figures seemed to get the best

girls.

The boys had taken up running, and after that first year had started

seeing the results. Girls were talking to them more. And they had

performed extremely well in their end of year Defense practical exams.

Yet, none of them had been able to best their defense teacher as they had

all joked they might.

Harry had asked Sirius about the best place for a good run while at

Hogwarts and his godfather had suggested a good few laps around the

Quidditch pitch. Harry wasn't the only one up before dawn it seemed.

The Gamekeeper, Hagrid was busy in his garden while his enormous dog

sat loyally at his side, watching Harry pass with interest.

As he ran, Harry began to mull things over in his mind. Sirius and Remus

had explained that he was likely going to be quite famous and get a lot of

attention. Harry hadn't really understood until he'd walked into the Great

Hall the previous evening. At his school, he was just another face in the

crowd. Heck, he hadn't even been allowed to use his real name. Sirius

had insisted that he go by James Black. Sirius explained that while they

were very far away from England, wizards talked, and if Harry Potter

suddenly showed up in America, things could become very difficult.

Harry had tried to argue, believing he couldn't be the only Harry Potter

in the world. As it turned out, he was somewhat mistaken. While not the

only Harry Potter in the world, there were next to no other Harry James

Potter's in the magical world.

Harry had never spoken the truth to any of his friends, and sometimes

the guilt would rear up and he'd speak to Sirius who always reminded

him of the reasons for the secret. Sirius would empathize with his

godson, but was always adamant that it was for his safety. He was still

Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter. So long as he remained

true to himself, Sirius was sure Harry's friends would understand in the

end.

But all of his old worries had evaporated a few days ago. Harry's biggest

worry was how he was going to ask out Stacy Littleton out for a date, and

now he was trying to figure out how he was going to survive a

tournament known for it's death toll.

Harry realized that he knew just about nothing about the Tri-Wizard

tournament. He decided that he would go to the library at some point

that afternoon and see if they had any books on the competition. He'd

also ask Cedric what he knew, as they hadn't really discussed the

Tournament at great length the previous day Maybe he'd try and find that

girl Cedric had mentioned, Hermione Granger and get her to help him.

Thinking of Cedric made him think of the new people he'd met at dinner.

The Hufflepuff's had been very friendly and welcoming. He'd actually

liked Ernie and Justin, and thought they'd be cool to pal around with.

Zacharias on the other hand, while nice enough did rub Harry wrong.

Maybe it was his outburst when he'd asked Cedric for help, and that he

was just being overly sensitive. Harry decided not to pass final judgment

on Zacharias just yet.

Then there were the girls. Sally Anne had all but avoided talking to him

at all. Harry thought she might be a tad shy, as she didn't act like she was

haughty or anything. Harry figured she might warm up to him if they

hung out more.

Hannah was very cute, Harry thought. He liked the way she laughed, but

she laughed at nearly everything. Harry figured she was likely nervous,

but she had been fun to flirt with. She had even started flirting back by

the end of dinner. Susan was really sweet too. Harry loved her hair, and

couldn't deny that her chest was quite nice looking. She had impressed

him by becoming a bit playful at the end of dinner, bumping his shoulder

when she'd made a rather enticing comment.

So far he really liked what he saw of the Hogwarts girls. Of the ones he'd

actually talked to, Susan and Hannah had emerged as his favorites,

though Marietta was very high on his short list. She was just really good

looking. He wondered if she went for younger guys.

Harry smiled as he imagined Marietta grabbing the front of his shirt and

slamming him against a wall and kissing him hard. He shook his head

and reminded himself that Sirius was likely making up most of those

stories he told about his time here at Hogwarts. He'd have to remember

to ask Remus about some of those tales.

When it was nearing six-thirty, Harry began heading back to his room so

he could shower and ready himself for breakfast. He remembered the two

girls who'd promised to meet him for breakfast. He tried remembering

their names, but couldn't think of them and would have to ask them

politely to remind him when he saw them again.

The blonde girl had given him pause. She appeared standoffish at best,

and Harry felt like she was appraising him. More so than anyone else at

least. She clearly wasn't impressed by him, which Harry found intriguing.

The auburn haired girl had been very pretty, and Harry thought she

might be cool. She reminded him a lot of a girl at his old school, though

Harry hoped this girl wasn't as snobbish.

Once he was all cleaned up, Harry dressed in the clothes he'd lain out for

himself the night before and went to his new trunk to get his books

ready. It was only as he was reaching for his new charms book that he

realized he had no idea whet classes he was taking that day. He closed

his trunk and started for the door, when someone knocked.

Harry smiled when he saw Professor McGonagall waiting for him.

"Good morning, Mister Potter. I have your schedule for you." She said,

looking just as rigid as she had the day before.

"I will see you in my Transfiguration class right after breakfast. Do you

know where it is?"

"Oh, yes Professor." Harry smiled up at her. "I was shown the

Transfiguration courtyard yesterday morning. And I'm sure I can get

someone to show me the way if I get lost."

"Be sure that you do. I will not tolerate tardiness." McGonagall said. She

bade him good day and left Harry, who hurried back into his room to

load his backpack with everything he needed for the day.

Transfiguration, Potions, and Runes books as well as his potion supplies

and the Marauder's map all got tucked away and a few quills and an ink

bottle. He then slung the bag over his shoulder and headed out to the

Great Hall to meet the two girls.

The closer her drew to the Great Hall, the more people he saw. A few of

them nodded in his direction and one or two waved. Just as promised,

the two girls were waiting for him just outside the Great Hall.

"Good morning.' He said with a smile.

"Good morning to you." The blonde said, though she did not smile. She

stood with her arms over her chest and ran here eyes over his attire.

Thankfully she didn't roll her eyes or anything so condescending. Harry

tried to catch her eye, but she seemed fascinated by something over his

shoulder.

The other girl however was smiling enough for the both of them. Her

hair was done up pretty nicely today, and she also looked over Harry's

attire, though she was clearly not appraising him. Actually Harry had the

impression she might be undressing him with her eyes., Well at least his

chest, as that's where her eyes lingered.

"Does your school not have uniforms?" She asked, taking in Harry's casual

appearance.

"Yeah, but I wasn't at school when Dumbledore came to get me. I was

told that my school things are being sent." Harry said with a wry grin.

"Shall we?"

He allowed the girls to lead him into the Hall, as he didn't know where

they wanted to sit. They led him to the table furthest from the enormous

fireplace. It was then that Harry noticed that everyone at this table had a

silver and green emblem on the left breast, and their ties were all silver

and green. He then saw that the next table over was the same one he'd

sat at for dinner with the Hufflepuffs.

"Can I ask you a question?" Harry asked, sitting down next to the auburn

haired girl and reaching for the pitcher of orange juice and filling his

goblet. "Well, two actually. Not to be rude, but I can't remember your

names."

"Tracey." the auburn haired girl smiled and then pointed to the blonde.

"That's Daphne."

"Ok, I think I'll remember now. I'm so sorry." Harry smiled, but Tracey

waved off his apology.

"Don't worry about it. I imagine you'll be doing that a lot over the next

week."

"What was the other question?" Daphne asked as she buttered her toast

and began to eat very delicately.

"Is there a rule that says you can't eat at other tables?" Harry said looking

out on the Great Hall and seeing that people were all sitting according to

houses. No one mixed.

"No, there's no rule." Tracey said. "We just don't mix. Especially we

Slytherins and the Gryffindors."

"Why?" Harry asked obviously confused. Both girls looked at each other

for a moment before looking back at Harry who was waiting expectantly.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure." Tracey admitted. "I mean, we don't

tend to get along with the Gryffindors. They think they're so much better

than everyone else."

"Oh come on, they can't all be bad." Harry said, looking up and down the

Gryffindor table. "There's got to be a few cool people there, right?"

Tracey and Daphne were again silent, looking at the Gryffindor table.

"I mean, you can't honestly tell me that you like everyone in your house,

right?" Harry added.

"Well no." Tracey said. "And to be perfectly honest, I have to say I never

really gave it much thought. I mean our houses have been rivals for so

long… it's just like, you just hate them on principle." Tracey shrugged

feeling her cheeks burn.

"Kind of stupid to hate people you haven't even tried to get to know.

Would you both hate me if I was a Gryffindor, even if you knew nothing

else about me?"

" I take it there's no houses at Salem Academy." Daphne said flatly. Harry

could see that she was not appreciative of Harry pointing out the

stupidity of House division.

"No, we don't. Just boys and girls dorms. There's like two hundred and

sixty some odd students in my year alone. I share a room with three other

boys in my year. So, we get a good chance to mingle and get to know one

another without prejudices being put on us just because of what house

we're sorted into."

Again the girls were silent, and Harry was wondering if he'd just made

his first enemies here at Hogwarts.

"So you'd just have us mixing with lesser witches and wizards?" a boy

said. Harry and the girls looked up to see a boy with silvery blond hair

that was very neatly slicked back. He had cold gray eyes and he was

sneering at them. On either side sat what Harry was sure were two

shaved gorillas.

"Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy." Tracey said and Harry noticed that she

sounded very sardonic. Harry remembered Cedric talk about Malfoy and

his father. He couldn't remember a single nice thing Cedric might have

said. As he took in Draco's condescending tone, and his very haughty

expression, Harry felt that Draco had clearly earned his less than glowing

reputation.

"What makes them lesser?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, their lack of blood, for one thing." Draco drawled.

"I'm pretty sure they all have blood." Harry said smartly, trying to hide

his grin. He noticed Tracey smirk, and Daphne even cocked an eyebrow.

"That's not what I meant." Draco said quickly. "This place is full of

Mudbloods and squibs. People, for lack of a better word, who should

never be allowed to even touch a wand. Every year this place gets worse

with more and more mud bloods being allowed to enter. And then they

let that complete oaf, Hagrid, teach a class. I was mauled by a Hippogriff

last year because he has no clue what he's doing. They had to kill it. The

moron tried to get it off, saying it was as gentle as a kitten. Well, My

father made sure no one listened to that great prat's rambling."

"Why did the Hippogriff attack you?" Harry asked.

"How should I know?" Draco said looking self-important. "A better

question would be why is that oaf bringing such a dangerous thing near

students in the first place?"

"See, the thing is, and I'm no expert, but a Hippogriff only attacks if you

insult it. So if you got attack, it stands to reason you gave it cause to

attack you. Did Hagrid not tell you how to properly approach one?"

"Oh no." Daphne said quickly before Draco could answer. "He explained

how you need to keep eye contact and bow in front of the creature and

wait for it to bow in return. But Draco just flaunted forward because he's

so far above everyone else he just knew that the Hippogriff would be so

thrilled to be attended to by such a powerful being. He even

complimented the beast by calling it… What was it again, Draco? A great

ugly chicken?"

Tracey was losing her battle with restraint, and Harry saw her gripping

the table tightly, he head bowed forward. Harry snickered and Draco's

sharp gray eyes snapped to Harry's face.

"It sounds to me that you were attacked because you didn't listen to your

teacher, Draco." Harry smiled. "Maybe you actually earned the attack?

Perhaps if you actually listened to your teachers and followed their

directions, you wouldn't get hurt."

"You should watch yourself, Potter. You don't want to go and make

enemies of your betters." Draco snapped.

"Draco, no one was talking to you in the first place." Tracey said irritably,

though she was still smiling from Daphne and Harry's combined verbal

assault. "Why don't you keep your pointed beak out of other people's

conversations."

"No one is talking to you, Davis."

"Actually." Harry felt the need to point out. "We were." Harry indicated

himself and Daphne, who had cocked an eyebrow again. Draco glowered

and turned back to his two friends, now ignoring Harry and the girls.

"I think he just made my earlier point." Harry said to the girls.

"Yeah." Tracey smiled, looking back at Harry. "I guess we just went along

with it all because that's all we knew. No one ever really questioned it

before."

"It just seems like you'd be limiting yourself, and I don't see why anyone

would want to do that. You could miss out on something really great, or

a future job opportunity. You just never know what can happen or who

might affect your life in some real way."

"You've made your point. And as Slytherins, we really shouldn't isolate

ourselves, because, as you said, we might need some of these other

people to accomplish our goals one day" Daphne nodded. "Now, it's our

turn to ask you a few questions."

Tracey sat up a bit straighter, and Harry nodded his consent.

"Why were we all led to believe you had died that night? Where have you

been?" Daphne asked without preamble.

"Doesn't pull any punches does she?" Harry smirked at Tracey who rolled

her eyes.

"She doesn't know how to do subtle." Tracey smiled.

"Good to know." Harry remarked. "Ok, well, I don't know everything.. But

I was told that there was a lot of worry that my life might be in danger

from dark wizards looking for revenge. My godfather and I lived in lots of

places. France, Spain. Switzerland, we even tried Japan for a bit. Really

beautiful country. If you get a chance. Go. I'd really like to go back one

day. But we ended up in America when I started school."

"Why America?" Tracey asked. "There's schools in Japan, Bulgaria,

France, China, I think Brazil and Canada have schools as well."

"My godfather thought it would be easiest. He said I hadn't stayed

anywhere long enough to get a good handle on the language and that

America would be easiest on me. I wanted to come here because I'd heard

him talk about it so often, but… you know, threats on my life and all."

Harry rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"What was your favorite place that you stayed?" Tracey asked

interestedly.

"To be honest, I've actually enjoyed America the most. Partly because I've

been there the longest, but also because I gotten to experience so much it

has to offer. Every break, Sirius takes me to do something really wild.

Right before I got told about all this, we were on a hang gliding trip. It's

amazing."

"Hang gliding?" Daphne asked, her stoic mask falling away, and Harry

saw real interest on her face.

"Yeah. It's the closest thing to being a bird I can imagine. Short of being

and animagus, anyway." Harry grinned. "You're just floating on the wind.

I mean, being on a broom is great, and I love feeling the wind in my face

as I'm playing Quidditch or racing, but this… I can't even describe it. I'm

going to see if we can go again when this is all over."

"How is it done?" Tracey asked, and Harry tried his best to explain the

apparatus and how it was all about using the wind to keep you in the air.

When Tracey asked what spells they used, Her eyes nearly popped out of

her head when Harry told her it was a muggle sport.

"Wait." Tracey said holding up her hands. "Muggles do this. You were

flying around on a … a … a kite without magic?"

"You'd actually be surprised how many cool things muggles have come up

with. They sound completely mad, and to be honest, a few of them are.

My godfather and I went Bungee jumping. Jumping off a bridge with

only a long cord strapped to your legs."

"Are you barking?" Daphne asked, her bright blue eyes as big as saucers.

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." Harry smiled, laughing a little. "Trust me when I say it's a

really exhilarating. It's even more intense than skydiving. Sirius prefers

that, but I liked Bungee jumping more. I did it like five times that

weekend."

"I think I've decided that you're mental." Tracey smirked. "Completely

barmy."

"Here I was thinking I was charming and debonair." Harry joked.

"Hardly." Daphne muttered.

Breakfast was ending and the three rose from their table.

"Where are you off to first?" Tracey asked.

"Transfiguration." Harry said at once.

"Oh, that's too bad. We've got charms." Tracey said. "But we'll see you

later right?"

"I'm sure of it."

They said goodbye, and Harry pulled the Marauder's map from his bag

and looked to see where the transfiguration class was. Following the map

he made it to the classroom with no difficulty, and stowed the map after

blanking it out.

There was only a few students in the class so far, and the seats at the

front were all empty, save for one boy, who looked a little nervous. He

had a round face and deep brown hair. He had his book open and was

reading and looked to be mouthing the words.

"Excuse me." Harry smiled. The boy looked up and gave a bit of a start

when he saw Harry. "Would it be alright if I sat here?"

Neville looked at the open seat next to him and then back up at Harry,

nodding slowly. Harry set his bag down and pulled out his own copy of

the text book. He looked over at the boy and offered his hand.

"I'm Harry."

"N-Neville." the boy said. He clutched Harry's hand and turned back to

his own book, though Harry could tell he was no longer reading.

"There you are Neville." A girl said, sitting on Neville's other side. "I

didn't see you at breakfast. The girl had cinnamon brown eyes and a mass

of wild curly hair.

"I went to the library." Neville said. "I wanted to see if there was anything

else I should add to my potions essay." Neville said.

"I told you I'd look it over for you." The girl said, sighing softly as she

spoke.

"Hermione, I can't rely on you to do all my work. I have to do it myself or

I won't learn anything at all. It's ok if you help me, but I need to stand on

my own." Neville said, smiling at the girl. "I don't want to be someone

who uses other people to accomplish their goals like some Slytherin."

"Bit harsh, isn't it?" Harry asked. Neville and the girl named Hermione

turned to look at them.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew them." Neville replied.

"Well, I kind of do. I ate breakfast with Tracey and Daphne, and they

were nice enough. Even got them to admit that not everyone outside of

their house was all bad."

"I suppose they would have said whatever you'd like to hear." Hermione

said loftily. "They're all pretty cruel to Gryffindors, especially Neville and

I."

"I'd be willing to bet good gold that if you were to sit down with a few of

them, you might change your opinion."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. Neville on the other hand looked

as if he were thinking Harry's words over.

"Harry, mate."

Harry turned to see a very tall redheaded boy with a long nose and a

mass of freckles standing next to his chair, offering his hand.

"Ron Weasley. We've got an extra seat back there if you want to join us.

That way you don't have to sit next to the Know-It-All and the half

squib."

"Why do you have to always be so rude?" Hermione asked angrily.

Neville just sunk in his seat.

"No one's talking to you haystack." Ron looked back to Harry. "Come on,

you do want to hang out with the cool people right?"

Harry looked at Ron then back at Neville and Hermione. Neville looked

as if he wanted to fade through the cracks in the floor while Hermione

looked mixed between wanting to cry and punch this Ron guy in the face.

"Well, I haven't been here all that long, so I'm not exactly sure who the

cool people are yet." Harry said, turning back to Ron. Then he motioned

his head towards Hermione and Neville and continued, "But these two

seem pretty cool to me. I mean, here we were just now talking about

obnoxious braggarts, and here you are. Frankly, I thought it was a really

good bit of magic."

Harry heard Neville snort, and Hermione coughed. Ron's ears went

scarlet and he stared at Harry who simply smiled politely back at him.

"I have my own mind and I can figure out who's cool and who's not, and

you haven't left me with a very good impression. Maybe you should

figure out how not to be a jack ass, and try again another day."

Ron said nothing more, but scowled at Harry and walked away.

"Ok, that's two jerks I've met today." Harry sighed.

"T-thank you." Hermione said. Harry looked over and waved her off. "No,

really. No one's ever stood up for either Neville or me, and you didn't

have to. Thank you."

"I don't like bullies." Harry said flatly. "My godfather always taught me

that if you don't get along with someone then you should just leave them

be. Bullies just have to make other people feel bad because of their on

inadequacies. Instead of tearing other people down, they should be trying

to better themselves." Harry scowled as he glanced over his shoulder

where Ron was now talking with two other boys who were both looking

at Harry strangely.

"He's going to make your life hell now. Hermione and I have been his

verbal punching bags for years." Neville warned.

"I don't see that he could do much to me. I'm already entered in this

stupid tournament." Harry shrugged. "Hang on, Are you Hermione

Granger?" Harry asked, turning to look at Hermione whose eyes grew

wide with surprise.

"Uh, yeah." She said tentatively.

"Cedric told me about you yesterday. Said you were about the most

brilliant witch in the school." Harry smiled.

"H-he said that?"

"Yeah. I was actually going to try and find you later and ask for your

help. See, I need to research the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and he said that

you knew the library better than anyone, so I was hoping you might be

able to point me in the right direction."

"I'd be happy to help you." Hermione said clearly in shock by what Harry

had just said to her, or that Cedric Diggory even knew her name. Before

they could speak anymore though, Professor McGonagall stepped into the

class and called them to order.

By the end of the lesson, Harry was really missing his old Transfiguration

teacher, Professor Colton. She always started the class with a joke,

usually one they'd all heard before, yet didn't care because she was

always so funny. During class she would walk around and help you out,

sort of like Professor McGonagall, but she could always make you smile,

even if you were still unable to perform whatever the assignment was.

McGonagall just walked about watching her students attempting their

spell work, and occasionally pointing out their mistakes, if they were

serious. However, when she approached Neville, she shook her head

sadly and remarked that he was seriously behind the rest of the class.

Neville sank a bit more in his seat, looking quite dejected. Harry took

pity on Neville and as soon as McGonagall stepped away he turned to the

boy.

"Forget what she said." Harry said softly as he flicked his wand at his

hedgehog, turning it into a pincushion. "Don't put to much pressure on

yourself. Relax and just shut out everything else, and just picture the

pincushion in your mind. Don't worry about getting the wand movement

right. Just focus on the pincushion.

Harry saw Hermione watching him out of the corner of her eye. Harry

gave Neville a reassuring nod, and watched as Neville took a deep breath

and closed his eyes for just a minute. When he opened his eyes he

pointed his wand at the hedgehog and said the incantation. Instantly the

small animal transformed into a bright red pincushion.

Neville's eyes went wide and he looked at Hermione and then Harry as he

beheld his work. To check to make sure he'd done it correctly, he took

one of the pins he'd been given and tentatively stuck it into the

pincushion. Nothing happened. Neville's smile was so big that Harry was

worried his face might split.

"I did it. I really did it."

"Little secret I learned. "Harry said. "Wand movements aren't really that

important. It's all about your intent and focus. Whenever I have trouble

learning a new spell I break it down like that. Get rid of the wand

movements and just concentrate on what I want the outcome to be."

"Thanks." Neville said, still smiling. "I'll remember that from now on."

The lesson ended and McGonagall asked that Harry stay behind for a

moment. When all the students had left, McGonagall spoke, her voice

much more relaxed and friendly than it had been since they'd met.

"That was a very nice thing you did for Mister Longbottom." She said.

Harry shrugged and McGonagall went on. "I believe that he has it in him

to be a very great wizard, but he lacks focus, which I believe stems from

a severe lack of confidence. Save for Miss Granger, I do not believe he

has many friends."

"Are you asking me to be his friend?" Harry asked. McGonagall shook her

head.

"It is up to you who you make friends with. I am simply asking that you

try and continuing being supportive of him. I think you'll find that there

are many who will look to you. I doubt you understand just what you

represent to our country."

"I'm sure I'll find out." Harry remarked, already getting a picture of what

he meant to people around here.

"Indeed. You best be off." McGonagall said dismissing him.

Harry headed down to the dungeons, using his map to guide him. He was

really looking forward to potions. He loved the subject, and had always

done well in the subject and looked forward to seeing how the Hogwarts

class differed from Salem's.

Harry arrived in the dungeon classroom and was greeted by Hannah and

Susan, who saw him come through the door. They offered him a spot

with them, and he smiled gratefully as he sat down.

"Just fair warning, Snape's pretty tough." Hannah whispered

conspiratorially.

Harry shrugged. "Every school's got a tough teacher I imagine."

"I doubt they're as nasty as Professor Snape." Susan said softly. The class

door slammed and a thin man with a curtain of greasy black hair and

very sallow skin strode to the front of the class, his black cloak billowing

out behind him. He turned on his heel when he reached the front of the

class.

"As most of you have no doubt realized, we have a new student in our

midst." Snape spoke, his voice like oil, his black eyes cold, and staring

hard at Harry who simply looked back at his new teacher.

"The fourth champion." Snape stared a bit harder and Harry felt a chill

run down his spine. He raised a questioning eyebrow, and Snape folded

his arms over his chest. "I think it prudent to find out if you are least up

to speed with my class before we proceed with today's lesson on

antidotes. Tell me, Potter…" Snape sneered as he said Harry's name.

"What is the essential ingredient in the Draught of Living Death?"

Harry felt as if he were being put on the spot, though he had no idea

why. He wondered if Snape did this to everyone at some point. Still, a

teacher had asked him a question.

"I believe that's a trick question, sir. There are two essential ingredients.

Asphodel and Wormwood ." Harry said.

Snape's eyes narrowed and he stepped closer. "Tell me then, Potter.

Where would you look if I asked you to find Celarean Ash?"

"Your local Dragon Handler, I imagine, as Celarean Ash is collected from

the teeth of dragons, sir." Harry remarked, unsure of why he was being

singled out like this. Harry guessed he was trying to establish the

hierarchy of the class or something, which Harry thought was stupid,

since Snape was in fact the teacher of the class.

Snape's face colored ever so slightly, and he turned away from Harry, his

wand waving and instructions appearing on the blackboard. Harry

thought that he looked upset that he hadn't made Harry look like an idiot

with those two questions, but so far as Harry knew, those had been basic

first year knowledge questions. This led Harry to wonder exactly how far

Hogwarts students were in their potion careers

"We are continuing our work with basic antidotes today. I expect that you

will all have your potions ready at the end of class. I will then choose

someone to be a test subject. Get to work."

"He means whomever's potion looks the worst." Susan remarked, igniting

her fire. Hannah nodded and looked a little nervous as she pulled out her

potions kit.

Harry looked appalled that a teacher might even think to subject a

student to poisoning just to see if their work was suitable. It was

barbaric, and irresponsible. What was worse was what it did to the

students.

Harry shared this class with the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. Harry

noted that he hadn't met any students from that house yet save Cho and

Marietta, but he remembered Cedric saying that they were the brainiest

kids. Harry thought it pretty accurate just from observing their work in

this class. They were studying the instructions Snape had written and also

consulting their textbooks. They were pretty meticulous in the

preparation, and Harry had to admire their work ethic.

Harry was just slicing snake tongues when he felt a shadow behind him.

He looked up and saw Snape standing over him, his upper lip curled.

"I believe you have not read the instructions, Potter." He said coldly.

Harry felt every set of eyes come up and rest on him and Snape.

"I'm not sure I understand, sir." Harry said politely, turning to look at his

teacher, who folded his arms triumphantly. "Of course I read the

instructions."

"Then why were you preparing to add sliced snake tongue when you

clearly haven't yet added crushed dragonfly wing. Do you wish to blow

up this school, Potter?"

"Of course I haven't added my dragonfly wing yet. If you'll notice sir, my

potion hasn't yet started to bubble, nor has it begun turning green."

"Do not get smart with me Potter. Why on earth would you be slicing you

snake tongue if you weren't' preparing to add it? Snake tongue has a very

short shelf life once sliced Potter. You're wasting your ingredients." Snape

snapped, his voice raising in anger a bit.

Harry stared at the man, completely gob smacked by how petty he

seemed. Sure snake tongue had a shortened amount of freshness after it

was sliced, but Harry knew that it was only a few minutes before his

potion would be ready for it. Before he realized what was happening,

Snape had waved his wand and Harry's potion had vanished.

"You'll received a zero for today, Potter."

"HEY!" Harry shouted in protest, but he was prevented from protesting

further as the door to the classroom opened and a small boy with short

brown hair and a red and gold tie peered in.

"Professor Snape sir?"

"What is it?" Snape bellowed and the boy jumped.

"Um, excuse me sir, but I was asked to come fetch Harry Potter. He's

wanted in the trophy room by Professor Dumbledore."

"Very well then. Potter, get out of my sight." Snape said, turning away

from Harry leaving him stunned. Sirius had told a few stories about this

man and how horribly they had treated him during their time at school.

Harry always thought it was strange that he learned to avoid being a

bully from one of the self admitted biggest bullies ever. But now Harry

felt he at least understood some of it. This is what could happen. Snape

was a very bitter self important man who got his thrills by doing to his

students what had been done to him twenty years ago.

Harry hefted his bag and with a quick nod of farewell to Susan and

Hannah and followed the short boy to the trophy room.

The boy's name, as Harry found out was Nigel, and he was a second year

in Gryffindor. Harry didn't hear too much more as he was still steaming

over what had happened in Snape's class. Harry was sure he'd been on

par to make one of his best potions yet. It might have helped that he'd

made the very same thing a year before, but still. Snape hadn't even

listened to him when he'd tried to explain his method. He'd simply

vanished his potion and given him a zero.

"And here he is."

Harry looked up and saw Professor Dumbledore, and then he was

suddenly blinded by a dozen flashes. There were about twenty reporters

all seated, and Harry saw that Dumbledore, Cedric and a few others

whom Harry had yet to meet, stood on the opposite side of the trophy

room in front of a very large glass case.

"Please make room." Dumbledore said, and some of the reporters stepped

aside as Harry passed though the camera's kept flashing. Harry blinked

his eyes trying to gain his sight back.

"Now that all our champions are together, we may commence with the

Wand Weighing ceremony. After which we will allow for a few questions

of our four champions. Mr. Ollivander, if you please." Dumbledore

motioned to a very tired looking old man who stood from his seat and

walked up next to the Headmaster.

Harry took this opportunity to glance at the other champions. Next to

Cedric, who was standing in front of Dumbledore was a very pretty girl

with shimmering blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. She gave him an

appraising look and then turned her nose up at him. Harry actually

wanted to laugh. Apparently she felt she was quite superior to him. Harry

loved people like that. They were fun to watch when they fell, which

they always did.

Behind the blonde was a very tall imposing woman with her hair pulled

into a very severe bun on top of her head. She wore a fine black silk dress

and Harry saw that every finger had a rather gaudy ring on it. Harry was

reminded strongly of the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, as he'd never seen

anyone as large as this woman or Hagrid before in his life.

On the other side of Cedric was a man with a very curly mustache and

crooked yellowed teeth. He kept glancing at Harry and looked as if

someone had coated his mustache with stink sap by the way his nose was

wrinkled. He was watching as the last champion, a broad shouldered boy

with very closely cropped black hair was watch Mr. Ollivander examine

his wand.

There was one more man there. He was practically bouncing on his heels

as he watched the ceremony. Harry wondered if that man was from the

Ministry as they would be the ones responsible for putting this together.

Over the course of the ceremony, Harry learned everyone's names as

Dumbledore called them out. The Broad shouldered boy was named

Viktor Krum and he was from Durmstrang. The man with the curly

mustache and the seemingly permanent look of disgust was the

Durmstrang Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff. The girl was Fleur Delacour of

Beauxbaton with her Headmistress, Madame Maxime. And finally, the

very cheerful looking man, as Harry suspected was from the Department

of Magical Games, and was Ludo Bagman.

Finally, Harry was asked to step up, so his wand could be examined. He

hand his wand to the tired looking man who's eyes lit up with ken

interest.

"Ahh, well this is something.' Mr. Ollivander said as he slid his long

gnarled looking fingers over Harry's wand. He kept turning it and waving

it slowly around, getting a feel for the wand.

"Is it a Johansson?" Ollivander asked.

"No sir. I got it from a man named Pierce." Harry said proudly.

"I've not heard of him, but this is a very fine wand. Flexible, yet hard.

Willow, if I am not mistaken, But the core. I can not identify it."

Ollivander said, his brow knitting as he tried to figure out what lay at the

heart of this particular wand.

"It's cherufe talon sliver. One of the last ones, I was told."

There was a sudden burst of murmuring from the reporters, and Harry

turned a questioning expression to them, as if he thought they would

explain their worry.

"Are you serious?" Mister Ollivander asked, looking at the wand more

closely as if he might actually see the core.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Why, cherufes were very powerful magical creatures. I'm sure you know

their history." Ollivander asked and Harry nodded.

"Of course. The were reptilian humanoid creatures that feasted on young

children, giving rise to the belief that they enjoyed Female virgins, and

that's why ancient tribes used to sacrifice young women and throw them

into volcanoes, which ironically is where cherufes could usually be

found. They were hunted to extinction for their hides which were

stronger than Dragon's hide." Harry said, and he saw Dumbledore raise

an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

"They were exceptionally powerful creatures. They could lay waste to a

village with one breath. I've never heard of a wand using any part of a

cherufe as its core. The maker of this wand must have been exceptionally

gifted."

"Huh." Harry said, not sure what to make of the fuss. He remembered

that he'd been very difficult to match and that the wand maker had been

both ecstatic and sad that Harry match so well with this wand. When

Harry pressed the man, he explained that he was excited because he felt

only a truly powerful witch or wizard would be able to wield it, and sad

because he loved it very much, being one of the first wands he'd ever

created.

"I've never had any problems with it." Harry shrugged, accepting his

wand back, and going back to stand alone. He suddenly wished that he

had his headmistress here with him as he felt really stupid standing up

there on his own. Dumbledore stepped forward and allowed the reporters

to begin asking questions of the champions. As one all the reporters

looked at Harry and began shouting questions, while cameras began

flashing again.

"One at a time, please." Dumbledore shouted. He then allowed one

reporter to stand and ask her question.

"Mister Potter, Samantha Gold, Witch Weekly."

"Hello." Harry said feeling very nervous all of the sudden. The way the

reporters were looking at him was like a pack of rabid dogs, and he'd just

tied a steak to his head.

"How does it feel being back in your homeland?" Samantha asked, her

quill poised to jot down his response.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet." Harry said looking at the reporter who had

curly red hair and lots of makeup. "I've only been here two days."

"Are you making many friends?" A man asked from the back.

"I've met a few people, and I'm looking forward to meeting more." Harry

smiled.

"One at a time please." Dumbledore said a bit more forcefully. "Please

wait your turn to ask your question."

"Xenophlius Lovegood, The Quibbler." Said the next reporter. He was a

thin man with shoulder length blonde hair and a faraway look in his eye.

"Were you aided in your hiding all these years by utilizing Nargles?"

"What?" Harry asked very confused by the question.

"Oh sit down Xeno, and let the real reporters do their jobs." Said a

woman with very long finger nails and jeweled spectacles. She had very

curly blonde hair and blindingly bright green robes. She stood up and

everyone got really quiet.

"Rita Skeeter, Mister Potter. I think the question on all out minds is how

you hope to compete in this tournament against wizards for older and

more clever than you, much less how you're name got into the Goblet of

Fire in the first place."

Harry took an immediate disliking to this woman right away. The way

she spoke to him, it was like he was five. Harry didn't know how to

respond to her, as he wasn't even sure she had asked a question.

"I mean, to announce to the world that you are in fact alive after all these

years, and by doing so, completely overshadowing these three fine

individuals is really making a statement, don't you think?"

"I think that is enough." Dumbledore said, his gaze on Rita's rather

innocent looking façade. Harry realized what Dumbledore must have

concluded as well. These people only cared about his sudden return

rather than the tournament. Harry agreed with Dumbledore's decision to

kick them out. There were three other champions up there, and they had

all voluntarily submitted their names. Shouldn't all this hoopla be about

them?

"Are you alright, Harry?"

Cedric had come over. Harry nodded and turned to look at the trophies

behind him.

"I hope it isn't going to always be this crazy."

"I think it's likely to get worse." Cedric smiled. "Listen, If you want, after

dinner we could head up to the library and start looking up spells to

prepare for this thing."

"Yeah." Harry nodded as something caught his eye. A plaque with seven

names on it. One name stood out to him and a smile broke out on his

face. He had of course known his father was on the house Quidditch team

from Sirius, but as he stared at the plaque he couldn't help feeling

enthralled to be standing in the same castle where his mother and father

had once walked.

"Well Harry, How are you getting on?" Professor Dumbledore asked,

stepping up behind Harry.

"Ok." Harry said, then he turned to the Headmaster, his smile falling off

his face at once. "Except for your potions master. He accosted me for

making my potion, trying to find some fault with it, and then without

letting me explain my method, he vanished my potion and gave me a

zero. Plus, do you know he subjects students to poison to test their

antidotes?"

"I have heard a great number of stories about Professor Snape over the

years. I am sure he is not as bad as other students make him out to be."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Maybe, but the fact still remains that he just vanish a perfectly good

brewing without any cause sir. He's a bully, and your students deserve

better than that." Harry said, still steaming from his first encounter with

the fabled Snape.

"I will have a word with him tonight at Dinner. In the meantime, I

believe lunch is now being served, and there are still afternoon classes to

attend."

Harry nodded and he and Cedric headed into the Great Hall for lunch.

6. Chapter 6

Hey friends,

So, I've gone through and corrected a few continuity errors. Harry is

only known as the Boy who lived to dumbledore who coined the

phrase and told no one... so far Sirius does NOT know the prophecy,

i fixed that as well. As far as Siruis owing Snape and then being

enraged that Snape is teaching, that will be explained much later.

Chapter 6

Harry joined his new Hufflepuff friends for lunch, and listened as they

told him a few stories about the Potions master. The more Harry heard,

the more he disliked the man. Harry then astonished the group by telling

them the potion they were struggling to brew under Snape's tutelage, he

had learned last year, which was partly why he'd been slicing his snake

tongue. He knew that his concoction was getting close to ready for it, just

before Snape had ambushed it.

Harry had heard of the man long before meting him. Sirius had told him

several stories about how he had tormented them man during their

school days, usually ending the story with a discussion about how wrong

it had been of him and how Sirius himself should have been more mature

and tolerant. Harry had never truly understood what Sirius meant by it

all until now. Perhaps if Harry's father and Sirius hadn't been so cruel to

Snape, he may have been a different man. But then again, some people

were just plain wicked.

"He's a git.' Hannah said "Always has been. Unless you're a Slytherin."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Snape's head of Slytherin House, and he favors his students. They get

away with so much because of him." Susan explained. "I've heard that he

just loves to pick on Neville Longbottom. Last year he made Neville drink

his own shrinking solution. Neville was in the hospital wing for a month."

"It's no wonder the Slytherins are such wankers." Ernie groaned. "With

Snape as their head of House, they can get away with bloody murder

around here."

"Have any of you ever tried talking to any of the Slytherins?" Harry

asked. None of his new friends responded in the positive, and Harry

sighed. "Doesn't it seem weird to any of you that you all hate them and

you don't actually know any of them?" Harry asked. They all stared at

him for a moment. Even Cedric couldn't answer.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd been going here the last few years."

Zacharias said. "You don't know what they're like."

"Well, that's true, but the thing is I met a few of them today. I had

breakfast with them, and they seemed ok to me." Harry said much to the

Hufflepuffs disbelief

"That's where you were." Sally Anne said looking up from her sandwich.

Harry noticed that the brunette had very pretty eyes and a thin nose with

very faint freckles. Sally Anne flushed when she saw him looking at her.

"Sorry. It's just that none of us could find you at breakfast." she said,

lowering her gaze.

"And none of you even thought to look at the Slytherin table?" Harry

smirked. The shamed looks they had gave him his answer. "Just seems

stupid to me." He muttered.

"What did Dumbledore want with you?" Susan asked, changing the

slightly tense subject.

"Wand weighing ceremony." Cedric answered. "The reporters only cared

about Harry though. Forgot the rest of us were even there. That Fleur girl

was glaring daggers at Harry the whole time."

"Was she?" Harry asked, having not noticed." Cedric nodded.

"I thought for a moment that she was going to leap across the room and

scratch your face off." Cedric grinned. Harry saw Hannah turn to glare at

Fleur who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. He couldn't help thinking

this was pretty damn adorable.

"Harry?" Justin asked. "We were talking last night and we really want to

see a broom race. We though that if we could get some people together,

we could have one on a weekend or something."

"I'm in." Cedric's friend Curtis said at once. "I've got a brand new Comet

5000 that I was ready to use for the Quidditch season, but what with the

Tournament and all."

"Count me in too." Cedric nodded.

"Sure." Harry nodded. Though we'll have to figure out a course, and

without the rings…"

"We might be able to get McGonagall and Flitwick to help us out with

that.' Ernie said.

"Alright then." Harry smiled. "We'll talk about it some more at dinner

then."

As lunch was over, Harry gathered his books and started off for his

afternoon Runes class. He was just about to head up the staircase when

someone stepped in his path. She was a head shorter than he was with

very large blue eyes and waist length wavy dirty blonde hair. She had

very strange earrings that reminded Harry of radishes, and a necklace

that had what looked to be Butterbeer corks on it.

"Uh, hi." He stammered. She was looking at him strangely.

"Hello Harry Potter." she said with a rather musical dreamy voice.

"Can I help you in any way?" Harry asked, not sure what to do. He felt

like she was looking through him. She held his gaze better than he

usually could, and he found it a little unnerving. He was just starting to

wonder if this was how he made other people feel when he looked at

them when she suddenly moved.

Never in a million lifetimes would Harry have ever been able to guess

what this girl had intended to do. She lunged at him, wrapping her arms

around his neck and pressing her lips to his. Harry grabbed her waist to

prevent her from falling over and dragging him down as well. Her lips

were soft, and not at all unpleasant and she smelled lightly of

honeysuckle and berries. Harry was only just starting to respond to the

kiss when the girl pulled away, staring at him with those wide blue eyes.

Harry had kissed a grand total of two girls in his life, one of them just

before his old school had let out for autumn break. He liked it very much

and had thought of doing little else since the first kiss he'd ever had.

Sirius always laughed and coughed "Hormones" whenever the subject

came up.

The last girl he'd kissed was Stacy Littleton. Or rather, she had kissed

him. But Harry had been steeling himself to make a move when she said

goodbye and leaned towards him, giving him a very tender sweet peck on

the corner of his mouth. It had been quick, but Harry felt there had been

an unspoken promise that there would be more.

But this was something he hadn't been prepared for or even thought

about. Harry thought the girl was quite cute, if not a tiny bit strange

looking. Harry couldn't help wondering if she had been holding back

when she had kissed him, or if she had just realized what she had been

doing and got embarrassed before things had gotten good.

"Um, so…" Harry started to say but the girl cocked her head a little to the

left and gave a soft dreamy smile.

"Frankly, I don't know what all the fuss is about. I didn't feel anything out

of the ordinary." she then turned around and skipped away, leaving

Harry standing there with a very odd expression on his face.

It took a couple of seconds before his brain fired up again and he had to

run to his Runes class. He had great difficulty in concentrating on his

work as he kept wondering why the girl had kissed him. Even more

disconcerting was that he didn't even know the girl's name. Still, it had

been pretty damned cool.

Harry ended up with loads more homework for Runes than he'd ever

gotten at Salem. This class was very far ahead of his old class and

Professor Babbling was very knowledgeable, or at least she appeared to

be, Harry hadn't been all that focused on listening, his mind constantly

replaying the kiss.

When class did finally end, Harry was stopped again, this time by a group

of six girls, all wearing blue and bronze ties.

"We just wanted a chance to say hello and welcome you to Hogwarts.' the

pretty Asian girl smiled, offering her hand. "My name is Su, and this is

Morag…" she indicated the girl with strawberry blonde hair and freckles.

Harry shook her hand as Su motioned towards a heavy set girl with acne.

"Eloise.' Su continued her introductions. Harry shook Eloise's hand and

idly thought that she could easily crush him if he made her angry.

"That's Padma."

Padma was a very pretty Indian girl with long straight silky looking black

hair and dark eyes that Harry thought he could look at for hours on end.

She blushed slightly under Harry's gaze, and had to look away.

"This is Lisa." Lisa was the tallest of the girls standing a head and a half

over Harry.

"And last but surely not least, Mandy." Su finished.

Mandy smiled at Harry from behind the protection of her books which

she held tightly to her chest. She had shoulder length wavy chestnut

brown hair and bright brown eyes. Harry offered his hand and noticed

how soft and petite her hand felt in his.

"It's nice to meet you all.' Harry said courteously.

"We were wondering if you'd join us at dinner at the Ravenclaw table

tonight.' Lisa proposed.

"I would be honored, but as it stands, I've agreed to meet some of my

Hufflepuff friends."

"You know you can have friends in any house." Eloise said, her voice a

little gruff.

"Funny." Harry smirked. "I said the same thing to a couple of Slytherin

girls just this morning. I have every intention of meeting and befriending

as many people as will be receptive. I just made plans before you asked

me, and it would be rude to just not show up. But, I'd be happy to have

breakfast with you tomorrow morning."

"That would be fantastic." Lisa said before Eloise could open her big

mouth and make Harry angry.

"Let's meet just outside the Great Hall at seven thirty then. Is that ok?"

"Perfect." Su said, leading her friends in the opposite direction as Harry

was heading. "We'll be looking forward for our chance to get to know you

better, Mister Potter."

"It's just Harry." Harry smiled and gave a slight wave.

They all headed off, Mandy in the rear, who gave a soft smile and a little

wave to Harry who smiled in return, making her turn away quickly.

Harry was instantly drawn to her as she was the first girl not to blush like

mad when he smiled at them.

Harry turned and headed to his room where he planned on starting his

runes homework before dinner.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked as Hermione entered the Gryffindor

Common room after her last class. "I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Ginny's eyes were narrowed as she ran up to her best friend. She pulled

Hermione towards the sofas where Neville and a few younger years were

sitting and engaged in various activities.

"Ok, one, your last class is much closer than mine. I was in Arithmancy

and that's way on the other side of the castle. Secondly, why?" Hermione

looked baffled.

"How about the fact that you failed to mention at lunch that you not only

spoke to Harry Potter, but you agreed to meet him in the library

tonight?"

Hermione's eyes shot to Neville who buried his face very deep into his

book, hoping to escape the bushy haired girl's wrath. Clearly Neville had

told Ginny all about what had happened in Transfiguration that morning.

"It's no nig deal, He just wants help researching the Tri-Wizard

Tournament. Cedric told him I might be helpful."

"Hold on a second." Ron Weasley said from his seat where he'd started a

game of chess with Seamus Finnegan. "Cedric Diggory told Harry Potter

about YOU? How does he even know your name. It's not like you're

special or even good looking. I mean, he's dating Cho Chang after all.

Why would he ever be interested in you?"

"Not that it's any of you business," Hermione glowered. "But he suggested

to Harry that I'm very smart, and I might be helpful."

"And here I was thinking Potter might be cool or something. Obviously

we were all mistaken. Apparently he's a huge loser. Why else would he

want to hang out with the likes of you?"

"Maybe he likes the smell of musty old books." Seamus Finnegan

chuckled, and Dean Thomas grinned as well.

"Maybe Cedric and Harry feel sorry for you." Ron suggested. "I mean,

everyone thinks you're pathetic. I sometimes wonder why…"

"Ron." Ginny said, her voice low and menacing. "I'm only going to say

this one final time. Leave Hermione and Neville alone. You're acting no

better than Draco Malfoy."

Ron's face went pink and he glared back at his sister. "Why do you defend

her? She's only dragging you down! No one likes her."

"I like her!" Ginny shouted. "I've gotten more out of being friends with

her and Neville than being related to you. Now I understand why the

twins won't admit you're their brother."

"That's slander!" Fred said from across the room, while his twin nodded.

"There's absolutely no proof that we are in fact related to that git!"

George added.

"Shut it!" Ron snapped and the twins began laughing. "I think you owe it

to yourself to get a better class of friend than this lot." Ron said and

turning away from them as if he'd just won the argument.

Ginny snarled and turned back to Hermione, dragging her to the girls

dorms. When they reached Hermione's bed, Ginny leapt up onto it and

folded her legs under her. Hermione recognized it was time for some girl

talk, and sighed in resignation. She wasn't really the giggly gossipy type,

nor was Ginny to be honest, yet, every so often, Ginny would break down

and embrace her teenage femininity, no matter how appalling it might

be. It wouldn't be all bad except she always made Hermione do it as well.

Sometimes it wasn't so bad. In fact, they had gone dress shopping last

summer when Ginny had stayed with Hermione. It had been fun to try on

dresses and high heels and attempt to get dolled up. Hermione had even

enjoyed walking around the mall a bit. She even saw a couple of boys

looking at her longingly, though she felt it was more likely they were

drooling over Ginny.

But girl talk always annoyed her. She never understood how her

roommates Parvati and Lavender could waste hours talking about boys.

"I want to know everything." Ginny smiled.

"There's nothing really to tell." Hermione shrugged. "When he heard my

name he told me that Cedric had told him I was very smart and that I

could help him in the library. He said he was thinking of trying to find

me to ask me to help him. Honestly I was more stunned to learn that

Cedric even knew who I was. We didn't get to talk anymore because class

started.

"Oh you are so lucky." Ginny sighed. "you get to be alone with him

and…"

"You can come, you know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Hermione said,

taking off her robe and opening her trunk to get a book.

"And be the third wheel? No thanks. Besides, studying in the library

doesn't sound like fun. We spend way too much time in there as it is."

Ginny said.

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. He's no

different from any other boy in this school." Hermione huffed.

"Hermione, did your dad ever tell you bedtime stories?" Ginny asked.

Something in her tone made Hermione pause.

"Sure." She shrugged.

"As a little girl did you ever imagine yourself as the princess waiting for

the brave knight to rescue you, or something like that?" Ginny continued.

"I guess." Hermione said, sitting down on her bed, listening to her friend.

"Well ok. Imagine hearing your father tell you about a brave knight who

vanquished the most evil wizard ever known. A knight so brave that he

simply can't be rivaled. Got it?" Ginny said imploringly. Hermione

nodded, encouraging Ginny to go on.

"Now imagine that not only, at five years old you find out that not only is

the story you've heard so often true, but that hero is real. And to top it

off, if he were alive, as many believed, he's right around your age. That's

what I grew up with. That's what so many of us grew up with. If your

were half or pure blood, you knew the story of Harry Potter. We were all

told he was dead, but a lot of people didn't believe it. My dad always said

he thought Harry was hidden because no body was ever found. Some

people argued that he was small enough to have been just…" Ginny

shuddered and Hermione understood the unfinished thought.

"Now we find that he's alive, and not only that, but he is just a normal

average teenager. Not only is he not some fantastical hero with magic

just pouring off of him, but he's normal. An everyday run of the mill,

although very good looking, wizard. We all grew up to believe him to be

this image of perfection only to find out the reality is so much better."

"Ok." Hermione smiled, finally feeling that she understood all the girls in

the castle better. "But how do you expect anything to happen if you don't

talk to him?"

"Well see, that's what I have you for." Ginny smiled and Hermione

shivered involuntarily. She realized too late that Ginny had a plan, And

she, Hermione, had just become a very integral part.

Harry ran into Ernie and Justin who was holding hands with Sally Anne

as they were entering the Great Hall for dinner. They joined the other

Hufflepuffs and Harry met Megan Jones, Wayne Hopkins and Stephen

Cornfoot, three other Fourth years who he had not yet spoken with,

though he recognized them from his disastrous Potions class.

They joined Zacharias, Hannah and Susan at the Hufflepuff table. Harry

sat between Hannah and Susan. He was growing quite fond of the two

girls, and wondered idly if either of them had boyfriends. If not, he might

try to ask them out after he got to know them a bit better.

"How was Runes?" Hannah asked as they all began to fill their plates.

"It was good. It's going to be tough though. I'm really behind in that class.

I've got loads of homework already. It's crazy. My old school seems to be

ahead of you in potions, but like two years behind on Runes."

"Maybe different schools put emphasis on different subjects." Susan said

wisely.

"Well, on top of that, I was having difficulty concentrating. This girl

kissed me as I was going to class."

Several forks clattered loudly on the golden plates. Harry looked up

suddenly feeling frightened by the looks on Hannah, Susan and Megan's

faces. Zacharias looked as if Christmas was about to come early, while

the other boys clearly looked as if they wanted to make a hasty retreat.

"Who was it?" Megan asked, her dark eyes flashing. Harry shrugged

which only made the girls look more intimidating. He had no idea why

they were all being so protective of him. He wasn't dating any of them,

unless in the last twenty four hours he had pledged himself to them in

some manner he was not aware of. He then wondered if asking out

Hannah or Susan was actually a good idea anymore.

"I never even got her name." Harry said. "She just kissed me, said she

didn't see what all the fuss was about and skipped away."

"Skipped?" Susan asked for clarification. She stared at Harry for a

moment as he nodded.

"Did she had blonde hair?" Hannah asked.

"Uh, yes to both questions." Harry said warily. The tension at the table

melted at once, and the girls all calmed down.

"Of course it was Loony." Hannah said as if that explained everything.

"Uh, who?"

"Luna Lovegood." Sally Anne said. "She's in Ravenclaw. She's…what's a

nice way to put it…"

"Weird." Ernie said quickly. "Nice enough, but she says the oddest things,

you know?"

"Yeah," Zacharias said with a nod. "She talks about the strangest things as

if they really exist. Her father is editor of the Quibbler."

"Wait, the Quibbler?" Harry asked. " I think I met him today. He asked if I

used nargets, or gnarlies or something to keep hidden. It was weird."

"Like father like daughter." Ernie said, reaching for more pork chops. "So

is she a good kisser?"

Megan punch Ernie on the arm, making him shout indignantly.

"What?" He asked rubbing his arm.

"Rude much?" Megan asked her expression cold.

"To be honest, I was too surprised to really analyze her technique, or

whatever." Harry smirked. "I've never had anyone just up and kiss me for

no reason. But, I think it could have been nice had I been prepared for it."

Harry noticed Hannah looking thoughtfully and a glance at Susan showed

that the redhead was also looking contemplative. He wondered if he had

just told them how he liked to be kissed, and a coy smile emerged on his

face. He was really starting to like Hogwarts.

Harry decided it was time that he learned a little more about his new

friends, and began asking basic questions. He enjoyed hearing stories

about everyone's first bits of accidental magic, especially Susans's.

Apparently when the redhead was around five, she had gotten really

angry at her Aunt who had told her she could not have any biscuits

before dinner, and had even locked them away in a cupboard so Susan

could not get to them. Harry was nearly falling off his seat when Susan

explained that her Aunt heard a great crash where the door had been

ripped off it's hinges, and found her niece with the cookie jar in the

sitting room, three cookies in each hand, and a satisfied smile on her

little face.

"Just out of curiosity, what kind of cookies were they?" Harry asked

between gasps for breath.

"Chocolate chip, of course." Susan grinned and Harry made a mental note

not to get in between the redhead and her favorite cookies.

"What was you first bit of accidental magic?" Hannah asked.

"Sirius said it was summoning the cat when I was one or so."

"Really?" Ernie asked. "I've never heard of anyone showing signs that

early."

Harry only shrugged. "Apparently my parents were surprised as well, and

I don't think the cat liked it to much either." Harry stood and pulled up

his shirt a little to show three very faint lines on his hip. Hannah and

Susan who were closest sucked in their breath as the caught sight of his

skin under his shirt. Harry was very thin, and his clothes were rather

loose fitting, but now they could clearly see that this boy had some nice

definition. This tease only made each girl who could see Harry want

more.

"Sirius said I was lucky my mom got there quickly or it could have been a

lot worse." Harry smiled as he dropped his shirt and sat back down.

"Excuse me?"

Harry turned and found Hermione Granger standing behind him looking

a bit embarrassed. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but you had asked me to

help you in the library, and I didn't know if you knew the way."

"Thank you." Harry smiled, standing up. Hermione saw that Susan Bones

and Hannah Abbott were giving her surreptitious looks of bitterness as

Harry rose from his seat. "I'll see you lot later." Harry smiled, giving a

wave to his new friends before turning to follow Hermione.

"They don't like me." Hermione said softly as they got out of earshot.

"What did you do to make them not like you?" Harry wondered.

Hermione shrugged.

"The same thing I did to everyone else, I guess. I just exist."

Harry gave her a curious look and then shook his head. "You people

presume a lot. Everyone hates everyone else for no reason. It's so damned

stupid, you know?"

"Can't change the way people think." Hermione shrugged.

"That's garbage." Harry countered. "You can't change the way people

think if you don't try. Tell you what. Let's try an experiment."

Hermione nearly tripped as she turned to look at Harry skeptically.

"Tomorrow, I'm having breakfast with the Ravenclaws. Why don't you

join me?"

"They'll get mad and tell me to go away.' Hermione said, her voice

catching.

"Then I'll go away with you." Harry said flatly. "They can either tolerate

you and maybe even get to know you, or they can not be my friends."

"Are we friends?" Hermione asked looking into Harry's green eyes and he

smiled.

"Don't know yet." He said honestly. "I don't know you yet, and you don't

know me. But, we're going to spend some time together and then we'll

decide. At the very least, we'll actually have our opinions of each other

based on time we've spent together instead of just presuming we wouldn't

get along. Sound alright?"

Hermione could only nod and Harry smiled, motioning for her to

continue leading them to the Library.

Hermione had never ever imagined that she could met someone her own

age that made so much sense. She was really starting to understand why

the other girls were so fascinated by him. Yes, Harry Potter was good

looking. There was simply no denying it. With those amazing green eyes

and that messy hair and that smile that just made a girl swoon. But more

than that. Harry was rather intelligent, and he wasn't some prejudiced

blowhard. He had a very strong set of values, from what Hermione had

discovered. It was hard not to like this boy.

Once they got to the Library, Hermione helped Harry find a few books

that were about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and they sat down together

at a table and Harry told Hermione that what he was really looking for

was some clue as to what the tasks might be. Hermione found it truly

refreshing that Harry, unlike other boys she knew, seemed to take his

studies fairly seriously. Yet, as they combed through tome after tome, he

would engage her in light conversation.

Hermione had real difficulty in concentrating with Harry there with her.

It wasn't that his queries were distracting, more the fact that he seemed

truly interested in her as a person. No one other than Ginny or neville

had really shown any motivation to get to know her at all, and usually

anyone who spoke to her was just doing so to remind her that they didn't

care for her, as if she needed the reminder.

As they continued to voraciously search out facts and clues about the

Tournament, they discovered that the tasks were all made to test certain

aspects of a witch or wizard. Typically the first test was designed to test a

wizards bravery, and they were not usually given any clues as to what

the task might be.

The second task usually targeted the Champion's reasoning and

resourcefulness. Hermione read a excerpt from Eternal Glory that said

champions were given bits of parchment with riddles written in ancient

runes that actually told them what they would be facing. Once translated,

the champions then had to figure out what they would need in order to

get past the challenge which turned out to be passing through the great

pharaoh's crypt and retrieving stone tablets, which turned out to have

clues for the final task.

"You don't think they'll apparate us to Egypt, do you?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged as she turned a page.

"I don't think so. This seems to be such a big deal, I think it more likely

that whatever the challenges are, they'll bring them here." She said

thoughtfully.

"Well that's good. I'll just keep an eye out for anyone building a pyramid

then." Harry said. Hermione laughed in spite of herself and Harry

chuckled a bit as well.

"You know, what you did for Neville this morning," Hermione said when

she'd stopped laughing. "That was really nice. I've tried helping him, but

maybe I just over explain it, I guess. He always seems more confused, and

then has a worse time trying to manage."

"McGonagall said he's got a real lack of confidence." Harry said, looking

up from Terrors of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

"His grandmother is kind of strict and she holds him to an impossible

standard." Hermione sighed.

"What about his parents?"

Hermione shook her head and looked at Harry. "He doesn't talk about

them. I don't know for sure, and I haven't been able to find out what

happened to them. I don't think they're dead, but I know He doesn't live

with them. He always just clams up whenever someone bring them up."

"I can relate." Harry sighed, closing the book.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said quickly fearing she'd just put her foot in it.

"It's alright." Harry waved it off. "I can't remember them, though I wish I

could. Sirius is great, but there's sometimes when you just really need

your mom and dad, and nothing can substitute for it, you know?"

Hermione nodded, a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"Have you found anything on the third task?"

"Only that it is usually quite brutal." Hermione said looking back to her

book. "None of these books have anything specific, save for it's usually

made to be very tough. It's usually the task that champions die

attempting to complete. The tournament in 1223 went on for five days

before a champion emerged, and he died three days later. It doesn't say

what killed him though."

"Reassuring." Harry muttered. "How can I even begin readying for this

thing if I have no idea what I'm going to face?"

"Maybe you're going about this all wrong." Hermione said and Harry

turned to look at the bushy haired girl, thinking that despite her out of

control hair, she was quite pretty.

"Maybe what you need to do is concentrate on learning some really good

spells. Stuff that would be useful in a lot of different situations." She said,

rising from her chair and hurrying into the stacks before Harry had a

moment to question her. In a flash she was back, arms loaded with thick

tomes which she dropped onto the table with a very loud thud.

"Wow." Was all Harry could think to say as Hermione handed him the

first book.

"So, what we should do is make a list of any spells that could be useful to

you in a fight, or if you have to get out of some kind of trap or anything

like that." She smiled taking out some parchment and a quill and setting

to work making a list of jinxes, charms, hexes and anything else she

found interesting.

Hermione's list was nearly two feet long by the time Cedric found them.

His eyebrows rose into his hairline when he saw her tiny scrawl in neat

lines that would be easy to read under a really strong magnifying glass.

"So I see you started without me." He grinned, making Hermione look up

and blush a bit under Cedric's gaze.

"Hermione thought that by learning a bunch of useful spells, I might be

better off than trying to figure out what the tasks might be." Harry said

closing his third book, not even sure what he was looking for.

"I told you she was brilliant." Cedric smiled. "How many spells do you

have there?"

Hermione felt her face flush and replied "Seventy five, but I've been

copying all the wand movements and incantations he doesn't have to find

the books again."

"Well, I hate to break this up, but I thought you would like to start

getting in some practice." Cedric said. Harry nodded and rose from his

seat.

"I'll put the books away." Hermione smiled, handing the parchment to

Harry who thanked her profusely.

"Remember breakfast. Seven thirty right outside the Great Hall, alright?"

He smiled. Hermione nodded and bade the two boys headed off.

"I'm impressed." Cedric said as they left the library. "So far you've made

friends with people in every house."

"Well, not friends yet, but I've met a lot of people. I hope to make

friends."

"Any girls catch your eye?' Cedric smiled, thinking it funny that Harry's

cheeks pinkened. "Or your lips?"

"Oi" Harry said, smacking his face with his palm. "Does everyone know

about that?"

"Not yet, but they will by morning." Cedric smirked. "Hogwarts' rumor

mill is incredibly fast. To be honest, I don't envy Luna Lovegood. She's

going to have a lot of girls hounding her for details, or worse, she's going

to get hexed more than usual."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, feeling he wasn't going to like what

he was about to hear.

"Well, Like you heard, she's rather different. Cho told me that she's the

but of a lot of jokes and pranks. Last year she had all her books stolen

from her. The thing is, she never told any of the teachers. She just kept

going to class without her books and getting in trouble because she said

that her books were taken by some creature she'd made up. Funny thing

is, he one friend, Ginny Weasley got fed up with it, and went to the

Raven claw prefects and told them they'd better get her books back or

start a collection for replacements, or she'd go to Dumbledore. The next

day, Luna had all her books back."

"I like the sound of this Ginny." Harry smiled.

"She's like a damned phoenix on a broom. She very nearly stole the

Snitch from me last year in our final game." Cedric said admiringly as he

opened a classroom door and allowed Harry to enter, closing the door

behind him.

"Right, so I'm going to show you a few spells that you'd normally learn in

sixth year…"

While Cedric was teaching Harry some rather interesting spells, Luna

found herself in front of twelve girls from her house, who had followed

her into the third year girls dorm. She had barely sat on her bed where

she had intended on writing a letter to her father when they had come

marching in.

"Is it true?" Asked Annette Hadleburn, and sixth year girl who was staring

at Luna as if she were something disgusting.

"I'm sorry?" Luna looked up curiously, which was saying something.

However, Luna knew exactly what these girls wanted of her. She had

heard someone in the common room mention her name along with Harry

Potter's. Judging from some of the glares she was getting at the moment,

there was no question in Luna's mind she was about to be hexed into next

month. Luna wondered idly if it would be very painful.

"Is it true what they're saying?" Marietta Edgecombe asked, stepping in

front of Annette and giving the older girl a hard look. "Did you really kiss

Harry Potter, Luna?"

"Yes." Luna said simply, Looking at each girl in turn. "I wished to know

what all the excitement was about. I've heard nearly every girl talk about

snogging him, and wanted to know why. I still don't know what is so

fascinating about it. Perhaps I did it wrong."

"I can't believe it!" Lisa Turpin shouted throwing her hands up in the air

in frustration. "Of all the girls in the school, he kisses her first?"

"Did you use a love spell?" Another girl asked.

"When did it happen?" someone else shouted.

"Luna, would you tell us all about it?" Cho Chang asked sweetly. Luna

gave a very faint smile and nodded. She had never had so many people

interested in talking to her. Usually they said things about her as she

walked by thinking they couldn't hear them. It was a very peculiar

change and Luna was far to curious as to what might happen to deny

them a story.

"I simply kissed him in the corridor after lunch." She smiled dreamily.

"That was it. Then I went to Charms class."

"Wait a minute." Su Li said stepping forward. "You just kissed him? Had

you talked to him before that?"

"I said hello." Luna said without emotion. "Then I kissed him."

"Did he start tilting his head towards you like he wanted to kiss you?"

Morag McDougal asked, looking rather confused.

"No. In fact, I think he was a bit confused. I didn't even introduce myself.

It was a bit rude of me actually."

"Ok." Eloise Midgen said from the back. "The girl's got real guts. Who else

would have thought to just grab him and snog him. Without even

introducing themselves first before just locking lips."

"Snog him?" Luna asked, her eyebrows going up. "Perhaps that's what I

did wrong. I only kissed him on his very soft lips. I didn't even think to

use my tongue."

"Oooohhhhhhh, Soft lips?" Padma Patil whined. She clutched her hands

to her chest and her eyes were far away. "Did he hold you tightly? Or run

his fingers through your hair as you kissed?"

Luna shook her head slowly. "He only lightly held my waist to keep me

from falling. I was rather forceful. Perhaps that's why I didn't feel

anything special. I did do it all wrong, didn't I? Maybe I should have let

him kiss me. Maybe he prefers initiating something so intimate."

The Ravenclaws girls gave her looks of contempt, wonder and jealousy.

Luna knew exactly what they were all thinking. They all wanted to kiss

Harry Potter. It actually disgusted Luna that none of them even cared

about him. All they seemed to want were the bragging rights that they

had snogged the boy of legend.

"So does that mean you're shot of him then?" Lisa Turpin asked, looking a

bit hopeful.

"I don't know." Luna said honestly. "I think he would be a very nice friend

to have."

"But you don't want to date him?" Padma asked, trying to clarify the

inquiry. As Luna was so bizarre, there was no telling if she understood

what they were asking.

"Oh, I don't think he would like me in that way. I think he wants to date

Susan Bones or Hannah Abbott. He looks at them a lot when he speaks to

them. I think they fancy him as well. They whisper behind their hands

and giggle a lot. I've also seen Harry looking at Susan bones' chest when

she thinks she isn't watching him, yet she puffs out her chest, and she left

the top button undone after lunch. My breasts aren't nearly as large as

hers."

"Are you saying he's a boob man?" Su Li asked, awkwardly glancing at

her own chest. Mentally comparing herself with Susan Bones.

"Aren't they all?" Eloise asked and a few girls laughed.

Slowly they began to move out of the dorm, leaving Luna alone again.

The wide eyed blonde had to wonder if she had just set to motion

something that would be extremely entertaining to watch. She had an

image of poor Harry being inundated by girls with the top buttons

undone so he could get good looks at their cleavage.

Luna was positive that thanks to all she had just shared, she would be

able to capture a wrackspurt now.

"Have you heard?" Pansy Parkinson sniggered as she entered the slytherin

fourth year girls dormitory. Millicent Bulstrode lumbered in behind her

and going to her trunk and looking a bit sleepy. Both Daphne and Tracey

who were already dressed in the bed clothes looked up from their

conversation to look at Pansy who was smiling like the cat that got the

canary.

"What are you on about?" Tracey looked annoyed. She truly hated how

Pansy would try and get them interested in her latest gossip, especially

since it always seemed to work.

"Well I thought you two would have been the first to hear, especially as

you're so interested in Potter."

"Pansy," Daphne said irritably, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Either

spill it, or shut the hell up." Daphne was far less tolerant of Pansy's little

games than Tracey was.

"Potter was seen kissing a Ravenclaw girl after lunch!" Pansy shrieked

with delight. "Samantha Edwards told me that it was that Loony girl. Said

they looked like long lost lovers."

Tracey looked to Daphne who gave her a sympathetic look.

"Here I was thinking Potter had a bit of taste, as he was at least talking

with Slytherins, even if it was the two of you. But he was talking to

Granger, and headed off with her after dinner. And kissing that Lovegood

girl? I mean, really." Pansy shrugged heading into the bathroom to

prepare for bed.

"He's only been here a day and he's got a girlfriend already?" Tracey

asked Daphne in a hissed whisper. Daphne could only shrug.

"Maybe she's making it up."

"She's not." Millicent said gruffly. "I didn't tell her, but I saw it myself."

"What?" Tracey looked as if she'd been slapped. She'd been talking to

Daphne about Harry all day. Daphne knew that her friend had developed

a crush on the boy. She could understand why, too. He was very well

spoken, and quite a bit smarter than many of the dunderheads who they

shared classes with. If Tracey hadn't been so taken with the boy, Daphne

thought that maybe she might fall for Harry in time.

"He was heading up the stairs when that girl stopped him and then she

just threw herself at him. Then she just left him there, gawking."

Millicent said, eyeing the bathroom door to make sure Pansy didn't come

back. Pansy was very possessive of her friend, and always made Millie

feel bad for even talking to anyone else. Tracey and Daphne often

thought that if Millie had a bit more courage, Pansy might find herself

without friends at all.

"Do you think they're together?" Tracey asked trepidatiously. Millicent

shrugged and gathered her pajamas and headed into the bathroom as

well.

"I can't believe this." Tracey said bitterly.

"Oh come off it." Daphne scowled. "Do you honestly think you can be the

only girl in his life? Especially after only one or two days? Don't be so

stupid. You've had exactly one conversation with him. He's probably

going to date a few girls while he's here. The thing to do is to be a friend

and let him see how amazing you are. Never talk ill of any girl he dates,

or he'll just think you're a jealous bint. Like I told you, be yourself around

him and he'll wise up. Besides, after you get to know him, you might find

that he's not the boy for you after all."

Tracey nodded and sighed. "You're right. Of course you're right. You

always are. I'm getting ahead of myself. He's perfectly free to snog

anyone he wants. We're not even friends yet, and I'm already planning

our wedding. This isn't me. Ok."

Tracey gave a great sigh and slipped under her blankets as Daphne did

the same.

"So what should I do next oh very wise one?" Tracey asked, looking over

to her friend who was extinguishing her bedside lamp.

"How am I supposed to know?" Daphne chuckled lightly. "Like I have a

boyfriend."

Tracey snarled and chucked her pillow at her best friend, making her

laugh harder.

7. Chapter 7

Hermione had barely slept during the night. She had agreed to meet

Harry Potter for breakfast, much to her best friend Ginny's delight, but

they were supposed to join several Ravenclaws as well.

Hermione only ever felt this anxious right before exams. The trouble was,

this wasn't something you could study for. She wasn't even quite sure

what it was Harry wanted to do. He had said it was going to be some

kind of experiment. He seemed confident that he would be able to change

people's minds about her. The problem was, she didn't think Harry knew

what he was getting into her.

Deciding that she was clearly not going to get any more sleep, she threw

her blankets off and through her pajama clad legs out of her bed, keeping

as quiet as possible so as not to wake her roommates, who would likely

hex her. Padding softly to her trunk, she collected her clothes and

toiletries and headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up and ready for

the day.

When she had completed getting ready, she saw that it was still an hour

before she was to meet Harry. She slipped into the common room and sat

down on one of the sofas, taking out her Arithmancy book and trying to

study. Her mind was definitely not interested in the subject at all.

Hermione couldn't stop herself and she kept imagining what might

happen when she met Harry that morning. What would he do when the

Ravenclaw girls made it clear they didn't want her around at all? Would

he just shrug and smile and go off with all those pretty girls forgetting

her completely, or would he actually do as he said and go eat the

morning meal with her someplace else? She had a very hard time

imagining that Harry would keep to his word. He was a normal fourteen

year old boy. With that many pretty girls interested in him, he would

most likely follow his hormones and she'd be left standing there looking

stupid… Again!

So why was she even bothering to worry about any of it? Why was she so

nervous? Why the hell was she even planning on meeting Harry Potter in

the first damned place?

Because. He'd been nice to her.

"Are we friends?" She had asked him, looking into those deep green pools,

fighting down the strange hope she felt when he smiled at her.

"Don't know yet." He had said. "I don't know you yet, and you don't know me.

But, we're going to spend some time together and then we'll decide. At the very

least, we'll actually have our opinions of each other based on time we've spent

together instead of just presuming we wouldn't get along. Sound alright?"

That was why. He was willing to make an effort. He wanted to get to

know her and see if they could be friends. So far as he knew, they might

share common interests, of enjoy each other's company. And the truth

was, she actually wanted to be his friend. That's why she had agreed to

this craziness. She wanted to be friends with this new boy. Not the

famous boy most everyone was tripping over themselves to meet or

associate with. She wanted to be friends with the Harry that had been so

very honest with her, and had defended her against Ron Weasley, before

he even really knew her name.

Deciding she was not going to get any reading done, she decided to head

down to the Great Hall and wait. Her only reasoning was that if she

walked slowly, it would at least kill time.

As she hit the bottom of the grand staircase, she thought she saw Harry

going down a hallway, but she wasn't sure. She thought it strange that he

would even be awake. Then again, he had wanted to meet her at seven

thirty. Most of her Gryffindor house mates were only just waking up

then.

Hermione went into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Gryffindor table

closest to the entrance where she would be clearly visible when Harry

returned. About ten minutes later people began pouring into the Great

Hall, most of the sixth years or older, though she did see a few first years.

Little by little the Great Hall started to fill with more and more students.

Then she saw the Ravenclaw fourth years take up station just outside of

the Great Hall, all of them looking as if they'd taken great care with their

appearances this morning. Hermione's fear began to rise again as she

watched them.

A moment later it was clear that Harry had shown up, and the girls were

greeting him. The Asian girl, Su Li led the charge calling out a big "Good

Morning". Hermione couldn't see Harry but it was clear that he was there

as the girls circled around him protectively. They didn't seem to be

moving into the Great Hall and Hermione realized that she had promised

to meet him outside of the Great Hall. Preparing herself for the worst,

Hermione stood and went out to meet them all.

"Oh, there you are." Harry said the moment he spotted her. He stepped

out of the circle and turned to face them, keeping himself between them.

"Ladies, this is Hermione Granger, and I asked her to join us this

morning." Harry smiled to the Ravenclaws.

"What?" Eloise Midgen all but shouted looking very indignant. "Why?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Harry asked. Hermione could see the

other girls all looking at Eloise as if she'd just told them the sky was now

orange. Eloise seemed not to have noticed as she stared coldly at

Hermione.

"I thought we were going to get to know you, Harry. I didn't know we'd

be entertaining a bigheaded social reject like Granger. She thinks she's

something amazing. Merlin's gift to magic." Eloise spit.

"Funny, I never got that impression." Harry said, looking at Hermione

who looked as if all she wanted to do was scamper away.

"You haven't had the misfortune of being stuck in this school with her the

past three years. She shows off in every class like she's the perfect witch.

She takes so much pleasure in showing everyone up and being every

teachers favorite pet. It's disgusting. Trust me, the more distance you put

between yourself and Granger the better off you are." Eloise finished,

crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Hermione.

"Hmm." Harry said thoughtfully. "Let me ask you something."

Harry winked at Hermione and then turned to face Eloise fully. "Have

you ever talked to her? I mean not insult her, but actually talk to her? Do

you know anything about her beyond that she seems quite good in class

and has enough pride in herself to do as well as she can?"

Eloise stepped back as if Harry'd just slapped her. She looked to her

friends for support, but it was clear they were not going to get in the

middle of this Even Morag, her best friend had become intensely

interested in watching people come down the staircase for breakfast.

"So, you've wasted three years insulting her, and you don't know spit

about her. Everyone seems to be so intent on getting to know me, but I

find it strange that there are so many interesting people who are already

here."

He looked at each girl in turn as he spoke now. "But here's a great

opportunity to fix it. Why not forget everything you think you know

about Hermione here and spend a little time with her. Ask her questions,

and give her the chance to do the same. I'm not saying you'll become the

best of friends, but at the very least you'll have facts to base you

judgment on."

To everyone's surprise, especially those who knew her so well, Mandy

Brocklehurst stepped forward and linked her arm in Hermione's and

began leading her into the great Hall. Su Li looked at Padma and then

Lisa with awe. Mandy was very shy and never EVER initiated anything.

Harry gave a wide smile and followed after the two girls, leaving the

other five gawking.

"I just screwed up royally, didn't I?" Eloise asked sullenly.

"Most assuredly."

They all turned to see Luna Lovegood standing behind them, smiling her

rather vacant dreamy smile as she looked at them all in turn.

"He's very interesting isn't he? He seems to have this thing about helping

people who seem to be having trouble as well as this of us who think we

know it all. He knows tha real value of friendship and doesn't seem afraid

to risk the possibility of losing potential friends in favor of people who

will be more appreciative of him in the long run. Hermione for all her

faults knows how valuable a true friend can be. It's why they will be

friends until they die. I actually envy them both." She smiled softly and

headed into the Great Hall leaving five very stunned housemates in her

wake.

"Ok, seriously." Su said at long last. "When did the world go all barmy,

and Loony Lovegood become the damned voice of reason?"

"She really did have some good points." Padma agreed, looking to where

Harry, Hermione and Mandy sat. She then noticed that Harry waved

Luna over to sit next to him. "And what's worse, is she's actually gotten

closer to him than any of us will ever hope to be if we don't start using

our brains and thinking of him instead of ourselves."

"Plus he's got a real point. There are loads of interesting people around

here, and we've just isolated ourselves. Who knows what we're missing."

Su Li said, watching as Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan walked past.

"I mean, think of all the possibilities."

"Yeah." Lisa grinned. "Dean's one of the few boys in this school taller than

me, not to mention that really cute dimple when he smiles."

"Whoa!" Padma turned sharply. "You've never mentioned Dean before."

"I know." Lisa said flatly still focused on the tall dark skinned boy. "I don't

know why I thought that I would only date another Ravenclaw. Makes

you wonder how we all got so brainwashed and convinced not to go

outside of our own houses. Look at all we've been missing. And I don't

think I want to miss anymore. See ya in class."

Lisa gave a little wave and dashed into the Great Hall after Dean Thomas.

"Oh Harry, what have you started?" Su asked making Padma and Morag

laugh while Eloise just stared at Hermione Granger feeling very foolish.

Harry was having a really good day. He had proven Hermione wrong,

and he was sure that she and Mandy Brocklehurst were on their way to

becoming friends. In fact, the two girls had all but ignored him at

breakfast, losing themselves in a conversation centered on Arithmancy.

Harry hadn't minded as it gave him the chance to talk to Luna Lovegood,

who had been real entertaining. Luna had a very unique view of the

world, and Harry was sure she had spoken in riddles to him throughout

breakfast.

Still, Harry liked her. It was hard not to. With her easy smile and her soft

smile, Luna was very pretty. But more than that, she was fun to be

around. The way she talked about strange creatures, and patiently

explained them to him, She even had Harry believing there might be

something to them. Her conviction was admirable, and Harry just had an

immense amount of respect for the girl immediately.

Harry's first class for the day turned out to be Charms, where he joined

Tracey and Daphne and the other Slytherins, as well as the Ravenclaws.

Harry caught some of the Ravenclaws throwing glances his way, but he

kept focus on the tiny teacher's lesson. Harry was sure that if he could get

Professor Flitwick and Professor Madigan together, it would be a very

entertaining and educational time.

Harry enjoyed the practical part of the lesson as it gave him a chance to

talk with the two Slytherin girls, and was introduced to Theodore Nott

and Blaise Zabini who were rather monosyllabic. Harry guessed they

were still on the fence about whether to like Harry or not. Harry wasn't

to concerned.

The Slytherins joined Harry for his next class, where they joined the

Gryffindors on the grounds for Care of Magical creatures. Harry had

never been more freaked out in his life. Hagrid presented Blast Ended

Skrewts and made all the students partner up, to take the strange lobster

like creatures for a walk to burn off pent up energy.

"These things are so horrible." Tracey said as she and Harry tried guiding

their skrewt around the grounds.

"I'm still trying to figure out what they are." Harry said, holding tight to

the leash. Tracey refused to take a turn holding the leash, and Harry now

understood why. Twice now the skrewt's tail had ignited and drug Harry

across the ground, much to Tracey's delight it seemed. Even now she was

having trouble not smiling. In spite of it all, Harry didn't really mind as

Tracey's smirk was quite fetching.

"What has he said about these things?"

"Only what he finds 'interesting'. Stingers, suckers, pincers." Tracey

shrugged looking over to where Daphne and Blaise were trying to fight

their own skrewts and guide it where they wanted to go. "I swear if he

could, He'd bring a damned dragon for us to study."

"Actually, I don't think I'd mind studying a dragon. You know, so long as

it was caged and it couldn't breath fire at me." Harry shrugged.

"thinking of becoming a dragon handler after school?" Tracey smiled and

Harry shrugged.

"I have absolutely no idea what I want to do when school is finished. I'd

like to play professional Quidditch, but I think I could only do that for a

few years. Same with racing. And there's a good chance that I might not

get drafted for a professional team."

"Sounds like you've put a fair amount of thought into this." Tracey said,

making Harry shrug again.

"I suppose we're all about that age where we start thinking about that

sort of thing." He smiled. The skrewt was no inspecting a patch of

ground, no longer concerned with the two teens or the leash around it's

middle. "I sometimes think it would be cool to be in law enforcement. My

dad and my godfather were set to become Auror's before things happened

to change it all. Sirius told me they were just finishing their training

when Mom and dad had to go into hiding."

"That's a pretty admirable ambition." Tracey nodded, keeping a wary eye

on the skrewt who seemed to have settled into a patch of mud. "I want to

be a curse breaker. I think it would be really exciting to go into ancient

tombs and discover treasure and artifacts hidden away by wizards ages

ago. Plus, Curse breakers make loads of gold."

"Nothing wrong with making a bit of gold." Harry nodded approvingly.

"So long as you remember that there's more to life."

"Another bit of advice from your godfather?" Tracey asked with a smirk.

Harry nodded.

"I sometimes think he's trying to make sure I don't make the same

mistakes as he or my father did. Like he's trying to keep a promise to my

parents or something. I've asked him about it a few times, but he just

shakes his head and says it's his job to make sure I grow into a good

man."

Harry shrugged and the two fell silent, both turning to look at the skrewt

that seemed to be sleeping in the patch of mud now. Harry could feel

Tracey's eyes turn on him, and saw her fidgeting a bit out of the corner of

his eye.

"So, you know this weekend we're allowed to go to the village." Tracey

stuttered out. Harry nodded, turning to look at her. Tracey's face went

scarlet as he captured her gaze. Tracey had to look away after a second if

she hoped to continue.

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go? You know, with me?" She

managed to finally get out. Harry kept silent until she turned to look at

him again. He was smiling at her, and she felt her face go red again.

"I'd like that. However, I'm meting my godfather in the morning, so I

don't think I'll be free until the afternoon." He said, looking apologetic.

Tracey merely smiled brightly in return and shrugged.

"We could meet at the Three Broomsticks and have a late lunch and then

visit the shops." She suggested and Harry nodded in agreement.

"That sounds great." Harry grinned. "Now, if only it were Friday so we

didn't have to wait so long." Tracey could only laugh.

Hagrid called the end of class and all around them their classmates were

trying very hard to get their skrewts back to Hagrid. Harry and Tracey

looked at their sleeping skrewt and then at each other.

"I really don't fancy waking this thing." Tracey said with a rather

frightened look on her face.

"Then I really hope this works." Harry said taking out his wand. With a

swish and flick, Harry levitated the napping lobster like creature and

guided it back to Hagrid, who was beaming at him and Tracey as Harry

gently place the creature down.

"You might look into getting them some mud." Harry said placing his

wand back in its holster.

"It went right to sleep in a patch up on the hill there." Tracey remarked

and Hagrid nodded, his smile growing ever wider.

"Ten points to yeh Miss Davis, for your discovery. Well done." Hagrid said

before urging them off to lunch. Harry wasn't sure, but he thought Tracey

might have been a bit shocked to have earned points from Hagrid.

The two walked together back up to the castle where Tracey went to join

Daphne for lunch. Harry was greeted by Hannah and Susan, and decided

to join them for lunch.

"So what do you have this afternoon?" Hannah asked as they sat down.

"Defense." Harry said simply. "What's Moody like?"

Hannah looked at Susan and Harry saw the look of admiration mixed

with fear. Susan turned back to Harry and leaned in towards him.

"He really knows his stuff, but his teaching method is a bit… hands on."

Harry gave her a strange look and Hannah picked up the story.

"He's spent a lot of time so far on the Unforgivable Curses. In our first

lesson he showed us the effects of them on a spider. It gave me

nightmares. The next few lessons, he put us all under the Imperious curse

so we'd know what it would feel like. He made me dance in front of

everyone while singing. I nearly died of embarrassment." Hannah

groaned.

"There's a lot of people worried that he'll put us all under the Cruciatus

next." Susan shivered.

"He really put you all under the Imperious?" Harry asked with concern.

Both girls nodded and Harry sat back in his seat looking thoughtful.

"That doesn't make sense. He's a teacher."

"He said Dumbledore wanted us all to know what it felt like so we could

learn to fight it." Susan said. Harry looked up to the head table where the

teachers sat. Dumbledore wasn't present this afternoon, but Moody was

there gnawing on a chicken leg. Harry noticed the electric blue magical

eye was focused on him at that instant, and Harry had to suppress a

shudder. He had been really looking forward to his defense class, as it

was one of his favorite subjects, but now he wasn't so sure.

Harry was glad to find that the Hufflepuffs had Defense with him along

with the Gryffindors. Harry took a seat next to Susan and behind

Hermione, who smiled in greeting when he tapped her on the shoulder.

Moody stomped into class, the door shutting behind him. "Alright, settle

down, settle down."

He turned around and Harry got a real good look at the former Auror. He

had shoulder length blonde hair and about five days worth of facial hair,

giving him a very grizzled look. His face was a latticework of scars and

there was a large chunk missing from his nose. When he walked, Harry

heard what sounded like heavy wood hitting the floor with every other

step. Harry looked closer and saw that Moody's left leg was in fact a

prosthesis.

"Now then, Before we start today's lesson, I need to point out that we

have a new student joining us. As I don't play favorites, I'd like to ask

Potter to come up here. As the rest of you have undergone the Imperious,

I think it only fair that Potter get a chance to show off his dancing skills."

Moody gave a mirthless laugh, but Harry heard some people whispering

and more than a few smiles.

Harry stood in front of Moody who was obviously appraising him. Harry

felt very uncomfortable in front of the man, as if Moody could see his

deepest secrets or his worst fears. Harry had never felt so unsure of

himself before.

"No Potter, I'm going to place you under the Imperious curse, so you will

understand what it feels like, and maybe you'll be able to fight it off if

someone tries to control you."

Before Harry could agree or even ready himself, Moody's wand flashed

and he shouted "Imperio!"

It was such a wonderful feeling. Harry was very shocked that he felt so

relaxed and carefree. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Complete

euphoria.

He then heard the gruff voice of his new Defense teacher, sounding

rather distant, yet very insistent. "Jump on the desk."

Harry turned to look at the desk and he then asked himself, "Why?"

The euphoria feeling diminished as he stared at the desk.

"Jump on the desk." Moody's voice sounded much closer and clearer.

"Why the hell would I want to jump on a desk?" Harry asked.

"JUMP ON THE DESK!"

"NO!"

Harry tried to stop himself from jumping and slammed onto his knees on

the stone floor. He lurched forward and cracked his head on the edge of

the desk, tearing open his forehead.

"Well done, boy!" Moody laughed, clapping his hands. "Did you see it?"

He turned to the class as Harry got to his feet, holding his bleeding

forehead.

"It was in his eyes. Did you see? Oh they'll have a time trying to control

you boy."

Harry was not encouraged by the Defense teacher's good humor. Moody

demanded Harry come closer, and he healed Harry's cut and then placed

him under the Imperious Curse once again. Harry had an easier time

throwing it off this time, which only served to humor Moody further.

The old Auror kept Harry by his side, and pointed out all the signs that

Harry was fighting the curse, and had Harry tell them how he felt when

he was fighting it off. Harry was now beginning to dislike Defense class.

Then again, he'd never been singled out like this before. Back at Salem,

he was just another student. Sure, he usually got the work done before

anyone else in Defense, but he'd never been the guinea pig before.

There was something about Moody that just didn't sit right with Harry

either. Though he was sure it was because he was subjecting students to a

curse that was quite illegal throughout the world.

When class finished, Hermione, Neville, Susan and Hannah all walked

with Harry.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'll be ok." He said. Truthfully he just wanted to go to his room and

sleep. He felt drained somehow. Clearly throwing off the Imperious curse

took a lot out of a person. Harry idly wondered if Moody had been using

all of his strength, and if he hadn't, how would Harry feel if the Auror

had been?

Susan placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "You really look

awful. Maybe you should go lie down or something."

"You look like you're ready to fall over, Harry." Hannah nodded.

Harry thought it was a good idea, and with the girls and Neville's help,

Harry made it back to his room where he collapsed on the sofa, and fell

asleep almost at once.

Harry awoke a few hours later, feeling much better. That is until he

realized that he had missed dinner, and it was after curfew.

"Well that won't do." Harry said flatly staring at the clock above the

fireplace. Quickly he dug in his bag and pulled the Marauder's map out

with a grin and opened it up, activating it with his wand and the

passwords. At once the map appeared and after a quick scan, Harry found

the kitchens.

Harry headed out into the hall and followed the map, carefully avoiding

any of the few roaming teachers and the caretaker. Finally he arrived at a

large portrait of a bowl of fruit, and Harry consulted the map to see what

he must do next.

He smiled with satisfaction as the tiny image of himself on the map

began tickling the portrait. Harry folded the map and placed it in his

pocket before reaching up to tickle the painting. He started with the

apple, and when nothing happened, moved to the banana, then the

orange, the grapes, and then the pear.

The pear shrieked with laughter, and the painting swung open.

Harry slipped inside and was greeted by two House elves wearing

Hogwarts tea towels. They both bowed low and asked how they could

serve Harry, who thanked them and requested some food, as he had

missed dinner. The first elf guided Harry to a small round table and in a

few minutes, several more elves came and all but buried the table with

platters of food before bowing low and heading off again.

Harry suddenly felt very lonely as he ate. Sitting in the kitchens, eating

by himself made him really miss his best friend Mark. The two had been

friends since they met in their first year. The two boys were as thick as

thieves and often found themselves getting into trouble. But with Sirius

Black as your godfather, telling you loads of stories about what he and

his friends got up to while they had been in school, how could you not?

Harry wondered what Mark would say when he learned that Harry was

now a champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry smiled to himself

as he thought of Mark howling with laughter. Mark would think it was

funny, and probably tell Harry he was glad it wasn't him. However, Mark

would have been cheering the loudest for Harry. Then when it was over,

He'd suggest they go talk to some of the pretty girls. Mark was possibly

more girl crazy than Harry, and even smoother. Mark had already had a

girlfriend in Rebecca Barklin. Harry had still been working up the

courage to ask out Stacy Littleton.

Harry decided to write to his friend just as soon as he returned to his

room, and he also decided to ask about the possibility of some of his

friends coming to watch the tournament.

Thinking of Mark and Stacy made Harry begin thinking about all the new

people he'd met in the last few days. He smiled when he thought of

Tracey. She had asked him out. Harry had been outwardly calm, but

inside he'd been jumping for joy. Tracey was very pretty, and he liked her

easy going nature. He even liked that she was also at war with her

auburn hair, though Harry was sure that she would eventually win her

war.

Harry almost wished he could spend the whole day with her, but he was

looking forward to seeing Sirius, and telling him all about his first week.

He couldn't wait to tell Sirius about all the girls, His classes, the girls,

discovering the kitchens, the girls, practice with Cedric, and of course,

the girls.

Harry finished his meal and thanked the elves closest to him on his way

out. They all bowed and waved to him as he left. Harry pulled out the

map and consulted it before heading back to his room.

He had no problems getting back to his room as nearly all the teachers

were back in their rooms, and filch and someone named Mrs. Norris were

on the other side of the castle.

When Harry got back in his room, he shut the door and was just about to

wipe the map clean when something caught his eye. Harry peered closer

to the map and watched it for a few minutes, not sure what he was

seeing.

In the Defense office, a figure tagged as Bartemius Crouch was pacing.

Harry thought he recognized the name, but wasn't sure where he knew it

from. Harry tried to figure out where he knew that name from, but the

more he tried, the further away the answer seemed to get.

Giving it up for now, Harry wiped the map and got ready for bed. He

went ove to his trunk and pulled parchment, ink and quill out and began

crafting a long letter to his best freind. When he finished two hours later,

he readied the letter for delivery and set it next to his book bag before

getting ready for bed. He knew he was in for a long day, as he had

potions again. Harry decided as he slipped into bed that he wasn't going

to let Snape walk all over him again.

By dinner time, the story was all over the school, and the absence of

Dumbledore, Snape and Harry Potter seemed to only confirm what was

being told. Yet, no one could believe the story. Even those who had

witnessed it first hand were having real difficulty in contemplating all

they had seen.

Harry had gone to his potions class which was the second class of the day

for him. He had once again taken a seat at a table with Hannah Abbott

and Susan Bones who greeted him with smiles and a few pleasantries.

When Snape had entered the class, the students fell silent while their

teacher explained the brew they would be attempting today. He hinted

that this would be a very difficult potion and that they would need to pay

very close attention.

Harry could only smile faintly as he recognized the potion. Again it

seemed that Hogwarts was at least a year behind Salem in regards to

potions. Once Snape had set them to task, Harry begun preparing his

ingredients. Susan noticed that he was doing things seemingly out of

order, as she was counting out dragonfly wings to by powdered, Harry

was weighing dried rat's eyes. Hannah also noticed Harry working out of

order from Snape's instructions.

Yet, Harry's potion was coming along much better than anyone else's

from what the two Hufflepuff girls could see.

"How are you doing it?" Susan whispered to Harry as he was checking his

heat level.

"It's not hard." He said modestly. "You just have to anticipate things a bit,

not unlike cooking a fine meal. Some things you can prepare far in

advance, some things you have to wait for the right moment. It's mostly

about managing your time and your ingredients." He shrugged.

"Potter, what is this?" Snape had come up behind Harry and was peering

into the boy's cauldron. Harry looked at Snape and felt anger begin to

boil in his stomach.

"My antidote, sir." Harry said trying to sound respectful. It was very hard

with Snape peering down on him like he was.

"Tell me Potter, how have you managed to get such a result this early in

the class period?"

"By following the instructions and being prepared." Harry said raising his

eyebrows. Snape's lip curled and glared at the boy.

"You are cheating." Snape said smoothly. "There is no possible way you

could have already managed to brew a potion this good in the time I've

given you so far."

"Actually, sir. I can, as you can clearly see.' Harry said motioning to his

cauldron.

"I do not stand for cheek, Potter. Now tell me how you did it!"

Harry sighed and shook his head. He looked back up at Snape and took a

deep breath. "I started of by weighing out my Rat's Eyes. While my fire

got hot, I then counted out my dragonfly wings and crushed them to dust

in my…"

"You are lying!" Snape roared. "I have no room in my class for liars or

cheats, you little…"

"Hey, I can't help it if you're behind!" Harry shouted, causing Snape to

stare at the boy. "Maybe if you weren't such a substandard teacher you

students would be ready for something more advanced than antidotes.

Why are you attacking me for your failures as a teacher. Instead of going

around class sneering down your pointed nose, you could offer help to

the people you're SUPPOSED to be instructing."

"Why you rotten little bastard!" Snape snarled dangerously.

"And one more thing, you self centered piece of shit, I made this potion

LAST YEAR!"

Snape snapped out his arm and grabbed Harry's robes. Harry tried to pull

away from the man's grasp but Snape had gotten a good strong grasp and

was now starting to pull the boy towards the door. Harry dug in his

heels, and jerked back, making Snape stumble. The two crashed into the

table where Mandy Brocklehurst and Su Li were working. Mandy's

cauldron got tipped over and landed on Snape's foot, making the man

release Harry and grab his foot.

"The headmaster's office. NOW!" Snape shouted when he had finally

stopped howling in pain. Harry had obeyed, wishing to speak to

Dumbledore about the man's actions against him.

Dumbledore was clearly shocked when Snape and Harry entered

together, though once he saw their faces, his wish that the two would

come to a mutual understanding fell away.

Severus, Mister Potter, how may I help you?"

"I wish to inform you of Potter's cheating in class, and his blatant

disrespect and foul verbal assault on me in front of my students." Snape

glowered. Harry kept his eyes locked on a spot on Dumbledore's desk.

"Harry. Is this true?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"I want him punished!" Snape screamed with rage.

"Calm down Severus." Dumbledore said, now turning back to Harry. "Is

this true?"

"The verbal part is." Harry said flatly, though it was clear he was trying to

control himself.

"Please sit, both of you. Now, Severus, tell me what happened."

Harry listened with his fists balled up as he listened to Snape's version of

what had happened, which were clearly embellished. With each lie,

Harry's body tensed a bit more.

"I see." Dumbledore said when Snape finished. "Is this what happened,

Harry?"

"What are you asking him for?" Snape bellowed. "I have told you what

happened."

"You have told me your version, Severus. I wish to hear Mister Potter's

side of the story."

"You want to listen to his lies?"

"LIES?" Harry turned, no longer able to hold himself in check. "Let's talk

about Lies, Professor." Harry then explained what had actually taken

place in the dungeons which led to the two of them sitting in the

Headmaster's office. Snape's sallow skinned got redder and redder with

suppressed rage until Harry got to the part where the cauldron had fallen

on his foot as opposed to Harry throwing it at Snape.

"That's enough!"

"Yeas, I think it is." Dumbledore said sadly. "Harry, you are excused. You

may wish to head down to lunch."

"You're letting him go? He should be thrown out of here this instant!"

Snape stood so quickly that he knocked his chair over. Harry just stood

there for a moment until Dumbledore waved him to the door. Harry

nodded and left. When the door was closed, Dumbledore turned to Snape

and motioned for the man to sit down again.

"I have hoped for years now that you would come around. That you

could be the man I always hoped you could be. That you could embrace

the man who was brave enough to oppose Lord Voldemort in order to

save the life of a man he despised. I have covered for you for thirteen

years, Severus." Dumbledore said sadly as he took his seat again and

peered over his half moon spectacles into the dark black eyes of his

potions master.

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know, severus. I am not blind, nor am I deaf. I have seen and

heard all about your treatment of the students not of Slytherin House.

Yet, I have stood up for you all in what now appears to have been a vain

hope that you could change. You, Severus, have proven me wrong. Not

every soul can be saved it seems. And now, you have actually assaulted

as student. A student who is a guest to out school, all because of your

wounded pride, and a schoolboy grudge."

Snape's anger was melting away as he listened to the old headmaster.

"But he…"

"Is a boy, plain and simple. Yes, he does look remarkably like his father,

but he is not. I dare say he's more like his mother that anything else.

Compassinonate, caring and sensitive to those who would be bullied by

those who think themselves better than everyone else. Traits I'm sure that

you remember Lily possessing.

Snape went pale as he listened to Dumbledore. He started to speak again

but the old man held up a hand to stop him.

"When I gave you a home here at Hogwarts, it was because I knew that if

left alone, you would have most assuredly been locked away in Azkaban,

or worse, killed by those who felt you were at fault for their master's

demise, as I am sure you remember. But it was also with the hope that

you would become a better man. But, I can no longer afford to have

someone on my staff who does not care about his students success. And

so, it is with great regret that I must tell you that you have until the end

of the year to make serious improvements, or I will have to release you

from service to this school."

"You can't be serious." Snape said rising slowly from his seat again. "You

know what will happen."

He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the darkening tattoo which Dumbledore

examine before shaking his head.

"You have done this to yourself, Severus. I will contact Salem Academy

and get a tutor for Harry Potter, but the rest of the students will remain

in your care for the remainder of the school year. I will be personally

examining their result and conducting year end interviews with every

single student to get a clear view of your performance. If I remain

unconvinced that your have truly turned a corner, I will be terminating

your employment. If you find this unsatisfactory, you may leave tonight."

Snap could only stare at the Headmaster for a long time. Anger coursed

through him followed by intense fear. Snape knew what waited him

outside the walls of Hogwarts. He would have few options to him. Rejoin

the Dark Lord, where he might be, and die in servitude. Leave Hogwarts

and pray that the Dark Lord or his followers didn't hunt him down and

kill him. Try to find work elsewhere and hope he didn't run into a group

of disgruntled ex students who wanted nothing more than to kill him, or,

and this seemed the very worst option to him, Swallow his pride, let go

of his hatred and actually become an upstanding teacher who put his

students need first.

Snape's head fell forward and he turned to leave.

"Severus, I am sorry." Dumbledore said, his voice heavy with sadness.

"But you have done this to yourself. Perhaps if Harry had not been forced

to come here…" He let the sentence hang between them, and Snape

nodded slowly and then left the Headmaster.

"Oh Severus, dear boy. I only wish I knew why you cling so tightly to

your anger. It has brought you nothing but heartache all these many

years."

8. Chapter 8

Harry allowed himself to sleep in a hour on Saturday. He usually took a

break from his workouts on the weekend anyway, but the previous night

he'd had another training session with Cedric. Cedric was trying to build

up Harry's stamina, or at least that's what he'd said. Harry was convinced

that Cedric was trying to maim him. Harry was sure it was because he

was so popular with the girls, or so Cedric kept telling him.

In the last two days, Harry had been approached by nearly every student

who wasn't a Slytherin and congratulated for his masterful handling of

the greasy haired Potions master. It appeared that Harry had actually

done what nearly everyone had dreamed of doing. Even Ron Weasley,

who had been ignoring Harry and acting as if Harry were something foul

he had found on his shoe, had asked to shake Harry's hand.

However, despite the praise he had been getting, Harry had been feeling

a bit guilty about the things he'd said to Snape. Not that he hadn't meant

them. Snape was a dreadful teacher, and clearly disturbed, but Harry had

been taught better, and he felt ashamed of himself. So much so that he'd

even been thinking of apologizing to the man.

It would be much more difficult as Harry no longer had lessons in Snape's

class. Dumbledore had sent for him after dinner the night of the incident

and informed him that Dumbledore had spoken to his Headmistress and

that Harry would now be sent his lessons from the his old potions

teacher, Professor Quilden, and that his work would be turned into

Dumbledore himself. Harry had been very pleased to learn that he would

not spend the year repeating lessons from his previous year.

But still the guilt lingered. Harry wondered if his mother was watching

over him right then with a disappointed look on her face. Sirius had often

told him that Lily could never tolerate rudeness, or disrespect. It was just

one of many reasons Harry treated people the way he did.

As Harry finished his shower and got dressed, his thoughts turned from

Snape to Tracey Davis.

He was preparing for his first ever date, and he wanted very much to

make it memorable for both he and Tracey. The auburn haired girl had

very nervously asked Harry to lunch and time together in the village of

Hogsmeade, and Harry had accepted. He had only spoken with her for a

few minutes the day before, but he was really looking forward to seeing

her today.

But before that, he would get a chance to visit Sirius. Sirius had moved

into a house in the village to be close to Harry, and Harry felt very

pleased that he would not be so far away from his beloved godfather. So

much had happened this week and Harry couldn't wait to tell Sirius all

about it.

And then, he and Tracey would be together without the whole school

watching them. Harry could feel his heart speed up when he thought

about the possibility of holding her hand or even, and Harry gulped at

this, kiss her.

For all his bravado, Harry was starting to feel terribly insecure just now.

Harry saw the clock above his fireplace and quickly finished getting

ready. He had promised Hermione that he would join her for breakfast.

She had asked him to go to Hogsmeade with her Ginny and Neville, but

he explained he'd already had a date with Tracey. Hermione had looked a

little down until Harry said he'd join her for breakfast.

Hermione was waiting for him at the usual spot just outside the Great

Hall. She smiled as he approached and together they went inside.

"I'm going to apologize in advance for this." She whispered. Harry gave

her a questioning look and before he could ask, they had arrived at the

spot Hermione had been guiding them to. "Harry Potter, this is my friend,

Ginny Weasley."

"Hello!" The thin redhead girl said, springing up from her seat and

smiling brightly. Harry shook her hand and felt a bit uncomfortable as

the handshake lingered. When he raised an eyebrow at her, Ginny

quickly let go and blushed, sitting back down and watching him sit on

Hermione's other side.

"One week at Hogwarts and look at what you've done." Ginny smiled

brightly as Harry reached for a platter of sausages. "I wish I could have

seen you hit Snape."

"I didn't hit him." Harry said looking at the redhead sharply. Ginny

looked confused.

"I heard Colin say that you hit Snape in the face." Ginny said, now

sounding less enthusiastic.

"Colin's not in Harry's class." Hermione said flatly.

"I know." Ginny said looking at her friend, still blushing a bit. "But Fred

and George both said they heard some Ravenclaws talk about it."

"I didn't hit him." Harry said again. "Wanted to, but it would have just

made things loads worse."

"What happened anyway? I heard he dragged you to the headmaster's

office." Hermione asked, looking interestedly at Harry who shrugged.

"Snape tried to make it sound a lot worse that it really wise. Like I'd leapt

over desks to try and murder him. Dumbledore let me tell my side, and

then told me to go to lunch. I don't know what happened then. After

dinner though, Dumbledore asked me to come to his office and he told

me that I'd be getting my lessons from my old Potions teacher and be

turning them into Dumbledore. Actually I'm really happy about that. I

didn't want to spend the year repeating stuff I'd already done, you

know?"

"Ok, now I'm jealous." Hermione said with a light smile.

"I could loan you my notes sometime." Harry offered and Hermione's face

brightened.

"Oh now you've done it." Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I don't know if you

know this, but our Hermione is a sponge for knowledge. It's like a drug to

her.

"There's nothing wrong with being intellectual." Hermione said with a bit

of indignance.

"Unless it isolates you from the rest of the world. You're fifteen, you're

supposed to be making boys drool over you and breaking their hearts, or

sneaking off to have a snog with someone special." Ginny grinned,

winking at Harry.

"Why can't she do both?"

Both girls looked at Harry and he suddenly wished he hadn't said

anything.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. Harry took a long drink of his orange

juice before he spoke again.

"Hermione's right. There's nothing wrong with being an intellectual. In

fact it's something to be admired. However, you're right to Ginny. You

shouldn't let it prevent you from missing out on the rest of what life has

to offer you. I'm not saying you should go snog every boy you see,

Hermione. But, a date every now and again isn't so bad."

Hermione stared at him looking as if she wanted to argue, but at the

same time as if she was seriously thinking about what he'd said. Ginny on

the other hand looked at Hermione triumphantly. Harry wondered how

often the two girls had this argument.

"Good morning Harry."

Harry turned to see two girls sitting across from him. The first girl was a

pretty girl with dark skin and silky jet black hair with an ornamental

butterfly comb set in it. The other was a buxom blonde with sparkling

brown eyes and a wicked looking smirk. It was the blonde who had

spoken and she was leering at him flirtatiously.

"Uh, good morning." He said.

"Harry this is Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. They're in our year, and

my roommates." Hermione said, and Harry heard a bit of exasperation in

her voice. Harry said hello and the two girls began filling their plates

with fruit and toast.

"Big plans for Hogsmeade Harry?" Lavender asked, smiling at him.

"I'm meeting my godfather for a bit and then I'm going to have lunch

with Tracey Davis." Harry said easily. Parvati gave a stifled giggle and

Lavender's eyes widened. Hermione and Ginny both gave sharp intakes of

breath, and Harry turned to look at them pointedly.

"Is this a romantic type lunch?" Lavender asked with a syrupy sweet

voice, leaning forward a bit.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "Maybe."

"She's going to be the envy of nearly every girl in the school." Parvati said

and Lavender agreed.

"You're a very popular topic on conversation with the female populace,

you know that though, don't you." Lavender grinned.

"It's every boy's dream to have girls talking about him, so long as it's

positive." Harry said. He was noticing that Lavender was almost leaning

across the table, and an idea occurred to him. Lavender was trying to flirt

with him. "this could be fun." He thought, and turned a little in his seat

so he was facing her directly, locking his eyes with hers.

"Oh, it's most definitely in the positive. Especially after the story about

you kissing that Ravenclaw girl made the rounds. You've got every girl in

this school wondering what it's like to have you press them up against a

wall and stare deep in their eyes as you inch ever closer…"

Harry got a wry smile on his face as he stared at Lavender and he leaned

forward in his seat a bit.

"Are you one of those girls?"

Parvati's breath hitched and Harry heard Ginny give a small wistful sigh.

Lavender held Harry's stare however, returning his smile.

"Being press up against a wall for a snog doesn't quite set my heart a

flutter if you catch my meaning. I need something a bit more

stimulating." Lavender flick her wrist as if waving of a fly. Harry's smile

grew as he sat back, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

"So what you're saying is you'd need a bloke to shove you hard against a

wall, grab your hair and pull it hard before he snogged you until you

couldn't stand up without help?"

Harry had heard blokes at his old school talk like this, and even heard

some girls whisper about things like this when they thought no one was

listening. He'd always thought it a bit wrong somehow, possibly because

he couldn't think why anyone would want to be approached so forcefully.

But then again, he'd never snogged anyone. But he was not going to back

down here. It was a matter of pride, right? Besides, he must have done

this right if Lavender's face was any indication.

The blonde had sat back her eyes wide now and her face burning

crimson.

"Ok, stop it!" Hermione said interrupting the sparring match between

Harry and Lavender. "Some of us don't need those kind of mental

images."

"I could stand a few more." Ginny said quietly, though Harry was able to

hear her. He smiled a bit more, never taking his eyes off Lavender as she

sat back a bit more, breathing a bit heavy. Parvati grabbed Lavender and

whispered in her ear, making Lavender's eyes get a bit bigger then she

nodded.

"Come on Hermione, this is good." Harry said quickly. "I'm really learning

a lot about the people here at Hogwarts."

"No you're not." Hermione said, pushing on Harry's shoulder. "You're

simply trying to get Lavender to blush, which you've done. You should be

finishing your breakfast. The carriages to the village will be arriving

soon."

Harry finally broke his eye contact with Lavender. Hermione had said the

right thing, and despite the fun he was having, he really wanted to see

his godfather, and he didn't want to be late for his afternoon with Tracey.

Lavender let out a long breath when Harry averted his eyes, which made

Harry smile again.

Harry was impressed with himself. He'd never been good at flirting, but

this girl had just riled him up a bit, and he had really enjoyed it, though

in truth he'd hardly knew what to say or do. Yet he was sure he'd won.

He hoped that he could do it again sometime soon.

When he'd finished, Harry got up from his seat, with Hermione, and

Ginny and they headed out to where the carriages lined up and got in

line with other students. During the trip down to Hogsmeade, Ginny kept

up a steady stream of conversation. Hermione simply alternated between

looking out the window or giving Harry apologetic looks. Harry

understood that she had been forced into introducing Harry to Ginny,

and from her expression Hermione had expected Ginny to be unable to

shut up for a second.

When the carriages came to stop in the middle of Hogsmeade, Harry bade

Hermione and Ginny goodbye and headed up the hill towards Sirius'

house.

"Harry!" Sirius said rising from the breakfast table as Harry entered the

house. Remus was also there, piling sausages on a plate.

Sirius grabbed his godson and hugged him tightly. Harry held tight to his

godfather until Sirius pulled away and offered a chair to Harry, who sat

down as Remus placed a glass of juice in front of the boy.

"How's your first week been?" Remus asked, and Harry beamed.

"You're going to love this!" Harry said launching into his story. Sirius and

Remus gave sympathetic frowns when Harry told them about how

nervous he'd felt having to walk in front of everyone that first dinner, but

then roared with laughter when he confessed to having been kissed by

Luna, whom he didn't even know at that point. Sirius smiled very proudly

when Harry mentioned all the girls he'd met so far and how he already

had a date later that day.

The mood in the house darkened however when Harry relayed the story

about Snape.

"He what?" Sirius looked murderous.

"Grabbed me by my shirt and started to drag me out of the class. But then

I pulled away and we both lost balance and crashed into a table. A

cauldron fell on his foot and after he stopped screaming, he got kind of

scary, you know?" Harry said looking to the two adults.

"What happened next?" Remus said coolly. Harry went on, telling them

about how Snape had tried to make Dumbledore believe Harry had

attacked him. Dumbledore had allowed Harry to relay his side of the

story and then excused him, and now he was going to get his lessons by

mail.

Sirius snarled and pounded his fist on the table. "I still don't understand

it." He said. "What does Dumbledore think he's doing allowing that son of

a bitch teach students? For the love of Merlin, he was a Death Eater!"

"What?" Harry asked sitting up straighter. "Are you joking?"

"No, he's not." Remus said flatly. "He was right in Voldemort's inner

circle, from what I understand. However," He said turning to Sirius. "He

made my wolfsbane potion all year last year, and I was fine. And let's not

forget he was the one to tell Dumbledore about Voldemort's desire to kill

Harry."

"Ok, I'm really lost here." Harry said.

Sirius took a very deep breath before beginning. "I've told you over the

years how we made Snape our punching bag. We were absolutely cruel to

him. In some ways, I wonder if it was because of us that Snape ended up

joining the Death Eaters to begin with."

"I think it unlikely. Slytherin House was filled with up and coming Death

Eaters, and the peer pressure would have been immense." Remus sighed.

"Either way. What I've never told you was that when we started school,

Snape and your mother had been friends. Over the years though, they

grew apart. I think it had a lot to do with the people Snape surrounded

himself with. Pureblood bigots who thought Lily just another mudblood."

"They had a very big fight right after our OWL tests. Most of the school

saw it" Remus went on. "So far as I know, it was the last time they spoke

while at school, but we always noticed that Snape would stare at Lily

every chance he got."

"Did he love her?" Harry asked slightly shaken. Sirius and Remus could

only shrug.

"We were young and didn't care about his feelings at all. He was a greasy

haired git to us. However, after fifth year, I can't remember anytime we

picked on him again." Sirius sat back in his chair.

"Your father tried to keep us from bothering him. I think he was

beginning to grow up a bit. By the end of the year, he finally had Lily's

eye. The next year, they were dating." Remus continued the story.

"When we left school, James and I entered the Auror training, and Your

parents married. By then, the war was reaching it's peak." Sirius said. "A

few nights after Dumbledore convinced you parents to go into hiding, I

heard a rumor that Snape had come to Dumbledore trying to convince

him to make James and Lily hide. Whatever the reason had been, your

parents agreed, and they brought all the marauders back together. By

then we knew there was a spy in the Order. We all suspected each other,

but James still believed in us. I was sure it was Remus. He had been

unable to keep a job, and the werewolves all seemed to be joining

Voldemort."

"I thought Sirius the traitor." Remus sighed, looking sad. "Given his

family history and his long disappearances which turned out to be him

following Death Eaters. I was convinced that Sirius was the spy."

James and Lily wanted to make me the secret keeper. They were going to

place themselves under the Fidelius charm. I convinced them to use

Peter." Sirius said heavily.

"And he was the one who turned out to be the spy." Harry said, knowing

this story.

"I asked Dumbledore the night I got you if it was true. If it had been

Snape who'd told Dumbledore that Voldemort was after them. He told me

it was, and it was then that I knew that I'd been wrong. I owed Snape.

But it didn't change what he'd done. He'd killed innocent people. He

would kill James given the chance. Despite what he did to try and protect

you and your family, he was still guilty of killing and gods know what

else. When he was never even brought before the courts…" Sirius shook

his head. "He should have gone to Azkaban. Sure a reduced sentence for

turning spy in the end, but he should have been made to pay for what

he'd done."

"Dumbledore protected him." Remus said, picking up the thread. "The

thing is, Snape was going to be hunted by those who remained faithful to

Voldemort. Those who snaked their way out of a prison sentence would

know that Snape had turned spy. If he became a teacher, he'd be under

Dumbledore's protection, and even Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore."

"But he apparently turned his bitterness onto students." Sirius said.

"I've been feeling bad about what I said to him the other day." Harry said

after a long silence. "He just made me so angry. I mean, he just …"

"I know Harry." Sirius said reassuringly. "Snape's always had the ability to

make those around him very irritated."

"But it was still wrong of me to lash out at him. I feel like I should

apologize."

Remus looked at Sirius with awe while Sirius smiled proudly. "I don't

know if I should hug you or shake you." He laughed, making Harry look

at him. "Even though he likely deserved everything you said at him, you

feel bad about it. You Harry are a far better person than we were at your

age. But, I want you to be careful around Snape. For all we know it could

have been he that placed your name in the Goblet of Fire."

How would he have known I was alive?" Harry asked. Sirius shrugged.

"Dumbledore is positive that he was the only one in all of Britain to know

the truth, but I would never put anything past Snape. He may have tried

to save your life once, but one good deed does not make up for a lifetime

of evil."

"How are you getting along with preparing for the Tournament?" Remus

asked.

"Alright." Harry shrugged. "Cedric's been showing me some interesting

spells that he thinks might help. I've learned a shield spell and a blasting

hex. I just wish I had a clue as to what the first task could be."

"We're keeping our ears and eyes open." Sirius said reassuringly. "If we

see or hear anything, we'll send word right away. You just keep working

hard."

They talked for another few hours and Harry found out that Sirius and

Remus were trying to find out the location of the traitor Peter Pettigrew.

They were both intent on bringing their former friend to justice. They

then regaled him with many more tales about adventures at Hogwarts.

Harry found it fascinating to hear some stories that Sirius had told him

from a different point a view.

"Getting close to noon." Sirius said after a rather embarrassing story

about himself and a sixth year prefect girl being discovered in a very

compromising position by Harry's father and mother. "Don't you have a

date?"

"Right." Harry said getting to his feet, his face becoming very anxious

looking. Sirius laughed and gave a pointed look at Remus who smiled in

return.

"Relax Harry." Sirius said calmly. "Just remember what I've always told

you. Be respectful, Listen to her and be polite. And above everything else

be yourself. She wants to be with you, not some fictional hero, but you,

Harry."

Harry nodded and turned to go. Sirius stopped him and gave him a firm

hug and Remus shook his hand. Then after he got directions to the Three

Broomsticks tavern, left in a rush.

"I wonder, will he be like you," Remus smirked looking at his friend.

"Snogging every girl he sees, or will he be like James and just pine after

one girl."

"I'm hoping he'll be a bit of both." Sirius smiled. "Play the field until he

finds his perfect match, then treat that girl like a princess for the rest of

his life."

Tracey Davis woke a bit later than she had wanted to, but excited all the

same. She and Daphne had spent a great deal of time trying to put

together the perfect outfit for Tracey's date. Tracey had wanted a skirt to

show off her legs, but Daphne pointed out that it was likely to be too

chilly now that winter was coming, and Tracey reluctantly agreed that

she didn't want to be freezing all day.

In the end, Daphne loaned her friend a very nice pair of jeans and the

two girls picked out a faded blue jumper that Daphne was sure would

accentuate Tracey's assets nicely.

After Tracey finished her shower, she and Daphne set to work on Tracey's

usually uncooperative auburn hair. Daphne said it would be good to for

Tracey to keep it out of her face as Harry seemed to like staring into her

eyes.

Giving herself one long last look in the mirror before going off to

breakfast, Tracey was very confident that she was in for a very pleasant

afternoon.

Tracey and Daphne went up to a late breakfast. After all, Tracey was not

about to go into Hogsmeade just to wait nervously for Harry and looking

like an idiot. Daphne had offered to wait with her, maybe even doing a

bit of shopping, but Tracey had said that she and Harry were going to do

that after lunch.

Tracey ate a light breakfast and after a bit, decided that it was okay to go

into the village. During the carriage ride, Tracey discovered that Daphne

was planning on meeting Blaise Zabini.

"Since when did you start talking to Zabini?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know." Daphne shrugged, her cheeks coloring a bit. "He asked me

to met him, and what with you and Potter getting together…"

"Well of all the boys in our house, he's clearly the best looking, but, you

know you don't have to only meet boys from Slytherin. Some of those

Durmstrang blokes aren't bad on the eyes."

"I know." Daphne said flatly looking out the window at the forest passing

by. "But, I like Blaise. He's… I don't know."

"Alright. But I want details later." Tracey said pointedly. Daphne gave her

a wry smile and the carriage came to a halt and the girls got out.

"Well, I've got an hour before I'm supposed to meet Harry." Tracey said

anxiously. "I have no idea why I'm so nervous."

"Just calm down." Daphne laughed. "You'll be fine. Just keep things light.

Talk to him like you do any other time. Just relax and have fun."

"you're not leaving me are you?" Tracey asked with panic evident in her

voice.

"Yeah, I am." Daphne smiled. "I have a date, and I don't want to be late."

She gave a wave and started off leaving Tracey standing felling very

stupid. She shook her head, trying to clear her head and not over think

her coming meeting with Harry. She stepped into the main road and

decided to go to Scrinvenshafts to get a few things she needed. She didn't

think Harry would want to spend too much time looking at quills and

parchment.

Tracey saw Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode walking into

Honeydukes across the road. Tracey shivered at the thought of Pansy

spying her with Harry. Pansy had not stopped harping on how ugly and

rude Harry was. Ever since his first meting with Harry, Draco had harped

on and on to anyone who would listen about Harry's inflated ego and

clear lack of power. Draco hadn't liked being to made to look like an

idiot. He'd been insulting Daphne and Tracey at every turn for their

terrible taste in friends.

Tracey turned her mind to think about Harry. They had met the day

before to finalize when they would meet. Harry had actually appeared as

nervous as she felt when they spoke, but he had smiled and told her that

he was very eager to go to Hogsmeade with her. He had ran his hand

through his hair, messing it up worse than it had been and Tracey had

found it very endearing.

Tracey checked her watch as she took her new quills up to the counter.

She had about twenty minutes until she was to meet Harry, so she

figured she'd take a leisurely stroll towards the pub.

She was looking in the window of Gladrags when she saw Harry's

reflection across the street. She turned and saw him going into the Post

Office. Deciding to surprise him, Tracey ran across the street and into the

Post office.

There were a handful of people in there and Tracey was able to get right

behind Harry who was paying for an international letter delivery.

"A letter home?" Tracey asked. Harry turned and smiled widely as he saw

her.

"Hi. You look… wow." Harry said looking her over. Tracey made a

mental note to thank Daphne for her help.

"Uh, yeah." Harry said remembering that she had asked him a question. "I

was sure I had time to get in here and send off a letter to my friend."

Harry turned back to Tracey a horrified look on his face. "I'm not late am

I?"

"No." Tracey grinned. I was across the street on my way to the pub when

I saw you come in here. I figured we could walk there together. If that's

ok?"

"No, I'd like that." Harry smiled.

He got his change from the man behind the counter and watched him tie

the letter to a large horned owl, who swept off the instant the letter was

attached. Harry turned to Tracey and with a wave of his hand, they

headed off to lunch together.

"So, did you see your godfather?" She asked, looking at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, he was really happy to hear all about what I've been getting up to.

He was really mad about what happened with Snape."

"Did you get in trouble?" Tracey asked with concern.

"Oh no. He wasn't mad at me. He knew Snape in school, they didn't like

each other, and he was mad that Snape had tried to hurt me, even though

I don't think he really would have hurt me. At least, I hope not. Anyway,

we talked about other stuff after that. He's really worried about the

tournament."

"I'd forgotten about it. Which is weird because you're here and so are the

other two schools, but, you know, nothing's really happened yet. I think

we've all forgotten about it, really."

They arrived at the Three Broomsticks, and Harry opened the door to

allow Tracey to enter and followed her inside.

Harry took in the tavern with a smile. There were loads of students from

Hogwarts as well as Durmstrang and Beauxbatons enjoy the warmth and

the company. Harry was assaulted by the heavenly aromas of food

coming from somewhere, and tracey grinned at his face.

"Shall we find a table?"

Harry followed her in the crowd and they found a small table near a

window. In a moment a tall very attractive woman greeted them and

gave a start when she saw Harry.

"My goodness, It's very nice to meet you Mister Potter." the woman said,

offering her hand. Harry shook it with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What can I get you?"

Tracey and Harry ordered food and butterbeers, which the woman, who

Tracey identified as Madam Rosemerta, brought to their table and told

them their food would be up in a few moments.

"So, if it isn't to forward, may I ask who you were writing to?" Tracey

asked after taking a sip from her drink.

"My best friend, Mark. He's still on break, but I wanted to tell him about

everything that's been happening. He's been my friend since I started

school, and it would just suck if I came back to school to find he was

gone. I didn't want to do that to him."

"That's really nice of you." Tracey said.

"Naw, it's just courteous. Truth is, I've been having such a good time that

I've hardly thought about any of my friends. I miss them all. I'm hoping

to ask Dumbledore if we can arrange for some of them to come watch the

tasks."

"Did you have a girlfriend?" tracey blushed as she asked it, but nowhere

near as bad as Harry did, who choked on his butterbeer.

"Um." Harry stammered, wiping at his face. "No."

Madam Rosemerta brought their food and set it before them before

winking at Harry and leaving them again.

"No, I didn't have a girlfriend. I was trying to get close to a girl, who

kissed me right before break, but nothing other than that. In fact…" He

said looking up into Tracey's very dark brown eyes, and smiling very

nervously. "To be perfectly honest, this is the first date I've ever been on."

"Really?" Tracey asked looking surprised.

"Uh, yeah." Harry shrugged.

"Wow." tracey said looking at him with wonder. "I just assumed… Well,

This is my first date too."

Harry brightened up a bit. Tracey felt her cheeks heat up and bent her

head back to her meal.

Before they could speak anymore, someone came to their table.

"Hello!"

Tracey looked up and smiled to see Daphne along with Blaise Zabini.

"We were just on our way out, and wanted to say hello." Daphne said. "I'll

see you later tonight, then."

"Okay." Tracey smiled.

"it was nice to see you again Harry." Daphne said and Blaise gave a slight

nod of his head as they turned to go.

Tracey watched them go. "I'm still rather shocked." she said.

"About what?" Harry asked looking at her as she continued to watch her

friend leave. She turned back to Harry before she continued.

"Daphne has been more or less hounded by boys since we started school.

She's very pretty and her family is very well off. Not just money wise, but

power as well. Daphne told me that her father gets loads of marriage

contracts for her and her sister every year, some of them from some

really disgusting old men. Well, a lot of boys have tried to lay claim to

her. During our second year, she started becoming cold and distant

whenever we weren't in our room. She told me that her mother helped

her come up with this whole attitude that should help keep away

unwanted attention, and it worked." Tracey shrugged.

"So you're shocked to see her with a boy?" Harry asked.

"A little. She only told me this morning." Tracey admitted. "That's why

she was so standoffish with you at first. She just assumes the worst of

everyone. But she looked happy… oh no."

Harry noticed that Tracey was now looking at a group of girls

approaching their table. Harry had seen them all in school, but had not

yet learned any of their names. The girl in the lead had black hair to her

shoulders, and a cold sneer on her face.

"Well, Tracey, hidden in a corner with Harry Potter." The girl said with

an air of superiority.

"Hello, and you are?" Harry asked politely. The girl just sneered at Harry

and he was reminded of Snape.

"A school full of respectable and good looking men, and you're here with

a boy." The girl continued.

"No one invited you to join us, Pansy." Tracey snapped.

"I was just concerned for my fellow Slytherin." Pansy said with a very

fake tone of concern. She even put her hand to her heart. "I mean, what

kind of friend would I be if I didn't point out that you could have been

here with someone respectable like Theo."

"No one asked you, Pansy." Tracey hissed. Harry could tell that this girl,

Pansy was just trying to irritate Tracey, and he wasn't about to let anyone

ruin this date if he could help it.

"Excuse me, I don't want to be rude here, but you're kind of making that

impossible. So I'll say this as nicely as I can. Go away."

Pansy turned to look at Harry with a sinister smile on her face. "I was not

talking to you, Potter." She snapped her gaze back on Tracey who was

looking murderous.

"I would think that you'd prefer someone of nobler parentage, Tracey.

Wasn't it you who said that all the mudbloods should be thrown into the

lake and left to drown?"

Harry turned to look at Tracey's whose eyes had grown into the size of

saucers, her face draining of color.

"Yes, I do remember quite clearly that you felt that all the mudloods

should be fed to Slytherin's beast. That we'd be much better off if anyone

who was born of a muggle was smothered in their cribs."

Tracey shot out of her seat and ran right out of the Three Broomsticks,

leaving Pansy laughing along with her friends, and Harry sitting there

stunned. He rose slowly and stood a head taller than Pansy, staring at her

coldly. Pansy was still laughing as Harry bent a little towards her and

spoke very calmly.

"I wonder if you believe in karma." He said. Pansy laughed harder at

Harry.

"What?" She asked trying to get under control again.

"See, you've just made my list, and as there's no one else on it at the

moment, all my attention is going to be focused on you. But I'm pretty

easy going, so I'll offer you the chance to apologize to Tracey for

everything you've done here. Otherwise, I'm going to make you life hell."

Something in his tone, or perhaps it was his cold stare that sobered

Pansy, but as Harry stepped by her, Pansy shivered. She had never been

afraid of anyone or anything, save some of the things Hagrid had brought

for them to study. But as she watched Harry pay for his meal, something

inside Pansy was screaming at her to do as Potter said. Fortunately, Her

pride was much louder and she simply scoffed, calling to the girls who

were with her to follow. After all, What could Potter really do to her?

Harry left the Three Broomsticks and looked up and down the street for

any sign of Tracey. There were loads of people, but he couldn't see any

sign of his date.

"Hi Harry."

Harry turned and saw Su Li and Morag MacDougal approaching. Harry

smile, but kept scanning the crowds.

"Uh, Hi. Have either of you seen Tracey Davis?" He asked. The two girls

looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"No, Why?"

"Never mind." Harry said. "I'll see you later."

Harry headed up the road and then back down the other side. There was

no sign of his date anywhere. After searching for nearly an hour, Harry

figured that Tracey must have gone back up to the castle.

"Harry?"

Harry turned and saw Daphne and Blaise approaching.

"Hey." Harry said dejectedly.

"Where's Tracey?" Daphne asked, her visage becoming hard.

"That's what I'd like to know." Harry replied leaning against a wall and

hanging his head.

"What did you do to her?" Daphne asked her voice becoming hard, and

her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing!" Harry's head snapped up. "She took off after Pansy said a

bunch of stuff."

Daphne's face glare softened at once and even Blaise let out a low

whistle.

"Oh no." Daphne moaned. "Do I even want to know what she said?"

"She went on about how Tracey felt the 'mudbloods' should all be killed."

"Oh, that." Daphne said rolling her eyes. "I'm going to let you in on

Tracey's deepest darkest secret, something she's very ashamed of. When

we first came to Hogwarts, Tracey had the biggest crush on Draco

Malfoy. She liked him so much that she started to change herself so he

would notice her, until she became something that even she couldn't

stand. Our friendship was nearly destroyed."

"Let me guess, she was anti muggleborns during this time?" Harry asked,

and Daphne nodded.

"Right in one. Then, in second year, after some people got people got

petrified, and I stopped talking to her, well she did a bit of soul

searching. Long story short, she realized that Draco was a scumbag, and

that she wanted something better. Someone she wouldn't have to change

herself for."

"She never struck me as being one of those Pure Blood bigots." Harry

said.

"She's as far from it as one can get." Blaise said in a very deep voice.

Harry couldn't remember hearing his voice before. "There are very few of

us in Slytherin house who don't subscribe to that sort of thinking, and we

don't go shouting about it. It makes life more difficult."

"Any chance you know where she might have gone?" Harry asked the

two.

"Likely back to the castle." Daphne shrugged.

Harry nodded sadly. "Well, so much for our date." then he suddenly lit up

and smiled. "Is there any way you can get her to met me somewhere

tonight?"

Daphne looked uncertain but after a moment she nodded. "I think so."

"Good."

Harry then went on to explain what he had in mind. Daphne's smile grew

ever wider as she listened.

Tracey had gone straight to her dorm after running all the way back to

the castle. She was exhausted and miserable. What Harry must think of

her. All Tracey wanted to do was punch Pansy in her squashed face.

Tracey had cried miserably for twenty minutes after she'd gotten to her

bed, but after her long run and everything else, Tracey fell into a restless

sleep.

She was shaken awake by Daphne, who was smiling in a sympathetic sort

of way.

"I ran into Harry." Daphne said, sitting on tracey's bed as the other girl sat

up.

"Does he hate me?" Tracey asked miserably.

"No, but he is concerned. You ran off and he spent an hour trying to find

you before he ran into me and Blaise. He told me everything, and well, I

sort of explained a few things to him."

"You told him about my crush on the blonde ponce?" Tracey felt her

cheeks get hot.

"Kind of had to. But he knows it's in the past. Listen, he wants to see you.

Tonight in fact."

"What?" Tracey looked up clearly surprised. Daphne just nodded.

"He says he feels cheated that you ran off, and wants you to meet him for

dinner."

"I can't. I can't go to the Great Hall and…"

"He doesn't want to meet in the Great Hall." Daphne said.

Tracey looked confused and Daphne explained everything. Tracey

reluctantly agreed, and at half past seven, she followed the instructions

Daphne had given to her, and found Harry waiting for her, leaning

against a large portrait of a bowl of fruit.

"Um, Hi." She said very nervously."

"Hi." Harry smiled easily. "You kind of left me hanging this afternoon. We

were supposed to go shopping."

"I'm sorry." Tracey said softly. Harry smiled and offered his hand.

"Doesn't matter. I understand. But I think a first date should be something

you look back on fondly, you know?"

With that, Harry turned and tickled the pear in the picture. Tracey had

often wondered where the kitchens were located, but had never thought

to look for them. Harry led her by four long tables that were clearly

mirrors of the four house tables in the Great Hall. She saw dozens of

house elves who were clearing the tables, and bowing whenever they

caught Tracey's eye.

Harry stopped in front of a small round table with two chairs and two

plates set out with several platters of food.

"I figured this way no one can interrupt our meal." Harry smiled, and

Tracey couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Harry."

"Listen." Harry said as he helped her into her seat. "I may need your help.

See, I think that girl that bothered us earlier need to be taught a serious

lesson…"

9. Chapter 9

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, some of you are really going to hate this chapter,

but I assure you it's neccesary. I hope you'll read it with an open mind

because i think you'll see the catalyst for some big changes. Enjoy.

Chapter 9

Snape sat in his office on Sunday afternoon, his head hung low supported

by the arms that rested on his desk. His mood was dark as he weighed his

options and drank his way through a bottle of Ogden's Finest. He'd been

given a final ultimatum from the only man who could protect him from

death, or worse. The worst of it was that Dumbledore was right, he had

done it to himself. But he just wanted others to suffer the way he had.

But with every child he'd bullied, the only thing that had happened was

that he had sunk even deeper into the ever expanding pit of despair and

desperation.

He, Severus Snape had been the one who made all those choices and

alienated the few people who had once cared about him or even called

themselves friend. He had driven the only good thing in his life away. He

had made Lily Evans hate him, and drove her into the arms of James

Potter, his worst enemy.

Lily had hated James as much as Snape himself had. Even after they had

no longer been friends. But Potter had changed. Everyone said it.

Everyone saw it. Potter had become a man, and Lily had fallen for the

man Potter had become. But he, Severus Snape had not. He clung to his

hate and his jealousy as if they anchored him to her, even after they had

driven her away from him. He still clung to it even now, taking it out on

Lily's child. A child that could have been his had he only just let it all go

and grown up.

But when he looked at the boy, all he could see was the arrogance of

James Potter, the boy who'd spent nearly every waking moment torturing

Snape. Mocking him, showing off for the school. How he had hated that

boy. And now that hate was focused on a boy who by all accounts was

nothing like Snape's school rival.

Snape poured another tall glass of fire whiskey and downed it, coughing

as the liquid scorched his throat. He felt his left forearm itch again. He

didn't need to look, he knew what he would see. He'd gone straight to

Dumbledore the first night he'd felt it irritating him. It had been nothing

more than a faint tattoo until this past summer.

Dumbledore had nodded sadly and they had talked as they often did

about preparing for the Dark Lord's return. Dumbledore had always

believed that Snape's former master would rise again one day, and that

the war had never truly ended. And now, here was the proof that he had

been right. Snape knew, as did Karkaroff, who'd come to see him the

night before. Snape had not spoken to any of the other Death Eaters, but

he knew they must be feeling it as well.

And so, Snape had a choice to make. Live up to Dumbledore's

expectations and become a man, or go crawling back to the Dark Lord

like a beaten dog, and be another pathetic sycophant to be slaughtered

for his master's gain.

Snape was rattled out of his musings when there was a small faint knock

on his door. Snape waved his wand, opening the door, and nearly choked

when he saw the boy standing in the door way, hand raised to knock

once again.

Potter was looking at him, and Snape saw that he actually looked

nervous.

"What do you want, boy? Haven't you done enough to me?" Snape hissed.

"I came to apologize, sir." Harry said. He took it the half empty bottle and

Snape's reddened cheeks, and glassy eyes. Harry wondered exactly what

kind of drunk Snape was, and he flexed his arm, making sure his wand

was ready.

Snape sat up suddenly, and regretted it immediately. His booze addled

mind swam and the room spun. Snape had to grab onto his desk to keep

from falling over.

"What?" He asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry sir. You were my teacher and I disrespected you. I was angry at

you for vanishing my potion and not listening to me, and I spoke out of

anger. Things got really out of hand."

"I'm confused." Snape said, trying to clear his head, and understand. "Is

this some twisted prank you and your godfather have cooked up to

humiliate me further, because I swear…"

"Sir, if it were a prank, don't you think it would be done where loads of

people could witness it? What good would it be to humiliate you when

no one was around. I feel bad about what I said, and for my part in what

happened. I spoke out of turn. Don't misunderstand me, I meant every

word of it, and I still do, but I was wrong to say it, especially in front of

your other students." Harry's voice had gotten stronger as he spoke, his

nervousness falling away with every word. He stared at Snape for a

moment and then with a slow respectful nod, turned to go.

"Wait." Snape said. Harry turned and Snape motioned for Harry to sit.

Harry did so, keeping his eyes on the potions master who poured himself

another glass full of the amber liquid.

"I don't know what your godfather," Snape said, putting a heavy sarcastic

emphasis on the word godfather. "Has told you about me."

"I know that you were once a friend of my mother and that you grew

apart over the years and ended up on opposite sides of the war. But then

you learned that my parents were in danger…"

"You were the one in danger." Snape corrected. "If your mother and

father had not opposed the Dark Lord, they might have lived. I begged

the Dark Lord to at least spare your mother's life. He said that he would,

but I knew it was a lie. I also knew your mother and she would never just

stand aside and let someone kill her child." Snape slurred as he brought

the glass to his lips and took a long swallow.

"I went to Dumbledore as soon as I could and begged on my hands and

knees for him to protect her, and your father. The Dark Lord knew that

Sirius Black was your father's most trusted friend, and ordered us to hunt

him down so that we could learn the secret. Then, one night, he called off

the search, and he told us that he had learned where your parents were

hiding."

Snape's eyes looked haunted and Harry swore that he saw tears in the

man's eyes. Harry looked as if he was about to speak, but Snape cut him

off.

"He went alone, and I came here to find Dumbledore. I was arrested at

the front gates of the school. I was a known Death Eater, and no one but

Dumbledore knew I was a spy. So, while I was being put into jail, the

Dark Lord killed your mother and father, and then turned his wand on

you."

Harry stared at Snape. He'd heard this story from Sirius, but his godfather

hadn't had many details. Hearing it now from someone who was involved

was indescribable. It was heart wrenching. Somehow, Harry felt for some

reason, like he was listening to a final confession. He didn't know what to

say, or even if he could speak at all. His throat felt tight and dry, and he

felt his hands shaking, though Harry wasn't sure why.

"In the end, your father proved once and for all that he was in fact the

better man. He grew up and stopped bullying me, while I sought any

opportunity to hex James Potter. And then, he sacrificed himself to save

your mother and you."

"You loved her, didn't you?" Harry asked, his voice small and hoarse.

Snape stared at him for a long moment. "I just noticed that you put a lot

of emphasis when you spoke about my mother."

"I loved her more than anything and I drove her away because I was

jealous and petty and weak. She died because of me." Snape said after a

very long silence.

They sat quietly for a long time then, just staring at one another. Snape

looking pitiful while Harry was trying to process everything. Snape

brought his glass to his lips and emptied it, refilling it at once.

"I'm not sure what you expect me to say, Professor." Harry said finally.

Snape looked into the boy's eyes and saw the ghost of his mother

reflected in those bright green orbs.

"I can't give you absolution. I don't have that power." Harry continued. "If

you truly loved her like I think you did, why would you spend your life

being something you knew she hated. Why wouldn't you try and become

something greater, something that she would be proud of?"

Snape looked at Harry almost as if he had been slapped. As he gazed

upon into boy, he was taken back many, many years to a simpler time

when he lay on a grassy hill with a petite redhead girl staring at the

clouds and talking about magic and what the future promised them. She

had looked at him with those soul searching green eyes and Severus had

felt like he could be anything that she had wished him to be.

"Thank you for your apology, Potter." Snape said tiredly. He gave a weak

wave, dismissing Harry from the office. Harry nodded and rose from his

seat. He gave Snape one last pitiful glance before leaving the potions

master to finish drowning his guilt.

With a flick of his wand, the door shut behind the boy and Snape stared

at the nearly empty bottle. Somewhere in the depths of his mind he could

hear a very disappointed familiar voice chastising him.

"What have you become Sev?"

What had he become? Was it too late? A new war was brewing, one in

which he would be in the very center of. How did he wish to be

remembered by those left behind? Could he actually be the man

Dumbledore knew he could be? The man that Lily had wished him to be?

Did he even have the strength and the courage to find out?

Harry had slept fitfully and awoke feeling more tired than he did when

he'd gone to sleep. Everything Snape had told him was still echoing

inside his mind, and Harry was angry that he hadn't thought to ask the

question that had plagued him ever since he found out as a small child

why his parents were dead. Why had Voldemort come after him in the

first place?

Dumbledore had promised to tell him everything when the tournament

was all over. Snape had spilled his guts and Harry had learned far more

of what had happened the night his life was irrevocably changed forever

than he'd ever even guessed. Sirius had never even known half of what

Snape had confessed to him. But he still had no idea why!

The problem was that Harry didn't feel like he could go talk to the Snape

again. The man had been very obviously drunk yesterday, and Harry

didn't dare bother the man who would most likely be suffering a

paralyzing hangover. Ok, sure, he could brew up a hangover potion, but

they only did so much.

Harry had to push it all to the back of his mind for now. He had more

urgent matters that needed his attention. Pansy Parkinson being the most

pressing matter at hand.

The girl had ruined his first date. He'd embarrassed and hurt Tracey's

feelings, and Harry just couldn't let that stand. So, he'd gone to see Sirius

and Remus early Sunday morning. If anyone could help him think of an

appropriate punishment for the girl that would not even come close to

implicating him, it would be the last surviving marauders.

They hadn't failed him, and Tracey had been very happy to help him,

though she had no idea what she was getting involved in, as Harry

wouldn't tell her a thing. He simply asked that she provide him a single

strand of Pansy's hair, which she had done an hour later.

Harry went to the entrance of the Great Hall before his regular morning

run and warded the archway, keying it to Pansy specifically. He unfolded

the parchment where Sirius had written the instructions, and Harry

followed them to the letter. When he was done, the archway flashed a

dull purple. Smiling, Harry made to do his workout and get back so he

wouldn't miss the show.

When Harry was cleaned, dressed and prepared for the day, he

practically sprinted to the Great Hall, and took a seat along the

Hufflepuff table where he would have a clear view of the entrance. When

he saw Tracey and Daphne enter, he waved them over to join him. They

looked wary of sitting with the Hufflepuffs, but when Cedric, who'd taken

a seat next to Harry scooted up a bit to make room, they sat down.

Harry introduced the two girls to the Hufflepuffs that Harry was counting

as friends, and breakfast began. However, Tracey's curiosity got the

better of her and Harry had barely begun spreading jam on his toast

when she had to ask…

"Why did you want us to sit here?" Tracey asked very curiously.

"Because I'd like it if all my friends could be friends, but also, so you'd

have a very good seat for…"

There came a sudden shriek. Every head in the Great Hall turned to see a

girl with a very engorged posterior holding handfuls of black hair, which

had clearly fallen out of her now shiny bald head.

Tracey's eyes were in danger of popping right out of her head, while

Daphne coughed and sputtered and held her nose, where pumpkin juice

had just came shooting out in a stream onto her plate of eggs. Susan and

Hannah who were sitting across from Harry were holding on to each

other to keep from falling off their bench, tears in their eyes, faces red

from serious lack of air as they laughed.

Megan Jones was holding onto Ernie Macmillan who was pounding the

table so hard the goblets were shaking. Cedric was turning purple, while

Cho Chang, who had decided to join her boyfriend that morning was

wiping her eyes. Sally Anne had hid her head in Justin's chest, clinging to

his robes to keep from falling while Justin was howling uproariously.

Pansy Parkinson couldn't even begin to believe what was happening to

her. As she entered the Great Hall with a few of her cronies in tow, she

felt her skirt being lifted in the backside and her balance became thrown

off. As she tried to take a step, a loud thunderous bang that sounded like

someone had slammed on the head of a drum, sounded. Then, her vision

was blurred as her hair fell in her face… and kept falling. Reaching up,

She gripped two fistfuls of her shiny black locks and pulled away, her

eyes bulging at the sight of her hands full of her own hair.

There was nothing left but to scream in horror.

And then it got worse. Her scream had alarmed the rest of the students

who all turned and laughed at the sight of the bald girl with the

ginourmous butt.

Pansy turned, nearly toppling over, and ran away, the sound of giant

drums being hit ringing out with every step.

"Did you do that for me?" Tracey asked when she was finally able to calm

down.

"Do what?" Harry asked innocently, wiping at his eyes. Tracey wasn't

fooled, nor was anyone else sitting near them, but they all got the

unspoken message. Tracey grabbed Harry by the neck and hugged him

tightly.

"Thank you." she whispered in his ear.

"Don't thank me until she apologizes." Harry chuckled, then he smiled

widely when she pulled away a bit, and then kissed him, full on the lips.

There was a chorus of catcalls, but Harry didn't feel himself get red.

Instead he just stared into Tracey's grateful eyes for a moment or two

before she let him go and they begun enjoying their breakfast.

"So you and Tracey Davis looked pretty cozy this morning." Hermione

said as she handed Harry a pot to put his plant trimmings in.

"I suppose." Harry shrugged.

"Are you two a couple?" Hermione asked, watching Harry very carefully.

"I don't know. We've had one date that got ruined. I don't know if that

makes us a couple. She's nice, and I like her, but I don't know. I guess I'm

just letting things happen in their own course, you know?"

Hermione nodded as she reached out to hold the squirming plant so

Harry could continue pruning it.

"You really did a number on Lavender the other day." Hermione said.

Harry looked down the work bench and spied the girl in question looking

at him with undisguised desire. Lavender was very pretty. Arguably the

prettiest girl in the entire fourth year. She had bright blonde hair that

was kind of curly, which was currently being held out of her face with a

blue headband. She had blue gray eyes, and a fairly athletic body. Harry

was really beginning to hate the Hogwarts uniforms. You really couldn't

get a decent look of the girls bodies with those long robes covering them.

Harry gave a soft smile to Lavender and she winked.

"I had no idea what I was talking about." Harry admitted lowly to

Hermione, who burst into chuckles.

"If that's the case, you fooled all of us. Lavender kept us up half the night

speculating on exactly what you've done with girls. She's extremely

curious about you now."

"To be honest, I think she intimidates me a bit. It was fun though. At first

I was just playing around, but then it was like I had to see who broke

first, you know?"

"A battle of wills, which you clearly won." Hermione nodded her

understanding. "She's going to try again. It's a matter of pride that she

can make boys blush and cower. I think she likes making boys, umm… I

think uncomfortable would work here. You know?"

"She likes embarrassing them?" Harry gave a questioning look.

"Yes, but it's more than that." Hermione's face began reddening. "She likes

to um… make it difficult to walk…."

Harry stared blankly at her, an odd expression on his face, and Hermione'

got even redder as she tried to think of how too explain it to him without

just coming right out and saying it.

"Makes it haaarrrrrddddd for them to move."

Harry stared at her for another couple of seconds, and then realization hit

him like a ton of bricks.

"AAAHHHHH."

"Finally. I thought I was going to have to spell it out for you." Hermione

sighed.

"Why didn't you just say she likes to give boys boners?"

"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked and slapped his arm hard. Other students

looked up, and Harry just laughed at Hermione's discomfort. "There's

really no need to be so crass."

"No, but it's fun." Harry smiled, then he grew serious. "Tell me something.

Do girls really like to be grabbed and all that? I mean, you know, pushed

against walls and have their hair pulled and all that?"

"You know for as much of a flirt as you are, I'm discovering that you

know very little about girls."

"And I'd appreciate it if you kept it that way.' Harry said pointedly,

raising an eyebrow.

"Would you make my rear end blow up or my hair fall out?" Hermione

asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. Harry turned and gave her a very

pointed look.

"No." He said flatly. "I'd do something much worse."

Hermione blanched a bit, until Harry began to smile again. She really

liked talking with Harry. He treated her as an equal. He made fun of her,

but not to be mean like just about everyone else in the castle. He made

her laugh, and she found that them more she was around him, the less

uptight she felt.

"I'd be careful. I do know the Weasley twins, and if I asked, they'd make

your life a living hell for the rest of the year." Hermione intoned. The

truth was that Fred and George were civil to her, but she had no idea if

they'd come to her defense. But Harry didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, I've heard they're quite the pranksters, but have either of them

done anything close to what happened this morning?" Harry asked.

"They made Ron's robes turn pink, and he couldn't get them off all day."

Neville said from across the bench. "And he's their brother."

"Pink?" Harry asked, again looking up the bench where the redhead boy

was ogling Lavender's chest.

"It had these horrible lacey cuffs and it smelled really pretty, like

women's perfume." Neville went on. "I thought his head was going to

explode with how violet his face got." Neville began to laugh quietly/

"Parvati said the color of his face ended up going together quite nicely

with his robes.

"They can be quite creative." Hermione remarked, smiling along with

Neville, and Harry nodded.

"I need to meet these guys." Harry smiled evilly. "They could help me

with an ongoing project I have in mind."

"Oh, gods, what have I done." Hermione thought as she shivered looking

at Harry's smile.

"Neville, how early do you usually get up in the morning?" Harry asked,

changing subjects. Neville looked up, his face coloring slightly.

"I don't know, why?"

"Well, I'm getting tired of doing my workouts alone, and I thought maybe

you'd like to come running with me. You don't have to of course, but you

might find that you like it. "

"Yeah." Neville said quickly, nodding. Sure."

"Cool. Meet me in the entrance hall about quarter 'til six. We'll take it

slow until you build up your stamina." Harry smiled.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Hermione asked looking put out.

"First off, you look as though you're already in pretty good shape."

Hermione felt her face burn crimson at the … was it a compliment, or

just an observation.

"And secondly, no offense Hermione, but I spend so much time around

girls now, that I'd like to have a period in the day where I get to hang

around guys. You know, so we can talk about guy things." Harry smiled

and Hermione gave him a wry smile.

"You mean girls?" She asked, and Harry smiled and nodded emphatically.

"See, I knew you'd understand." Harry grinned.

Hermione simply shook her head and rolled her eyes while Harry

laughed and Neville grinned.

"POTTER!"

Harry, Hermione and Neville all turned to see who had bellowed. Draco

Malfoy came marching up to them with two massive mountains of muscle

on either side of him, each looking rather stupidly at the three. Harry

remembered seeing them with Malfoy before but couldn't remember if

they'd been introduced.

"Thought you were being funny this morning, did you?" Malfoy snarled

as he came up to Harry, glaring hard. "Thought you'd make one of your

betters look the fool?"

"Ok." Harry said holding up his hands and shaking his head. "You're going

to have to explain this to me because I simply have no idea what you're

talking about, and I need to get to Charms, so hurry this up."

"You played that prank on Pansy. I heard Davis tell Greengrass that she

gave you one of Pansy's hairs."

"So?" Harry shrugged. "That doesn't prove anything. Maybe I am so in

love with Pansy that I made a batch of polyjuice potion and became her

for an hour just to be close to her."

Neville burst out laughing while Hermione looked simultaneously

disgusted and amused. Draco looked at them clearly confused, but one of

the hulking gorillas got the joke, because he snickered, causing Draco to

snap his head towards him with his eyes hard.

"I'm not amused, Potter. You've insulted Pansy, and you've insulted

Slytherin House."

"Will you get to the point?" Harry said, tiring of Draco's diatribe.

"I demand you apologize." Draco snapped.

"And if I say no?" Harry asked, cocking an eyebrow and taking a step

forward. The two gorilla's cracked their knuckles in what they must have

thought was a menacing manner. Harry simply ignored them, holding

Draco's eyes for a long moment.

"What will happen if I refuse to bend to your will, you puffed up

peacock?"

Draco's lip curled and he took a step forward, his eyes narrowing.

"If you refuse, I will make you wish you had."

Harry stared at Draco for a moment, and then guffawed. Draco actually

jumped at Harry's outburst. He looked to his two flunkies, who were just

as confused, if not a bit more.

"Come see me when you can actually back up your threat." Harry

chuckled, turning back to his friends and leading them on.

"Don't you turn your back on me Potter!" Draco snapped, his wand in his

hand and the curse on his lips.

Harry was faster.

Dropping his backpack, and spinning Harry's wand flashed and Draco

found himself on his behind with large angry looking boils sprouting up

on his face. One of his bodyguards for lack of a better word went to help

Draco, getting a mouth full of pus as one of the boils exploded.

The other gorilla set his sights on Harry and had his wand in his hand.

"I'm giving you fair warning here pal." Harry smirked as students backed

away afraid they might get hit by a stray spell. "If the worst you can do is

a stinging hex, I'd leave it alone and see to your friend."

The bruiser snarled angrily and flicked his wand. Harry was very happy

that Cedric had taught him the shield charm, as there wasn't much room

to maneuver. His shield absorbed the week blue spell that his opponent

had flung his way.

"What the hell was that?" Harry asked with a surprised grin.

"Get him Crabbe!" Draco snapped as his other friend helped him to his

feet.

"ENOUGH!"

It was Professor Moody who was stomping down the Hall. "What the hell

is going on here?"

"Sir." Hermione said, her voice soft and unsure. "Malfoy tried to attack

Harry. Harry was just defending himself."

"Is that true boy?" Moody asked Draco, who shook his head, boils oozing.

"He started it." Draco snapped, pointing at Harry who was now sliding his

wand into his wrist holster.

"He was going to hex me in my back." Harry said flatly.

"Is that so?" Moody asked, eyeing both Harry and Draco. Harry had to

suppress a shiver as the electric blue eye focused on him. "Thought you'd

best someone when they couldn't defend themselves. Well, perhaps I'll

see if you can get the better of me tonight in detention, eh? Eight o'clock,

boy. Don't make me come looking for you. Now, off to class all of you."

Harry threw Malfoy one final smirk before picking up his bag and leading

Hermione and Neville to their next class.

"How did you know Malfoy was going to hex you?" Neville asked.

"I didn't." Harry said non-chalantly. "But I figured he was going to. If he

hadn't I would have had detention, I suppose. So, I guess it was lucky

that he did try. The thing is, we had this game back at Salem. I don't

know how else to explain it, but we would always try and hex each other.

The teachers didn't seem to mind, so long as it wasn't to bad. You know,

stinging hexes or things like that. But if it hurt someone, well… I heard

one boy got expelled for getting a little too aggressive. Anyway, you get

really good at anticipating, and your reflexes get fast. That jinx I used

just now would have landed me in detention, but it would have been

worth it. Somehow I get the feeling that whatever he was going to use

wouldn't have been as kind."

"You've gone and made a real bad enemy." Neville said.

"He's going to make it his personal mission to make life difficult for you."

Hermione agreed as the three took seats at the front of the class. "He

thrives on other people's misery, you know."

"I think I have bigger things to worry about, don't you?" Harry gave the

two a pointed look just as Professor Flitwick climbed to the top of a large

pile of books so he could be seen by his class. Hermione could only sigh.

Harry put up a really tough façade, but as they drew closer to the first

task, she could see faint glints of worry in his eyes. She wondered if any

of his other acquaintances noticed, and if they did, did they mention it at

all?

Harry just seemed so sure of himself all the time. Hermione couldn't even

imagine a Harry Potter who was insecure or scared. Yet, even as he sat

next to her attentively listening to Professor Flitwick talk about

summoning charms, Hermione wondered just how well Harry was really

dealing with the mounting pressure.

Sirius and Remus were sitting at the table in the kitchen of Sirius' house

discussing all they currently knew regarding current events. Both of them

were at a great loss for what should be their next move because of their

serious lack of information. With barely two weeks before the first task,

time was running out and they still had no idea on how to help Harry or

what he might be facing.

Remus seemed sure that it had been their former friend Peter Pettigrew

who had placed Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire, but Sirius wasn't so

sure. Certain details didn't add up in his mind. Peter wasn't the type to do

something like this, much less even think of it on his own. Sirius felt that

Peter was working with someone else. Someone he felt could protect him.

As they debated some of the definitive facts, a great barn owl landed on

the sill of the window and began tapping on the glass with its beak. Sirius

turned a questioning look at Remus who could only shrug.

Remus got up and opened the window to allow the owl entrance. It

swooped to the table in front of Sirius and presented its leg where a small

roll of parchment was tied. Sirius took the parchment and the owl

immediately took flight out the window.

With a puzzled expression on his face, Sirius unrolled the scroll as Remus

closed the window and took his seat across from Sirius again.

"Odd." Sirius said, looking to Remus, who gave him a questioning look.

"What?"

"It's from Dumbledore. It says that he thinks we should go have a drink or

two at the Hog's Head tonight. Says it could be enlightening."

"So, by going to the Hog's Head, we'll find enlightenment? I don't get it."

Remus shook his head.

"I'm going to guess that by spending some time in the tavern tonight, we

might learn something important. But he doesn't say what time, or who

we should be looking for." Sirius commented.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it might become very

obvious."

Sirius nodded and stood up with Remus following suit.

"I'll get my cloak, shall I?" Sirius shrugged, and in a few moments, they

were off.

November had turned bitingly cold in the last few days, and Sirius was

sure that snow was coming in the next few days. Just the thought of

snow made Sirius crave the warm beaches of Florida. He'd taken Harry

there for Christmas ever since the boy had discovered girls. Harry was

much like James had been. Incredibly charming and suave, though he

didn't realize it, which just made him all the more charming to the

females. Sirius never pointed it out for fear that Harry would become

cocky, like he himself had been. Sirius' deepest hope was that Harry

would find one girl that captured the boy's heart and become as devoted

to her as James had been to Lily.

But before that could happen, Harry needed to make it through this year.

The Hog's Head was on the other side of the village. Sirius glanced into

the shops as they passed, already trying to think of what to get his

godson for Christmas. Sirius sometimes wondered if he'd spoiled Harry

over the years. Harry had never wanted for anything, but he seemed not

to care to much for things. He was usually at his happiest when they

were just spending time together. He'd been that way most of his life in

fact.

Sirius' job had been to give him a normal childhood, but now, as he

walked with Remus to the pub, Sirius realized that Harry's childhood had

never been close to normal. They had been on the move until Harry was

eleven. That's when they'd settled in America, and Harry began school.

Sirius doubted that there was another kid in the world who could claim

to have done even half of what Harry had done by the time he'd turned

eleven. Between the magical and the muggle worlds, Harry had

experienced so much. Every great adventure Sirius could think of, they

had done together. Sirius sometimes lay awake at night thinking that he

knew that Harry would not see adulthood, and that was why he took

Harry to do everything, so that Harry could not possibly have a single

regret.

Sirius shook those terrible thoughts from his mind as the reached the

front door of the tavern. There were only a handful of patrons tonight.

Two men who glanced at the newcomers before bending back to their

whispered conversation. A hunched back old crone with a long nose

reading the Daily Prophet and drinking a rather slimy looking green

drink, and three rough looking warlocks.

Sirius and Remus settled in a table in the furthest corner with a clear

view of the door. The Barman came bustling over and glowered at them

for a few moments.

"Two ales." Sirius ordered, slipping off his cloak as Remus did the same.

The barman nodded gruffly and shambled off, returning a few minutes

later with two pewter pint mugs. Sirius gave the man a galleon and asked

that he open a tab for them.

"So now what?" Sirius asked after he took a long sip from his mug.

"We wait, I guess." Remus shrugged.

They sat in silence, drinking and staring at the door for only ten minutes

before the answer to all of tonight's questions opened the door and

lumbered inside, calling out an order. Sirius turned a wide smile on his

friend, who was chuckling now.

"Is that Hagrid?" Sirius shouted.

The great mountain of a man turned to se who'd said his name and broke

out into a great beaming smile.

"Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin!" Hagrid bellowed, holing out his arms.

"By all tha's good. How are yeh?"

Sirius and Remus rose and shook the dustbin sized hands of the Hogwarts

Gamekeeper.

"Won't you join us, Hagrid." Sirius asked, motioning to their table.

"You should address him as Professor now, Sirius." Remus grinned. "He

teaches Care Of Magical Creatures now."

Hagrid beamed and puffed out his chest as Sirius exclaimed great

surprise.

"Well, I can think of no one more qualified." Sirius praised the man.

"Then I insist you join us, and your first round is on me."

"Right kind o' yeh." Hagrid said, taking a seat, which Remus reinforced

with a quick flash of his wand. "I met yeh're godson the other day. Looks

exactly like his father, yeh know. Bin meaning to have him down to me

hut for a cuppa."

"He mentioned that he met you." Sirius nodded. "Said you looked exactly

as he'd pictured you all these years."

"Ah, go on." Hagrid waved one of his massive hands in an embarrassed

sort of way. The barman returned setting a large bucket sized tankard

before Hagrid. "Thank yeh Abe." Hagrid said taking two very large

swallows before setting the tankard down heavily.

"Real exciting year, isn't it?" Sirius asked, probing the man a bit. "Tri-

Wizard tournament. Hasn't been held in over a hundred years."

"Oh it has bin. 'Specially when you consider that it brought little Harry

Potter back from tha dead, so to speak. He's a right popular lad too. Got

nearly all tha girls eyeing him everywhere he goes. A lot of the older girls

watching him close like as well. I even got a lot of my third year kids

asking after him. Course I don't know the whole story, but they ask me

just the same."

"Not much to tell, really." Sirius said. "Dumbledore asked that I hide him

and keep him safe."

"Thought it had to be summat like tha." Hagrid grinned, taking another

huge mouthful of his ale.

"Have you been involved in a lot of the tournament preparations?" Remus

asked. Hagrid shook his great shaggy head.

"Nah. The Ministry's got people takin care of all tha stuff. Keeping it all

very quiet. Don't wanna give away anything, do they."

Sirius saw the little of Hagrid's face turn a bit scarlet and his eyes

crinkled in amusement.

"You sneaky blighter." Sirius smirked. "You saw something, didn't you?"

"There you are Hagrid!"

The three men turned to se Ludo Bagman enter the bar, a huge award

winning smile on his weathered face.

"Ludo!" Hagrid smiled, waving the newcomer to join them. "Glad yeh

made it. Though it turns out I wouldn't have bin alone after all. Ludo

Bagman, This is Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather."

"My word." Ludo smiled offering his hand. "It is indeed an honor."

"The honor is ours." Sirius smiled. "Won't you pull up a chair. I was a

huge fan of yours when you were with the Wasps."

"Well, thank you my good man." Ludo said as he drew up a chair and sat

down. Remus motioned for the barman to bring another round for all of

them.

"Ludo's in charge of the Tournament." Hagrid said as he drained his

tankard.

"Well not completely, you know. I'll be commentating on all the tasks you

know, and I've done a lot to get the tournament going. After I retired

from the Wasps, I got a great job in the Department for Magical Games

and Sports, you know."

"So I expect it took a great deal of time to figure out what tasks the

champions would be facing?" Remus asked and Ludo rolled his eyes,

giving a great dramatic sigh.

"Oh my word, this has been in the works for two years. We've been in

negotiations with both Beauxbaton and Durmstrang for nearly that long.

Madame Maxime was very willing to hear us out, but Karkaroff you

know…" Ludo shrugged. "It was Dumbledore himself who got the man to

change his mind. He seemed very uninterested in coming at all."

"Karkaroff?" Sirius asked, looking confused. "Igor Karkaroff?"

"Yes." Ludo said taking a drink of his ale.

Sirius looked to Remus who gave a slight nod. Sirius knew they'd be

talking about this little fact later.

"All three heads of school were quite worried about the safety of those

competing, and so, the first new rule we agreed on was the age of the

students who could enter. No one under seventeen. Well, we all know

how that turned out." Ludo smiled sympathetically. "What a surprise

though. Harry Potter alive after all these years."

"Aye!" Hagrid said lifting his newly refilled tankard in salute.

"What kinds of things were you looking at for the tournament tasks,

Ludo?" Remus asked curiously. "I imagine it was very difficult in coming

up with challenges that would truly test the champions."

"Aye, it was at that." Ludo said. "It was the third task that gave us the

most difficulty. In the end though I think everyone was pleased with

what we came up with. Just you wait, my friends. Oh the things you'll

see."

Sirius gave a meaningful look at Remus. It was clear this is what

Dumbledore had sent them here for. Unfortunately, these two were being

extremely tight lipped at the moment. This was going to take great

patience, and a lot of ale.

So, they settled in, and turned the conversation to petty things. They

endured nearly two hours of Bagman's stories of his Quidditch career.

Those stories changed when they started doing Fire Whiskey shots with

every round. Ludo began to talk about his gambling troubles. He'd dug

himself quite a whole with the goblins at the Quidditch World Cup. He

even had a couple of Hogwarts kids hounding him for welching on the

bet he'd made with them. Ludo was hoping to make everything right

again with the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

"I just know that things will turn around with the first task." Ludo

slurred., pointing a shaky finger at Remus. "I just know that Krum is

going to be the fastest with his dr, er… task."

"Don't know bout tha." Hagrid bellowed drunkenly. "They all got an equal

chance, don't they. Though I reckon whoever ends up facing tha

Horntail's going to have a real job of it. Gave Madam Maxime quite a

turn when I took her to see 'em up close an all."

Sirius turned his head to Remus who did the same to Sirius. Both of them

nearly falling out of their seats with the movement. They were both quite

drunk, but Hagrid's slip had a sobering effect.

"Did you say a horntail?" Remus asked, his speech thick and his eyes

glassy. "And the French Headmistress saw it as well?"

"Well I took her to se them." Hagrid beamed. "Thought she might find

them interesting. You shoulda seen her smile at me when she first got

sight of them. She's a lovely woman."

"Oh yes." Ludo said, clapping his hands. "I know what you mean, Hagrid.

A nasty beast I've never seen. They have to keep it stunned all the time.

Every time it wakes up, it seems to get nastier and nastier. On the other

hand, that Welsh Green is so docile, that champion might be able to just

walk right up and pet it on the snout, I dare say. Perhaps I should make

that a bet, eh?" It was clear that Bagman hadn't heard Hagrid say he'd

brought Madame Maxime to see the dragons. Both Ludo and Hagrid burst

into laughter at Ludo's idea to place bets on the tournament. Then Ludo

fell back off his seat and passed out on the floor, making Hagrid laugh

even harder.

"I think it's time you all be heading home now." The barman bellowed.

"I'll take him with me, yeah?" Hagrid said pointing to Ludo who was little

more than a lump on the floor. "He's staying up at the castle anyhow. He

can kip on me sofa."

Hagrid lumbered to his feet and gathered the unconscious Bagman in his

great arms. "I 'spect I'll se yeh lot at the tasks then."

And with that, Hagrid lumbered out into the cold night, followed closely

by two very drunk and staggering men.

"Dragons." Sirius said in a hoarse whisper as he leaned against Remus.

"Are they mad?"

"I'm sure there will be some sort of protections, but I think you're right.

Bringing Dragons and making teenagers face them with no help. It's

ludicrous."

"At least we can finally give Harry something to aim for." Sirius said

groggily.

"First thing in the morning, we'll go to see him." Remus said, stumbling

over his own feet. "I just hope we can remember it all."

"Maybe we can visit old Pomfrey and she can fix us up with one of her

special potions, eh?" Sirius said giving a pointed though very drunken

look to his old friend before they both started laughing like madmen.

10. Chapter 10

Harry awoke at his usual time and stumbled out of bed. His muscles felt a

bit stiff. Harry wasn't surprised, really. Cedric had really put him through

his paces last night. The older Hufflepuff felt that Harry needed to get

faster with his casting, and had dueled Harry in an unused classroom.

Harry still smiled when he thought about how impressed Cedric was with

how fast Harry was able to dodge his spell work. When Cedric asked,

Harry invited him to wake up bright and early and join him and Neville

for a run. Then Cedric proceeded to punish Harry with his vast repertoire

of spell knowledge.

Harry finished dressing and made his way to the entrance Hall where he

was to met Neville and Cedric. It was bitingly cold, and Harry knew

winter was very close now. He wondered how bad Scottish winters were

compared to the Salem ones.

"Good Morning Harry." Neville said as he stood up from the step he was

sitting on. Neville had made sure to ask Harry what one wore for this

type of thing, as he was sure that his Hogwarts robes would not do. So,

Neville gave a questioning look to Harry as his new friend looked over

his chosen attire.

"Those jeans will work for now, but I'd get some sweat pants for the

future. Trust me, you'll appreciate the roominess. Good tennis shoes,

though.

"Oh, good, I'm not late." Cedric said as he came hurtling out of a nearby

hallway. He was wearing his Quidditch practice outfit. "Right then, so

what happens now?" He asked with a smile. Neville looked a bit nervous,

but happy to be in such popular company all the same.

"Right, well, we're going to go to the Quidditch pitch and do a few laps.

Since you're both pretty new to this, we'll go slow for now." Harry said,

and off they went. All three boys shivered immediately once they were

outside.

"Don't worry." Harry said encouragingly. "Once we get moving, you'll be

thankful that it's so cold."

Harry began explaining why he'd begun running and everything else as

they walked when something caught his eye. Two familiar looking men

running up from the front gates towards the castle. He stopped to watch

their approach, Cedric and Neville standing at his side.

"Do you know them?" Cedric asked as they got closer, and then he

realized that Harry did, and he did as well.

"Is that Professor Lupin?" Neville asked, taking a step forward.

"HARRY!" Sirius said, clearly out of breath.

"Sirius? What happened to you?"

Sirius and Lupin looked as though they'd just come from a very nasty

fight. They were both covered in mud and muck, and as Sirius reached

him, a very nasty smell reached Harry's nose.

"Oh gods!" Harry said taking an involuntary step backward. "You smell

like you slept in a garbage dumpster."

"It was a pig pen, actually." Sirius remarked with a haggard smile. Harry

looked between his godfather and Remus, who gave an affirmative nod at

Sirius' claim.

"It's a long story, Harry." Remus began, clutching a stitch at his side and

gasping for air. "Suffice to say…"

"Dragons." Sirius panted. "That's what you'll be facing. Dragons."

Harry stumbled back a bit and fell on his rear end, staring up with shock.

"Are you joking?"

"Are you certain?" Cedric asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"We met Hagrid and Ludo Bagman at the pub last night. Dumbledore sent

us there." Remus began.

"Hagrid, bless him, has never been very good at keeping secrets. Get

enough ale into him, which can be very, very dangerous if you try and

match him shot for shot." Sirius chuckled a bit. "After quite a bit of drink,

he and Ludo let slip that they've got dragons for you lot to face in the

First Task. He also mentioned that he showed the French Headmistress,

so you can bet the French champion knows."

"And we just learned that the Durmstrang Headmaster is Igor Karkaroff."

Remus added, allowing himself to kneel down to rest. He and Sirius had

sprinted all the way to the castle the moment they had awoken.

"Why is that important?" Neville asked, his voice small and nervous

sounding. He felt like he was a part of a conversation that he really

shouldn't have heard.

"Karkaroff was a Death Eater." Sirius said. "Got out of a long sentence in

Azkaban by offering his fellows in his stead. Then he left the country,

fearing for his life. How he managed to become Headmaster of a school is

beyond me. But you can bet he'll use every dirty trick in the book to see

that his Champion wins. So at least now you're on equal footing with

them Ced."

Cedric nodded and thanked the two men.

"Least we can do for you since you've been helping Harry here." Sirius

nodded."Do you know exactly what we'll have to do?" Cedric asked, but

both Remus and Sirius shook their heads.

"What you both keep in mind is that dragons are very tough. Their hides

are impervious to most spells, and it takes quite a few wizards just to

stun one. But their eyes are vulnerable." Sirius offered. "Keep that in

mind. A good conjunctivitis curse to a dragon's eyes will all but blind it."

"Suppose we know what to work on then, don't we?" Harry said looking

up at Cedric who nodded.

"I suppose we do, but we can't assume that it's about fighting a dragon. I

bet there's more to it."

"Very wise." Remus nodded. "If we find out anymore, we'll let you know.

In the meantime, I think it's best if you all act ignorant. It wouldn't do if

this got out."

All three boys nodded and Remus and Sirius rose shakily to their feet.

Sirius went to hug Harry who also had gotten to his feet, but Harry held

up a hand and then waved at the air, wrinkling his nose. Sirius got the

message and gave sheepish smile.

"I'll se you this weekend, and I want to hear that you're training hard."

Sirius said, and Harry promised. With that, Harry's godfather and his

adopted uncle turned and left the grounds.

"Dragons." Neville said in a hushed reverent whisper. "I can't believe it.

Blimey, you guys, what are you going to do?"

"Not much we can do until we know exactly what is expected of us."

Cedric said. "But We will definitely be practicing that Conjunctivitis

curse. And I'll be working hard with you Harry. If this running thing is

what made you so fast, I'm going to be doing my best to catch up to you."

Harry felt a little bad when they all separated in the Entrance Hall. He'd

pushed Neville and Cedric a bit harder than he'd originally intended, but

he had kept imagining a giant scaly, fire-breathing monster intent on

eating him. At least now he knew what was coming. That did alleviate

some of his worry.

He returned to his room, showered and readied himself for classes, and

then went off to breakfast, where he ran into Hannah Abbott.

"Hi Harry." She smiled.

"Hey Hannah. Where's Susan?"

"She's not feeling well. She went up to see Madam Pomfrey. Hopefully

she'll be down soon. Would you like to have breakfast with me?"

"Yeah, sure."

They went to the Great Hall together, but they didn't sit in their usual

spot. It seemed obvious that Hannah wanted to have him all to herself for

a bit. Harry felt himself grow a bit nervous as they sat down, and had to

remind himself that Hannah was a really nice person, and there was no

need to be nervous.

"So, you've met a ton of people since you've been here, and already you

seem to have someone special. You don't waste time, do you?" She asked

a coy smile on her face.

"Tracey and I are friends. We had one date." Harry said, looking curious.

"Why is everyone so interested in my love life?"

"Because there are a lot of girls in this school who'd like to be your

girlfriend."

"Are you one of them?" Harry asked, looking at Hannah sharply. The

blonde shrugged, but her face became a bit pink.

"I haven't really decided yet." She said simply. "Don't get me wrong, I

think you're nice and all, but I haven't really had a chance to spend time

with you alone and really get to know you. I was hoping tha maybe we

could… I don't know."

"Have some type of date?" Harry said with a smile.

"I don't know that I'd say date." Hannah shook her head. "But maybe we

could take a walk this afternoon after classes?" She looked hopefully at

Harry who thought about it for a few minutes.

"I don't think that would be a problem. I only have one class after lunch."

"So do I. So why don't we meet in the Entrance Hall right after class and

we can spend a bit of time together." Hannah smiled and Harry nodded.

"Sounds fun."

"So, how are you doing potions now?" She asked, changing subject.

"Oh. I get my lessons for the week on Monday, and Dumbledore's going

to watch me brew in a room in the dungeons. It'll be kind of like self

study or something. I still have to write essays and stuff, but they'll be

sent to my Potions professor at Salem. Frankly I'm relieved. Do you know

you guys are a year behind me?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I did antidotes last year." Harry said and Hannah frowned.

"I wonder why that is. I don't know why, but I thought schools would be

pretty close to the same all over."

"Well, it could be that I typically go year round, and Hogwarts has a long

summer break." Harry suggested. Hannah shrugged and they continued

eating and talking about non important things. Hannah was interested in

seeing Harry fly against some of her Hufflepuff House mates. Apparently

that was the most popular topic of discussion in the common room,

besides what girl Harry fancied.

As they were finishing their meal, two people approached them.

"Hey Harry, want to walk to Transfiguration with us?" Neville asked. He

looked a lot better than he had when they'd finished their run.

"Yeah, sure. Uh, Neville, Hermione, this is Hannah." Harry smiled as he

introduced the three.

"Hi." Hermione said in a soft voice. Neville's face burned crimson as he

mumbled a hello. Hannah smiled back and Harry got up from his seat,

and said goodbye to Hannah. She gave another brilliant smile, and Harry

followed his two Gryffindor friends to class.

"She seems nice." Hermione said once they'd left the Great Hall.

"One of the first people I met. Most of the Hufflepuffs are." Harry

shrugged.

"But Hannah's really nice." Neville said in a dreamy sort of way. Both

Harry and Hermione stopped walking and Neville turned to look at them

oddly. "What?"

"Do you like Hannah?" Harry asked a smirk on his face. Neville turned so

red that Harry felt he could feel the heat radiating from his face. "You

dog, Neville." He laughed.

"You never told me that you liked her." Hermione said and Neville shook

his head.

"I don't feel comfortable talking to you about everything, Hermione. You

don't tell me everything, do you?"

"No, I guess not. Why don't you ask her out?"

Neville sputtered and choked until Harry slapped him on the back.

"I'm a bit curious about that myself." Harry said once Neville had stopped

choking.

"I can't!" Neville said looking very frightened. "She'd laugh at me, and… I

don't think I could stand it."

"Neville, The worst thing she could do is laugh at you, and if she did,

that's not a girl you want to be with anyway. You're a good guy, if she

can't se that, then you're better off without her. I'll tell you what, I'm

supposed to take a walk with her later today. I'll find out what she thinks

of you alright?"

"You'd do that?"

"Sure!" Harry said patting Neville's shoulder. "It's what friends do. Just

remember, if she doesn't like you that way, it's not the end of the world.

There are a ton of girls here, and I'm positive that there's at least three

who think you're worthy of them."

"Three girls for Longbottom?" Came a drawling, superior sounding laugh

from behind. "Are you going to confund them yourself, Potter, or are

these first years who don't know any better?"

Harry and his two friends turned and Harry stared at Malfoy hard.

"Is that how you get a date, Draco? Bewitching poor defenseless first

years? It's really sick."

"Not to mention pathetic." Neville said quickly, sounding much bolder

than Harry had ever heard the boy sound. Harry gave an impressed smile

to Neville who looked ready to run.

"Unlike Longbottom, I have a natural charm that just draws girls to me."

Draco smirked.

"Then why is it I've only seen you with these two?" Harry asked,

motioning to Crabbe and Goyle. "Unless they're just really ugly girls, in

which case, I've got to tell you, you're charms are broken. Or were you

talking about Pansy baldy balloon butt? Hey, has her ass deflated yet?"

Hermione and Neville both coughed, trying to prevent themselves from

laughing. Draco stared at the both of them in turn with cold narrowed

eyes while his two gorilla like bodyguards cracked their knuckles. Harry

simply rolled his eyes at this and turned back to Draco who started

poking him in the chest.

"You think you're so great because you're a champion and everyone

knows who you are. Well, not everyone is going to bow before you and

worship the ground you walk on Potter. I for one know just how

insignificant you really are. Nothing more than an insect waiting to be

squashed."

Draco turned to glare at Neville who took a step backward, though he

tried to look tough.

"As for you Longbottom, you should do the world a favor and kill

yourself. You fat squib."

"Is that the very best you've got?" Harry chuckled. Hermione turned her

worried eyes on him as he began to laugh, while Neville gave a confused

look to her.

"Really? I'm an insect?" Harry continued to laugh, grabbing Neville's

shoulder dramatically as if trying to appear frightened despite his

laughter. "Oh, please, someone save me, I'm an insect. Ahh!" Harry

turned and threw his arms in the air, running into the Transfiguration

classroom like a terrified child, making many who had now gathered to

watch the display burst into raucous laughter. Hermione and Neville both

turned to one another and broke out laughing, and with backward

glances to the now infuriated Malfoy turned to join Harry in the

classroom.

Harry was sitting at his desk, next to where Neville and Hermione were

now sitting, still laughing heartily.

"Wow." Harry said when his friends joined him. "Has he always been a

supreme jerk.?"

"Ever since our first year." Hermione said taking out her book. "I'd love it

if someone really put him in his place."

"Didn't I do that? Like, yesterday in fact?" Harry asked.

"All you did was make him angry. One thing I know about Malfoy is that

he hate's being embarrassed. He's going to do something to you soon, and

it won't be nice." Neville said, though he was still smiling.

"Bring it on." Harry said as McGonagall entered the class and called it to

order.

Potions turned out to be rather relaxing for Harry. He was by himself in a

small class while Dumbledore observed him. The Hogwarts headmaster

handed him his assignment from his potions teacher at Salem, and by the

end of the class period, Harry had put together a rather nice calming

draught.

Harry joined up with Hermione and Neville as they were walking into the

Great Hall for lunch.

"How was your potions lesson?" Hermione asked at once as she and

Neville took seat, with Harry joining them.

"Wasn't too terrible. Bit lonely actually. Dumbledore just sat there

watching me, but he wouldn't talk. I guess he wanted me to concentrate

or something."

"Wish I had lessons without Snape." Neville grumbled ladling soup into

his bowl. "He loves to pick on me for some reason. I'm like his personal

punching bag."

"You could always piss him off enough so that he attacks you." Harry

shrugged. "It worked for me."

Neville smiled and shook his head, suggesting he wasn't nearly brave

enough to even attempt it and that Snape was likely to hex him or worse.

"Why did I ever let you talk me into taking Arithmancy?" Ginny Weasley

snapped at Hermione as she took a seat next to her bushy haired best

friend. "I have to read three chapters and write an essay on the formulaic

equations that are used in basic spell work. It's mental."

"As I recall, you said you didn't want to skate along and do everything

easy.' Hermione replied, looking at the redhead with a strange grin of

satisfaction.

"I should have just done Runes and called it good." Ginny sighed,

reaching for a bowl of crisps. "Do you take Arithmancy, Harry?"

"No." Harry said. "I thought it looked to challenging, and I get distracted

easily."

"No you don't." Hermione argued. "I watched you in Transfiguration."

"You've been watching me?" Harry smirked, making Hermione go scarlet.

"Just how closely do you watch me?

"You told me you barely look at him." Ginny added, obviously reveling in

her friend's clear discomfort.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Hermione snapped at Harry.

"And don't you say anything Neville." Hermione pointed a slender finger

at the boy who was leaning forward to add his comments. Neville simply

smiled, trying to keep from laughing.

Harry was kept from retorting as two girls approached. Harry recognized

them both as being from Ravenclaw, but he couldn't think of their names.

He had spoken with them, but he hadn't had any interaction since that

nearly disastrous breakfast the week before.

"Hey Hermione." the Asian girl said. "Are we still on for studying after

dinner?"

"Of course Su.' Hermione smiled brightly. "I'll bring my notes and we can

compare them. I think we can get that Charms essay done in no time."

"Brilliant." Said the Indian girl. "We'll see you tonight then. Bye Harry."

"Bye." Harry smiled and when they were gone he looked at Hermione.

"Made some new friends have we?"

"Yes, and it's really because of you. Mandy and I got to know each other,

and she's been talking about me to the other Ravenclaws. They caught

me in Arithmancy yesterday and asked if I'd be a part of their study

group. To be honest though, I think they're just being nice to me to get

close to you."

Harry shrugged. "Even if they are, it still might have the added bonus of

actually becoming friends. At least they're taking the time. If they start

asking about me just change the subject or say that you don't know."

"So the First Task is just a week and a half away," Ginny said, leaning

forward so she could see past Hermione. "How are you feeling?"

Harry saw Neville look intently at his soup. He heaved a sigh and looked

at Ginny. "I don't know how I should feel. I definitely feel anxious, but

I'm not sure if I should be scared or what, you know?"

"Because you don't know what you're doing yet?" Ginny asked

interestedly.

"Exactly." Harry said. It's hard to prepare for something when you have

no idea what's coming. Cedric's been helping me and teaching me loads

of new spells, which is great, but is it what I'm going to need? What if

whatever I end up facing is something that I can't use magic against?"

Neville coughed, choking on a mouthful of soup.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Hermione said. "Dumbledore's not

about to let anything bad happen to any of the champions."

"Yeah, but he can't prevent what he can't foresee." Harry smiled, rising

from his seat. "I'll see you guys, I've got to head to Runes."

"What did that mean?" Ginny asked watching Harry's retreating form.

"Does he know something we don't?"

Again Neville choked on his soup.

"Maybe you should try not to inhale it, Nev." Ginny said helpfully as

Neville wiped at his face with a napkin, hiding his face to keep from

being asked questions.

Harry darted out of the Great Hall and was about to sprint up the stairs

when he collided hard with something that let out an indignant shriek,

followed by a flurry of what Harry recognized to be French.

"Petit scélérat stupide! Vous êtes aveugles ? Quelle est la question de tha

avec vous, vous le petit garçon fou ?"

Harry got to his feet and saw that he had run straight into the French girl

who was one of the contestants in the tournament. She had given him

nasty looks during the Wand Weighing ceremony, and whenever he had

seen her during meals she usually looked quite stuck up.

The girl standing next to her was laughing her head off as she helped the

older girl to her feet.

"I'm sorry." Harry said. "I was in a hurry and I wasn't looking."

"Le séjour de ma voie, enfant. Si vous ne pouvez pas même faire

l'attention à où vous entrez dans l'école, comment pouvez-vous vous

attendre rivaliser avec moi ?" the statuesque gorgeous blonde sneered,

moving past Harry, clearly not caring to hear his apologies.

Harry watched her go with puzzlement, before turning to head off to his

class, before stopping short as the younger blonde girl was standing in

front of him with a very pretty smile on her face.

"Bon jour." She said, offering her hand. "I am Gabrielle."

"Uh, Hi. Harry, Harry Potter."

But of course I already know who you are." Gabrielle smiled. "My sister

hasn't been able to stop talking about you. You've really angered her.'

Harry looked at her oddly and then it clicked.

"That was your sister?"

"Fleur, oui." Gabrielle nodded. "She was sure she could compete against

two boys. But you have stolen her moments, as she is so fond of saying.

She wasn't even mentioned in the paper, none of the other champions

were."

"What? Really?" Harry asked, plainly surprised. He'd not read any of the

papers regarding the tournament, so he had no idea what they said.

"That's terrible reporting I would think they'd try and get all the facts and

report an unbiased and accurate story. Isn't that what they're there for?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "If I were you, I'd try to stay out of her way. She may

not look it, but she is quite powerful, and if you really make her mad, she

can be vraiment dangerous."

"GABRIELLE!" Fleur shouted from the doors of the Great Hall, looking

very angry. Harry swore that her silvery blonde hair was wavy as if there

was a light breeze blowing it back.

"I had better go. It was very nice speaking to you Harry Potter. I hope

that we may do it again."

"I'd like that.' Harry smiled. "Goodbye, Gabrielle."

"Au revoir, Harry Potter."

Harry watched the young French girl go until she reached her older sister

who begun talking very fast in French. Harry couldn't help but smile as

he thought of talking to Gabrielle again. He really liked her heavy French

accent, and wondered what it would sound like for her to whisper his

name in his ear as he….

"Runes!" He said, bringing himself back to the real world.

As he had promised, Harry met Hannah in the Entrance Hall right after

his Runes class. She had already dumped her books in her common room

and agreed to go with Harry so he could drop off his things as well.

"You're the first visitor I've had to my rooms." Harry grinned as he

opened the door. Hannah giggles softly at Harry's remark and followed

him inside. Harry dumped his books on the small table in front of the

sofa and told Hannah to sit while he retrieved a hooded sweatshirt.

"How do you stand how cold it gets in the castle?" Harry asked. Hannah

shrugged.

"The classes are usually pretty warm, and so are our common rooms." she

said.

"So, where are we going on our little adventure?" Harry asked, escorting

her back into the hall.

"Wherever our feet carry us." She smiled playfully.

They began walking along, the conversation hanging on classes at first,

but then leading into questions about how each grew up, which then led

into a few more personal questions.

"So, are you going to ask Tracey Davis out?" Hannah asked after Harry

finished a story about his first fishing trip with Sirius which ended with

his godfather falling in the lake because he couldn't work the boat's

motor.

"Why are you so interested?" Harry asked, looking into Hannah's blue

eyes.

"Every girl is interested." Hannah answered honestly. "You remember I

told you there are a lot of girls interested in becoming your girlfriend,

right? I even overheard a couple of fifth year girls talk about slipping you

a love potion. So, maybe be careful about taking food or drinks from

anyone."

"Why is everyone so interested in who I like?" Harry shook is head. "It's

not like I'm the only boy in this school. I mean, as far as anyone knows,

I'm only here until the tournament ends, right?"

"I'd forgotten about that." Hannah admitted.

"So, does it really make sense for me to get involved with someone long

term and then have to go away? We both get hurt that way, right?"

"I never thought of that." Hannah nodded. "So you're going to just date

around?"

"I'm going to make a lot of friends and maybe take a few different girls

out. I'm not going to rule anything out, because if one of those girls

happens to be something really special, it'd be kind of a shame not to

pursue her. But who knows? I mean, I've been here only a week. Let me

pose a question to you though."

Hannah looked up and listened as Harry took a breath.

"Say there's a guy here in school, someone who's been in front of you all

this time, but is too shy to approach you…"

"Someone likes me?" Hannah's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Who?"

"Neville." Harry said with a smile. Hannah's own smile faltered.

"Longbottom?"

What's wrong with him?" Harry asked, getting a bit defensive.

"Well, nothing, I guess. I just never thought about him. I mean, I guess

he's okay looking, kind of a dumpling though, you know?"

"You mean he's fat?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Not fat, just chubby. Plus, he's not very smart is he?"

"Actually, he's quite smart. He just has a serious lack of confidence. I

think Neville's got it in him to surprise a lot of people. He seems to like

you. Nearly fainted when I introduced you two this morning."

"He's so shy." Hannah sighed.

"Likely due to the fact that he gets picked on so much. Look, I'm not

saying that you'll fall madly in love with the guy and spend the rest of

your lives together. All I'm saying is…"

"I could be missing a great friend." Hannah smiled. She and her friends

had heard Harry say this before.

"Or, he could end up being your greatest love. The one you end up telling

your grand children all about." Harry smirked and shrugged.

"Tell you what." Hannah said unfolding her arms and hooking one with

Harry's and pulling him along the corridor. "I will give some serious

thought into talking to Neville Longbottom if you win the first task!"

"And what if I get killed?" Harry asked with a worried smile.

"Then he'll be my date to your funeral." Hannah grinned. "Do you know

what you're going to do?"

"Not yet." Harry sighed. "After dinner, I'm going to do a bit of research. I

got Cedric working out with me and Neville, and he's been helping me

learn some new spells. I think I'll be okay, but it doesn't make the anxiety

I'm feeling lessen. I'll be glad when it's over, you know."

They continued their walk, Hannah occasionally asking probative

questions about Neville, most of which Harry had no answer for and he

encouraged her to ask the boy himself.

They walked to dinner together and sat with the other fourth year

Hufflepuffs. Harry thought he saw Susan, who was obviously feeling

better now, give a veiled look of jealousy as he and Hannah took their

seats.

After dinner, in which Ernie, Zach and Justin told Harry that they had

spoken to both Flitwick and McGonagall about the creation of a broom

racing course and both professors intrigue at the idea, Harry headed up

to the library to learn all he could about dragons.

He was in the midst of pulling a few books when he heard a soft voice

behind him.

"What?" Harry said as he turned to face a petite girl with shoulder length

curly brown hair.

"I-I said hi.' She said.

"Hi, uh… I swear I know you're name…" Harry said, giving an apologetic

smile.

"Mandy." She said. "I'm a Ravenclaw. We met last week."

"Right, you're the one who talked to Hermione. Thank you by the way. I

think she enjoyed it."

"She's very nice. I feel bad I didn't try to get to know her before now. It's

kind of funny, we don't live that far apart. I think it'll be nice this

summer if we can get together. It'll be really nice because all of my

neighbors are muggles, and it'd be cool to be able to talk magic with

another witch."

"Don't you see your other friends during the holidays?" Harry asked,

turning back to the stacks to find more books on dragons.

"Not really. I got to go to the Quidditch World Cup with Su and her

family, but that was really the first time I've seen any of my friends

outside of school. That's a lot of books, do you need help?"

Harry smiled and thanked her as she took a few books out of his arms.

"You're really interested in dragons." She remarked, looking at some of

the titles. Her head snapped up and her eyes grew large. "Is that what the

first task is?" Her already soft voice fell to a whisper.

Harry's shoulder's shot up and he looked to make sure no one had heard,

though how they could have with how quiet Mandy's voice was, he

couldn't be sure.

"A rather large bird let it slip to my godfather." Harry whispered to her.

"Don't tell anyone. Seriously, it could get a lot of people in trouble."

Mandy nodded and then helped Harry pull a few more tomes. "Do you

know what you have to do?"

"No." Harry said honestly. "But I'm pretty sure no matter what it is, I'm

going to have to subdue it to accomplish whatever I need to do."

"Well, that'll be tough." Mandy said, walking to a small table hidden in a

corner of the library with Harry. "Dragons are really tough."

"Tell me about it." Harry nodded opening DRAGONS: Nature's Nobility. "I

know that their only real weak point is their eyes, but how am I supposed

to hit it? That's taking the risk of really angering it, you know?"

"Definitely." Mandy nodded. Harry noticed that Mandy had a small smile

at the corner of her mouth that gave her a small dimple in her left cheek.

She kept brushing locks of her brown hair behind her ear as she read.

Harry smiled to himself. Mandy was really cute.

"I hear you fly pretty well, you could do that." Mandy suggested.

"To what end?" Harry asked. "No, I think my best bet is to figure a way to

subdue it."

"You could try stunning it, but again, you're talking about trying to hit it

in the eye, and they're pretty defensive of their eyes. That's why they

keep moving their heads." Mandy said with a sad smile.

"Exactly." Harry nodded. "The problem is I can't exactly figure out what I

should do until I know what it is I have to accomplish, which I probably

won't find out until I'm about to do it."

"You know what you should focus on?" Mandy said looking up at Harry,

her cheeks coloring when he met her gaze. "Transfiguration. You can

make just about anything with Transfiguration. You could even conjure a

giant cage to keep the dragon trapped."

Harry's eye lit up as he smiled. "That's not a bad idea at all." Harry

nodded. He sat back, making a mental list of things that might prove

useful in fighting a dragon that he could transfigure, assuming there

would be something he could alter to suit his needs.

"Maybe you could ask McGonagall to give you a few good transfiguration

tips." Mandy suggested.

"Thank you." Harry beamed, making Mandy blush furiously. Harry leaned

over in his seat and kissed her cheek quickly, making Mandy's blush

deepen.

"Anytime."

"No, I mean it. That's bloody brilliant. If I can't think of anything else to

do, I can always trap it. That will at least limit its movement. Then it's

just a matter of doing whatever I have to do, and if it turns out that I'm

supposed to subdue it… problem solved! Genius! Thank you."

Mandy just continued to smile and blush, but Harry was packing up the

books he'd just pulled.

"Would you have breakfast with me tomorrow?" Harry asked as he rose

from his seat.

"Sure.' Mandy shrugged. "That'd be nice."

"Great. I see you around seven thirty then. I have to go find Professor

McGonagall." Harry said excitedly.

"Go." Mandy smiled sweetly. "I'll put these away."

"Are you sure?"

"Go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you again." Harry grinned, kissing her cheek again and leaving

the library. Mandy watched him go, her hand lightly brushing her cheek

where he'd kissed her and smiling to herself.

"Wow."

Mandy turned, her cheeks flushing.

"Two kisses in less than five minutes." Lisa Turpin smiled.

"How long were you watching?" Mandy asked sounding deflated and

truly embarrassed.

"Long enough. Listen. I swear I won't say anything to the others.

Especially given how many girls would kill you if they saw what I had

just seen. But you have to promise that I get to be your maid of honor at

your wedding."

"Oh shut up and help me put these away." Mandy rolled her eyes. Lisa

sweet forward and grabbed half the pile, making smart comments as she

followed Mandy into the stacks.

"So she said she'd think about talking to me?" Neville asked for

clarification as he Cedric and Harry ran the pitch the next morning.

"But if I die, then she said you'll be her date to my funeral." Harry

smirked.

"Hey, sounds like a sure thing to me Nev.' Cedric quipped, and Harry

gave him a shove, making Cedric laugh.

"Don't put yourself through any trouble, Harry.' Neville joked, making

Harry laugh now.

"I'll be lucky the way Cedric's been training me." Harry chuckled.

"Hey, you asked me to help."

"Yes. Help, not kill." Harry said making Cedric roll his eyes.

"I'm toughening you up." He grinned. "You'll thank me one day."

"Only if it ends up saving me." Harry replied dryly.

"Seriously, have you two figured out what you're going to do? The First

Task is like next week."

"We've decided that we're not going to tell each other what we're doing.'

Cedric said flatly. "We're going to keep working together, but just keep

our tactics to ourselves."

"I'm just trying to survive." Harry said matter-of-factly. "Cedric is trying to

win, and I don't want to take that away from him. He wanted to be in

this thing, not me."

Neville nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm rooting for both of you."

"Thanks." The two champions said together.

They finished their run and headed back up to the castle, Neville

continuing to ask after Hannah with Harry repeating that he just talk to

her himself. Neville kept shaking his head, his face burning bright. Cedric

encouraged Neville telling him he would gain nothing by being afraid.

Harry showered, changed and gather his books for the day, heading to

breakfast. He really wanted to thank Mandy for her suggestion. He had

rushed to Professor McGonagall's office and had a lengthy conversation

about different transfiguration spells. When Harry had left her office an

hour later, he had a long list of spells to work on over the next week. He

was less anxious now, and feeling like he was actually training for what

lay ahead.

"Hi." Mandy smiled softly as Harry approached her.

"Good Morning." He said, motioning for her to follow. "Do you know any

of the Hufflepuffs?'

Mandy shook her head, keeping her eyes low.

"Well, let me introduce you then."

They came to the spot where the fourth years were sitting and Harry

made introductions as he and Mandy sat down. Harry noticed right away

how uncomfortable Mandy looked. He figured she was shy, but at the

moment she mad Neville look like… well him. To make matters worse,

none of the Hufflepuffs were really paying her any attention.

Harry caught Hannah's eye, and gave her a meaningful look, and

gestured ever so slightly to Mandy, who had kept her eyes focused on her

plate.

"Mandy, how did you meet Harry?" Hannah asked, and nodded when

Harry mouthed a thank you.

"He's in my Runes class, and potions, as well." Mandy's voice was very

soft that everyone had to strain to hear her. "Well, until that whole thing

with Snape last week."

"Mandy helped me with a very large looming problem last night, and I

wanted to thank her." Harry said proudly, nudging Mandy and making

her smile that adorable little half smile that gave her dimples.

Before conversation could continue, a great big brown owl landed before

Harry and presented it's leg. Harry's smile grew exponentially as he

retrieved the envelope the bird carried, grabbing his goblet to keep it

from being knocked over as the bird took flight again.

"What's that?" Justin asked.

"It's a letter, sweetie." Sally Anne smiled, patting her boyfriend's shoulder,

making the other's laugh and Justin to roll his eyes.

"Who's it from?" Hannah asked.

"My best friend." Harry grinned as he opened the letter.

"oh, can we hear it?" Hannah asked excitedly.

"Hannah, It's private." Susan scolded.

"Not really. Listen up…"

Harry,

I'm still trying to understand everything you wrote about. I remember you

talking about wanting to go to Hogwarts, so congratulations on accomplishing

it, though Salem's not going to be as much fun without you there with me, and

I know that Stacy's going to be upset. You should write her. Better she hear it

all from you than me, or headmistress Blaylock.

To be honest, I had no idea what this tournament was about, so I asked my

granddad. He told me all he knew about it, and I got to tell you dude, I do not

envy you on iota. No way. Though if you win the thing, you have to buy me

something totally awesome. How about a racing broom so I can finally kick

your butt! Someone needs to before your head gets to big to fit in the dorm.

Ha ha.

So on to important things. I want to know about the girls. You mentioned a

few in your letter and I gotta ask if you've…

"We can skip that part." Harry chuckled.

"Oh come on." Susan said. "If you've what?"

"Oh now who's prying." Hannah smirked.

Breaks been pretty boring. I just went home as usual. Though I was looking

forward to hearing about your hang gliding trip. Yeah, Imagine my shock

when I get an international owl at breakfast one morning. Mom didn't believe

it was from you until I showed her the letter.

I'm looking forward to getting back to school. By the way, I asked out Kelly

Whitney, and now we're a couple. I couldn't believe it when she said yes.

Turns out, she's kind of liked me for awhile now. I plan on taking your

godfather's advice and taking it slow, but treating her the best I can. I gotta tell

you though, I don't think I've ever felt as nervous as I do when I know I'm

going to see her again. Not even that time we got caught…

"And you don't want to hear about that either." Harry grinned.

"Now I really want to know." Zacharias said throwing his hands in the

air.

"Yeah mate, you can't build us up like that and leave us on the edge of

our seats." Justin said, getting an elbow in his ribs and a glare from Sally

Anne. "You've got to stop elbowing me, love." Justin grinned, earning him

a kiss.

"Sorry, but it's the most easily accessible." Sally Anne smirked.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say in this letter, and I didn't want to leave you

high and dry. Write me soon, and tell me all about the girls. Even better, send

me some pictures. I'd love to see the kind of witches England has to offer.

Maybe I'll transfer. Ha ha!

Seriously, I want to hear all about what's going on over there. I know there's

going to be a lot of people who miss you, and I definitely will. Keep your eyes

up and your ass down, or was it the other way around?

Write soon.

Mark

"He sounds like he's a lot of fun." Megan smiled from her seat next to

Ernie.

"Oh hell yeah." Harry smirked. "I wish there was someone here I could

compare him to, but to be honest I don't know everyone here well

enough to make a good comparison. Suffice to say he's a real good guy."

"Maybe you can get him over here to watch the tasks?" Susan suggested.

"I've thought about that." Harry said. "I keep forgetting to ask

Dumbledore about it. I'll get him to send some pictures of my friends so

you can all see them."

"We'd be happy to take some pictures so your friends can see what we're

like." Hannah smiled and the others nodded. "We can get that kid, Colin

Creevey to do it. He's always got that camera.

"That'd be great." Harry smiled in thanks.

"On one condition." Hannah smiled evilly. "Tell us what you and your

friend got caught doing."

Harry's cheeks went red and he got up from the table. "Well, this was

great, but I really don't want to be late for class. I'll see you guys later!"

"HARRY POTTER!" Hannah Susan and Megan called after the quickly

retreating boy.

11. Chapter 11

Harry had been working and focusing all his energies on the coming

Task. So much so that he'd inadvertently isolated himself. Between

classes, he had his nose stuck in the pages of Advanced Transfiguration,

trying to memorize incantations for the Task. He always sat at the end of

the Hufflepuff or Gryffindor tables, as they were closest to the door, and

eat as fast as he could so he could rush back to the Library to catch up on

his homework and look up more Transfiguration and Charms spells.

Hermione Granger was often seen with him in the Library, and more than

a handful of rumors started that the two were seeing each other

romantically. Hermione always told anyone who asked that she was only

helping Harry do research and that he barely spoke to her while they

worked.

The only people other than Hermione that Harry spoke to at length were

Neville and Cedric during their morning runs. Though Harry was only

really half present during those times, as his mind kept creating images

of giant fire-breathing dragons chasing him while the whole of Hogwarts

laughed and pointed at a smoldering Harry Potter.

Harry had been so deeply focused that he'd managed to actually upset a

few people whom he'd ignored over the past week, which was brought to

his attention the afternoon before the First Task.

Harry was walking towards the Great Hall for Dinner, his eyes focused on

his Transfiguration book as he examined a chapter on creating walls.

Harry thought it a good idea to be able to conjure up stone walls to hide

behind when the dragon decided to roast him alive.

"Harry?"

"I can't use a wooden wall, that's stupid. I may as well just tie myself to a

spit and let the dragon rotisserie me." Harry thought.

"Harry."

"I need brick or stone. But the main thing is to make a place so I can hit

the damned thing."

"HARRY!"

"What?" Harry looked up in exasperation, nearly dropping his book as he

turned to face whomever was calling him.

Tracey Davis was standing there looking very angry. Daphne Greengrass

was standing behind her looking very apologetic.

"Tracey, you're being ridiculous." Daphne hissed.

"Two weeks, Potter. Two weeks." Tracey snapped, her eyes narrowed as

she pointed her finger at Harry. "I know that you're a boy, and as such

can be a little on the slow side, but TWO WEEKS?"

"I, uh…I…" Harry stammered, looking to Daphne for some sort of clue.

Unfortunately, the blonde could only shake her head.

"Did I do something wrong?" Tracey asked her eyes pleading. "I mean, I

thought we had a good time together. But then, you stopped talking to

me!"

"I did?" Harry looked surprised. "I didn't mean to. I just got really busy."

"But not to busy to flirt with every other pair of breasts in the school."

Tracey said accusingly. "I even heard that you snogged Luna Lovegood…

AGAIN!"

Harry couldn't help but smile. Luna had once again cornered him last

Friday. He had been on his way to his room to work on his homework

before Dinner, when Luna had stepped out of an alcove in his path.

"Hello, Harry Potter." She had smiled in her dreamy sort of way.

"Hi, Luna." Harry said looking up from his book, starting to pass her by. Luna

immediately stepped in his way. Harry bumped into her and apologized

quickly.

"My apologies, Harry, but it's been pointed out to me on several occasions that

when I kissed you I may have done it wrong."

"Uh, I don't think that's true." Harry smiled, remembering how she had lunged

at him and locked her sweet, soft lips with his.

"That's very nice of you." Luna said, cocking her head to the side, a the barest

hint of a smile on her face. And then, just like before, she lunged at him, her

arms wrapping around his neck and her lips connecting with his. Harry felt his

hands go limp, his books falling to the floor as he clutched her waist.

This time, Luna's lips massaged Harry's gently, and after a few seconds, her

tongue sought entrance. Harry wrapped his arms around Luna's waist. The

kiss lasted a very long time, and Harry began to really enjoyed Luna's hands

in his hair.

And then, just as quickly as it began, the kiss ended, leaving Harry a bit

breathless.

"So?" He asked expectantly.

Luna looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments before shrugging. "Very

nice, but still… I don't know what the big deal is about. Maybe we should try

it with no clothes on, like Su Li said."

Harry felt his face burn and he quickly bent to pick up his books.

"Luna, I think you did it perfectly. Maybe you're just not attracted to me in

that way? Maybe that's why you're not feeling anything."

Luna thought about that for a few moments before slowly nodding. "I suppose

that's a possibility." She said after a few minutes. "It could also be that I'm

suffering from wrackspurts. Goodbye."

Harry watched her go, bemusement on his face. It was clear that he was never

going to get used to Luna, and he only hoped that if he did get a girlfriend, she

would not ambush kiss him like that. It could make things very difficult for

him.

Harry realized too late that his smiling over the memory was the wrong

thing to do. Tracey's eyes narrowed at once and she stepped closer.

"So, it's true? You kissed that freaky little wench?" Tracey snarled, which

made Harry take a step back from her, his eyes widening in fear.

"Um…actually she kissed me. But, what difference does it make?" Harry

asked, still confused.

"What difference?"

"Oh, boy." Daphne heaved a sigh, her hand going to her forehead.

"I'll tell you the difference. I have been waiting very patiently for you to

ask me out, or at least ask me out on another date. But you've completely

ignored me for the last…"

"Two weeks?" Harry asked unhelpfully. Tracey's eyes narrowed more

dangerously.

"Am I not good enough for you? Is that it? Do you only go after girls who

surprise you in the halls and snog your brains out?"

"Could you just calm down and explain to me exactly what it is you're

talking about?"

"US! You and me!" Tracey shrieked. "Are you just some jerk who dates a

girl and dumps her because you didn't get to second base or whatever

bizarre metaphor you neanderthals use?"

Harry looked over Tracey's shoulder to see Daphne still shaking her head

in exasperation. He turned back to Tracey, who had all but closed the gap

between them.

"What is it that's going to open your eyes?" Tracey snapped. She suddenly

grabbed the front of Harry's robes and kissed him very hard. She held

him for a long, tense moment and released him, huffing. "There! Maybe

that got through that thick head of yours!"

With that, she brushed past him and went into the Great Hall Leaving

him even more confused than he had been when she'd initially started

yelling at him. Daphne stepped a bit closer to Harry, who was watching

the auburn haired girl stomp into dinner.

"Just so I'm clear here…" Harry said not looking at Daphne, who had her

arms folded over her chest.

"She's been waiting for you to ask her out, yeah. You haven't talked to her

since your date, and she's been getting herself all riled up, thinking you

just wanted to use her or something."

"I didn't…" Harry began, turning to Daphne, who shrugged.

"I tried to tell her that. Any boy who wanted to just use her wouldn't

have tried to fix the date that got screwed up by someone else, or hex the

person who had actually caused the date to go wrong in the first place. I

also pointed out that you've barely talked to anyone this past week."

"Does she know that she could have come talk to me at anytime?" Harry

asked, starting for the Great Hall with Daphne in tow.

"Don't think I didn't tell her that. She's proud. And extremely stubborn."

Daphne stopped Harry, grabbing his arm. "She's my best friend, and I

don't want her to get hurt. So, if you're just stringing her along…"

"Stringing her…" Harry looked dubiously at Daphne. He sighed and let

his shoulders fall a bit. "Look. I didn't realize that she took the date so

seriously. I thought we were just having a nice time getting to know one

another."

"I think she was fine with the date." Daphne said flatly. "It was the fact

the you stood up for her with Pansy. That meant a lot to her."

"I would do that for any of my friends." Harry said emphatically and

Daphne smiled a soft smile. "And besides, I'm only going to be here for

the Tournament. How could she, or any other girl, want to start a

relationship that's doomed to begin with?"

"Because it's better to have loved and lost and all that." Daphne shrugged

than she looked pointedly at Harry, who was watching Tracey spoon

roast potatoes on her plate. "Harry, just keep in mind that a lot of girls

who you talk to or spend time with might be thinking the same as

Tracey. You're going to end up breaking a lot of hearts, Harry. Try and

keep it in mind in the future."

Daphne turned and went off to the Slytherin table, leaving Harry

completely flummoxed.

"Harry?" Hermione grabbed his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Harry said, then shook his head. "No. I don't know. Hermione, do

you want to date me?"

"What?" Hermione asked, looking stunned. "Are you asking me out?"

"What? No." Harry shook his head, then felt really bad at the sight of

Hermione's expression. He took a deep breath and attempted to center

himself before he tried again. "No, that's not what I meant." Harry said

apologetically. "I just… Tracey just yelled at me because I haven't asked

her out again, or to be my girlfriend. I didn't even know she liked me that

way. I just thought we had a nice time together, and then…" Harry made

and expanding gesture with his hands while making an explosion sound.

"Oh." Hermione's smile returned. "I thought you weren't sure how you felt

about her."

"I'm still not, but according to Daphne, she's been waiting for me to ask

her out. She's also mad that I haven't talked to her since we went out last

time."

"Does she know that she could have talked to you?" Hermione looked

puzzled.

"That's what I said." Harry replied shrugging. "The more I learn about

girls, the less I actually know."

"We are a highly complex and ever changing creature." Hermione smiled

superiorly. She headed towards the Gryffindor table where Ginny and

Neville were already eating and talking. Hermione sat down and Ginny

passed her a platter of pork chops.

"You know, this wasn't a problem at Salem." Harry grimaced. "I was never

this popular, and I was always pursuing the girls. Or rather, one girl."

"You had a girlfriend?" Ginny asked. Harry only now noticed that the

redhead was sitting next to Hermione, and she was looking very

interested. Harry wasn't really sure how he felt about Ginny. She was

nice, there was no doubt. But she always looked at him like a lost puppy.

It was rather annoying.

"No." Harry shook his head. "I thought I was close, though. I've been

friends with Stacy for like a year, and right before my life got turned all

upside down, I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to be my

girlfriend. Everything felt simpler then."

"I don't know what you're complaining about." Ginny said. "Just about

every boy in this school would give their arm to be so sought after by the

female population."

"I guess." Harry shrugged. "But, what does it matter if you end up hurting

people's feelings and they all end up hating you in the end?"

Ginny and Hermione sat back, neither of them knew what to say to that.

Harry grabbed a couple of dinner rolls and got up. "I'll see you guys

later."

"Once again, he ends up making me think." Ginny said. "It never occurred

to me that by picking one girl to be with, he'd end up ruining the

friendships he's been cultivating."

"Well, only the people who weren't truly his friends to begin with."

Hermione said sadly. "Tracey should have at least waited until after the

First Task. I'd be willing to bet he ends up wasting time trying to figure

out what to do about the Tracey situation when he needs to keep focused

on tomorrow."

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Ginny sighed.

Hermione simply nodded, and Ginny grabbed her friend's hand and gave

a reassuring squeeze.

"Me, too."

The morning of the First Task dawned with a overcast sky and a thick

frost on the ground. Harry, Cedric and Neville had all agreed to skip their

workout that morning, so Harry had a bit of a lie in, though he had

barely slept the night before.

At eight o'clock the previous night, Professor Dumbledore had come to

his quarters to give Harry his uniform for the Task, which consisted of

something similar to running pants, a pair of boots that were very similar

to his sneakers and a jersey with the Salem Academy Crest on the front

and his name on the back. He had also received a letter from his

Headmistress, which said that she and the rest of the school was firmly

behind him and wished him the very best of luck.

Harry wished that Mark and Stacy and a few of his other friends could be

there, but Dumbledore had said it would be a bit difficult to get them

here to Hogwarts by the time the Task started, but that they would work

on it for the next task.

Harry was excused from classes for the day, which he was quite thankful

for, as he knew he'd be unable to concentrate with the task looming over

him throughout the day. He decided to linger in his room at least until

classes started, then he headed to the kitchens for a light breakfast.

When he finished his meal, Harry returned to his room, where he started

another letter to Mark. He got as far as addressing the letter when he

realized he had nothing new to tell his best friend, having written him

just a few days ago. Harry was sure that Mark would enjoy the pictures,

especially since they were mostly of the girls. Little Colin Creevey had

proven to be most willing to take pictures, and had developed them and

returned them to Harry, even going out of his way to create doubles, so

Harry could keep some for himself.

Harry spent most of the day going over his plans in his head. He tried to

imagine every kind of scenario that involved a dragon, and how he might

handle it. He felt unprepared, despite having what he considered to be a

solid plan.

At nearly five in the afternoon, there came a knock on his door. Harry

rushed to the door and felt a wave of relief when he saw Sirius and

Remus standing there beaming at him.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" Sirius asked, embracing Harry firmly.

"Nervous." Harry answered honestly. "I just want to get it over with."

"Understandable." Remus said, also embracing Harry warmly. "But, you

told us your plan last weekend, and like we told you then, it's good."

"Thanks." Harry said taking a seat on the couch before the fire. Remus

and Sirius following, taking up the empty chairs. "But, I'm still nervous."

"It's okay." Sirius said. "Actually, I'd be more worried if you weren't

nervous. The key is to keep your focus. Tune out the crowds and

concentrate on what you need to do here tonight."

Harry nodded. And his godfather and Remus turned the conversation

away from the coming Task. An hour later, a house elf arrived with

platters of food for them, much to Harry's surprise, until Sirius explained

that he and Remus had spoken to Dumbledore before they'd come to his

room, and that the Headmaster had promised to make sure they had a

private dinner.

Harry didn't eat much, being far too nervous, though Sirius and Remus

did try to get him to eat more.

Finally, at a quarter to seven, Professor McGonagall arrived to escort

Harry down to the grounds where the First Task was to take place. Harry,

flanked by Sirius and Remus, followed the Deputy Headmistress down to

a large tent. He got firm hugs from both men, who were told they could

not enter the tent, and Harry entered to find the three other champions,

all wearing similar uniforms to his own, each emblazoned with their

school crests and their own names on the back.

"Hi, Harry." Cedric gave a nervous nod to Harry, who returned the

gesture. Harry found the tent had a large open space, as well as four

small rooms, each with a cot set up. Harry went and sat down on one and

watched the three others.

The French girl, Fleur, simply sat on a cot, her legs crossed primly, one

arm laying across her knees. She was nervously chewing on the nails of

her other hand as she stared blankly at a spot on the ground.

Viktor, the Durmstrang champion, paced back and forth, rolling his

shoulders and twisting his waist and moving his head, loosening himself

up, Harry guessed. Occasionally, Viktor would glance at Harry, nodding

at him when Harry would try and smile at him.

Cedric looked as nauseous as Harry felt. The tall blond boy kept standing

and then sitting after a quick pace about the tent.

They could hear the noise of the crowd awaiting the beginning of the

Tournament. The tent flap was flung open, and the Champions all turned

to look as Rita Skeeter and her photographer entered.

"Well, now." She smiled her simpering smile that Harry felt didn't quite

reach her eyes. "Here we are, moments away from what promises to be a

very dangerous and exciting event. Hundreds of people prepared to chant

your names and scream with ecstasy when you are victorious, or weep

over your corpses. What must you all be feeling?"

"Now, Rita!" Ludo Bagman said entering the tent followed by

Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. Once again Harry felt a

pang of jealousy that his own Headmistress wasn't there. He would have

liked it if she were there to stand beside him like the other champions.

"Miss Skeeter, I'm sure you know that the Champions Tent is off limits to

the press." Dumbledore said pointedly.

"Indeed." Rita smiled and swept out without another word, though she

winked at the champions. Harry thought her gaze had lingered on him a

few moments longer than the others.

Once the annoying reporter was gone, Ludo Bagman gathered the

champions around him, holding out a large sack in front of him.

"Inside this bag is a model of what you are about to face, attached with a

number which will dictate the order in which you will go. Your task is

simply to get the Golden Egg by any means you can. Now, ladies first."

Ludo held out the bag to Fleur, who looked nervously at her

Headmistress before reaching into the bag and pulling out the model of

the dragon, which turned to look at her scathingly as she opened her

hand. It had a tag with a number two around it's neck.

"The Welsh Green." Bagman nodded approvingly as he held the bag out

to Krum, who stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out his own model

dragon, a number three around its neck.

"The Chinese Fireball." Bagman smiled offering the bag to Cedric, who

took a great breath and fished in the bag drawing out a rather sleepy

looking model dragon with the number one.

"Swedish Short Snout, very nice." Bagman said turning to Harry Potter.

"Which leaves…"

Harry stuck his hand into the bag and gripped the tiny animated model

of the dragon he would face. He opened his hand and stared at the tiny

dragon, which shook itself out and stretched it's tiny wings before turning

to Harry and eyeing him coldly.

"The Hungarian Horntail. Now, when the gong sounds, Mister Diggory,

just head out that way and when you have completed your task, you'll

exit the other side of the arena. Then Miss Delacour, Mister Krum, and

finally, Mister Potter. You will get your scores right after while the arena

is being set up for the next champion. That's it, and good luck.

Remember, the sound of the gong."

Bagman left, with the Heads of each school following. Harry went back to

his cot and stared at the tiny Horntail in his hand, looking it over

carefully. As it was supposed to be an exact model, Harry felt it wise to

get a good look at it so he had some clue what he was about to face.

The tiny dragon in his hand was a deep black with sinister gold eyes and

loads of bronze colored spike along it's spine and tail, which Harry felt

would be just as dangerous as it's front end. Harry wondered what it's

temperament would be like, as he knew that a few species were rather

friendlier than others, though somehow, as he stared at the model, which

was watching him in return, was likely not to be one of the nice dragons.

A gong sounded, and Harry looked up as Cedric rose from his own cot,

pulled his jersey down, pulled his wand from his wrist holster, and

without a glance back, march out of the tent.

For a moment, Harry thought about going to the entrance and seeing if

he could watch, but he wasn't sure if it was allowed. That, and his legs

felt shaky and he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand.

Ludo Bagman's voice came to them from somewhere outside the tent. He

was commentating on the Task, though it was very bad. Harry and the

others had no clue what was happening, though they heard the

occasional angry roar of a dragon. The commentary was punctuated by

light applause and cheers, until, after fifteen minutes, the crowds erupted

in very loud cheers and Bagman shouted, "He's done it! He's done it!"

Harry felt a bit of relief. Cedric had made it past his dragon. Harry hoped

that Cedric received good marks for his performance and that he would

be in the lead by the time this was over. He really wanted Cedric to win,

though Harry was a bit biased as he thought of Cedric as a friend.

After ten minutes, and Bagman announcing that Cedric's score was being

posted, though he didn't announce them, the gong sounded again and

this time Fleur rose to her feet. Harry found it amazing that, as she sat

waiting, she had looked so nervous and fidgety. Yet, when the gong

sounded, and the French Champion rose, her anxiety seemed to melt off

and she looked as if she were made of stone. Just as had happened with

Cedric, Harry heard Bagman commentating on Fleur's performance. This

time however, the crowd was strangely silent, though Harry heard a few

whistles. Even more surprising was the lack of noise from the dragon.

It seemed to drag on and on, and Harry found himself gazing at his

watch. Finally after nearly twenty five minutes, the crowds erupted in

cheers, and Bagman was heard saying, "I doubt our other champions will

use such a unique way of dealing with their dragon. No doubt about

that."

On the next gong, Viktor Krum took a deep breath and turned to Harry.

"Good luck to you." Viktor said in a low rumbling voice, before he exited

the tent, leaving Harry alone to listen to the raucous cheers of the crowd

as the world famous Quidditch player took to the arena.

The roars of the crowds were nothing compared to those of the dragon.

Bagman seemed quite worried that Krum was going to get himself killed.

But then, after fifteen minutes, the cheers of the crowds and Bagman's

exclamations of "Well done!" told Harry that Krum was now through.

Harry rose from his cot and shook himself out, hoping some of his

anxiety would fall away. However, when he bent over to touch his toes,

Harry felt like he was going to throw up. Taking several calming breaths,

Harry stepped towards the tent's entrance and pulled his wand from his

wand holster and closed his eyes, trying to center himself as he often did

when trying to master a difficult spell. That's all this was. Mastering a

very difficult spell.

The gong sounded and Harry opened his eyes. His heart pounded in his

chest as he reached through the tent flaps and exited the safety of the

Champions Tent.

Harry found himself in a small arena-like setting that was covered in

sharp, craggy rocks. Harry turned and saw the stadium-like seating filled

with students and spectators, all watching him in silence. Harry couldn't

see the dragon, as the tent opened into a small pit. Harry needed to climb

a small hill before he saw the dragon, who was apparently waiting for

him.

Harry barely made it behind a large boulder when the Hungarian

Horntail let loose a torrent of fiery breath that heated the boulder Harry

was hiding behind to near molten. Harry's arms got burned from leaning

against the stone.

Harry chanced a glance around the glowing stone and caught sight of a

clutch of granite colored eggs that the Horntail was standing over

protectively. In the center, Harry spied a hint of gold.

The Horntail stretched out it's neck and roared angrily at Harry, it's gold

eyes watching him very closely. Harry knew what he had to do now.

Giving the incantation, Harry pointed his wand around the boulder at

some of the broken rocks on the ground.

Harry's confidence fell when he saw the long, thin chain that looked like

it was only good for decoration. Harry had to move as the dragon let

loose another blast of flame. The stone he'd originally hidden behind was

still very hot, and Harry didn't like the idea of being cooked on it.

While the dragon was still attempting to melt the boulder Harry had been

behind, Harry came round his new shelter and tried the incantation

again, focusing harder to get the results he needed. Harry felt a rush of

glee as a thick chain was formed from the broken stones near him. Harry

levitated the chain up so it would wrap around the dragon and Harry

could pull it away from the nest it was so protectively guarding.

The chain flew at the beast, which opened its mouth and caught the

chain, shaking its head angrily, trying to kill the chain, which it saw as

another threat. To Harry's great horror, the dragon managed to break the

chain with it's claws and teeth.

"Ok. I need something stronger." Harry said to himself. Moving fast as the

Dragon turned it's great head, roaring as it rearranged itself between

Harry and the nest. It raked it's great front claws on the ground, leaving

long tears in the stone. It began moving its head back and forth watching

the boulder Harry was now trapped behind, waiting for the intruder to

show itself again.

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest now. Harry closed his eyes and

took three deep breaths. Clutching his wand, he aimed it at the ground

and very softly yet firmly spoke the spell one more time.

At once the mess of broken stones at his feet linked, expanded and

formed a very heavy, long iron chain. Harry grinned and got to his feet,

and began to guide the new chains to fling around the dragon's neck, and

begin to pull it away from the nest. The dragon reacted exactly as Harry

had expected, and began roaring and clawing hard at the ground, trying

to turn towards Harry, who had become a bit braver now that the dragon

was being drug away and was coming out from behind his hiding place.

Unfortunately, in all his satisfaction at getting the spell just right, Harry

forgot about the dragon's tail. The Horntail twisted and it's long, spiked

tail came crashing down, just grazing his shoulder, tearing his jersey and

opening a long gash along his arm. Harry's concentration wavered, and

the dragon broke loose from the heavy iron chain that had managed to

drag it away a few feet from its nest. The Horntail turned and opened it's

mouth, a burst of fire issuing forth, singeing Harry as he ducked out of

the way and scrambled behind the largest boulder.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Harry thought, lightly touching his arm which

stung badly. The dragon roared angrily and Harry felt the ground shake

as it moved back to the nest. Harry knew he couldn't sit here forever and

got to his feet again, flicking his wand at the heavy chains he'd conjured

and watched from behind the safety of the boulder as he directed it to

wrap around the dragon's neck again, this time making it pull the dragon

down to the ground.

The Horntail shrieked and it's tail whipped around to flatten Harry. The

teen was ready for this, though, and with another flick of his wand, the

end of the chain not currently holding the dragon's neck shot up and

wrapped itself around the tail, also pulling it to the ground.

Harry struggled to keep the dragon in check as the beast fought against

the chains he was trying to subdue it with. Harry had never done

anything so difficult, and found himself tiring with the effort. Harry

wanted to transfigure more chains, but wasn't sure it would be wise to do

so, as he thought the dragon would break free while he made a new

chain.

The beast stamped and clawed, trying to get out of the thick heavy

chains, twisting it's head trying to get a clear shot at Harry, wanting

nothing more than to burn him alive for daring to get near it's young.

"Come on, you big bitch." Harry said to himself, still struggling to make

the chains hold the dragon down. "Stay down, please!"

Harry was sweating hard now, and he felt like he'd sprinted around the

Quidditch pitch a thousand times. He'd never exerted himself this much

in his life. Harry prayed that the dragon would just give up and let him

take the damned egg so he could just go back to the castle and call it a

day.

As if answering his prayers, the Horntail suddenly rolled over, it's

struggles lessening up. Harry nearly fell over as the pull on his magic

slackened. He thought the Horntail had just given up and Harry was

about to shout out, but in the next moment, he realized what the beast

had done.

It was exactly like he'd seen some nasty people do before in a game of tug

of war. They had waited until the other team was pulling its hardest and

then, they just let go, making the opposing team fall backward. The

dragon had just done the animal equivalent, and when Harry's magic

slackened, the dragon rolled back onto it's feet and turned towards Harry,

who had been inching his way towards the nest all during their struggle.

Harry didn't pause or turn to run. He pointed his wand at the ground and

changed a mess of rocks into long, thick steel bars that rose up and drove

themselves into the ground. Stopping the dragon from charging. More

and more stones were altered and quickly followed their fellows, driving

themselves into the ground, encircling the Horntail. The beast was

displeased and roared loudly, smashing it's head into the first bars. And

then, eyeing Harry angrily, spread its wings.

Harry was breathing hard now as he once again used his wand to grab a

hold of the chain still wrapped around the dragon's neck, and

transfiguring a few more stones, drove the new steel bars through the

links of the chain, nailing it into the ground, keeping the dragon down.

Having only one weapon left to it, The Horntail began spitting long

pillars of flame at Harry, who chose not to wait around. Harry darted

towards the nest and snatched up the heavy golden egg and sprinted over

the uneven ground. His foot slipped and he crashed to his knees, tearing

open the legs of his pants and cutting up his knees pretty good. Harry got

his feet under him again as he heard the gut wrenching shriek of teeth

and claws on steel as the furious dragon tore at the metal spikes keeping

it away from its nest.

Harry ran through the exit, slamming hard into someone, who staggered

back, but clutched Harry's arms to keep him from falling. Harry looked

up and saw a look of sheer amazement on the face of Viktor Krum.

"I got it." Harry said stupidly as the Hogwarts matron came rushing up to

him and began to check him over.

"Vell done." Krum said in his deep rumbling voice. He still had Harry by

the arms, and it was a good thing, as Harry was swaying on his feet.

"Help me to get him to one of the beds." The nurse said worriedly. Harry

felt his head swimming, and a chill that started in his spine and surged

up to his brain.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted and Harry turned to look for his godfather, but

everything was becoming dark, and Harry felt his body falling. A deep

fathomless blackness embraced him a second later as Harry passed out.

The voices were distant at first. He couldn't understand them. There were

many. Though at times there was only two. He could also see a faint light

in the distance. It was rather inviting, and he thought he'd like to see it

up close.

It turned out that the light and the voices were connected somehow. The

closer he got to the light, the clearer the voices became, until he could

actually make out what the voices were saying.

"I wish he'd just wake up." A girl said. She sounded very familiar, though

he couldn't identify the owner. "I'd feel so much better if he woke up.

Then at least I'd know he was ok."

"Well, you heard Madam Pomfrey and the others. He exhausted himself.

He was using some really advanced techniques. I'm still amazed by it all."

Another voice said. Another girl.

"Ladies?" A third female called, much older sounding. "It is now dinner

time. Off you go. You may return afterwards."

Dinner? Food sounded really good to him. He'd really like a hamburger.

A huge, juicy burger with cheese and bacon and everything on it. And

fries. A whole mess of fries. Wow that sounded amazing. Yeah, he was

going to get a hamburger and fries. And a milkshake. How long had it

been since he had a huge chocolate milkshake?

"Can you believe that?" Another voice asked. A male. Very familiar. In

fact, he knew at once that it was Sirius. "He's got nearly every girl in the

school checking in on him. Shame he's been asleep for it all."

"Yes, but those five have come everyday, and stayed for hours. Those five

are very devoted to him. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them became

his girlfriend before the end."

Remus. Remus was here as well. Sirius and Remus were here, and there

were five girls who kept coming in to see him, and by the gods, he really

wanted that hamburger.

The light became very clear and his eyes actually stung from it.

"Burger." Harry mumbled.

"Harry!" Sirius said, and Harry felt a weight settle on the bed next to him.

"Merlin, you gave us quite a turn there, lad. How are you feeling?"

"Hungry." Harry said sounding much more awake now.

"Move aside." Madam Pomfrey, a rather fussy looking witch said, pushing

Sirius off Harry's bed. Harry tried to sit up, but the witch, who looked

like she'd fall over if a good stiff breeze came along, showed a surprising

amount of strength and held him down.

"You magically exhausted yourself, Mister Potter. You've been asleep for

nearly three days now."

"Three days?" Harry asked, looking imploringly at Sirius and Remus who

both wore identical looks of relief.

"You really overexerted yourself out there, kid. Using your magic to

subdue that Dragon with magical chains. Incredible, but foolish. You

should have just used the Conjunctivitus curse we told you about." Sirius

said. "Still, you did put on one hell of a show."

"You took second place. Even Karkaroff gave you high marks. That's

saying something, as he scored both Fleur and Cedric low." Remus

remarked.

"Dumbledore was really impressed, as was the majority of the spectators.

You've had a parade of visitors everyday since the Task." Sirius said as

Madam Pomfrey stepped away.

"You'll need plenty of rest, and food, but I think you should be able to

leave tomorrow evening. I wish to keep you hear one more night and

make sure you don't exert yourself." Pomfrey said sternly, before turning

her back and walking away from the three men.

"The only thing I want to exert is my mouth. I need a big cheeseburger

with bacon and everything on it, fries and the biggest chocolate

milkshake you can get me. In fact, make it two." Harry said looking to his

godfather.

Sirius threw his head back and roared with laughter, while Remus

chuckled along.

Half an hour later, Harry wrapped his hands around the biggest burger

he'd ever laid eyes on and moaned in glorious satisfaction as he took his

first bite. Sirius had gone to the kitchens and made a special request of

the House elves. Though he didn't get two milkshakes, Harry was quite

satisfied with the one Sirius showed up with. Sirius remarked that it

would have been small to Hagrid.

As he ate, Remus and Sirius told Harry about all that had happened after

the Task had finished. His godfather had thought he'd seen the first signs

of Harry exhaustion when he began transfiguring the giant steel poles

which kept the dragon back. Remus had know it before then, but had

hoped he was wrong, as he'd never seen Harry cast anything before.

He'd received perfect marks from Dumbledore, Madame Maixme and

Bartemius Crouch, while Igor Karkaroff gave him a seven. Sirius

commented that the Durmstrang Headmaster had scored Cedric and Fleur

at three, while his own student had gotten a perfect ten.

They then told Harry of the many students who'd come to look in on him.

"One of the girls kept apologizing. If I heard her correctly, she thinks that

she's at fault for you being here. Something about yelling at you the day

before the Task." Sirius quirked an eyebrow as Harry took a long,

fulfilling slurp from the bucket containing the very tastiest milkshake

he'd ever had in his life.

"I'm going to guess that was Tracey." Harry said, letting out a very

obnoxious belch. "She was mad because I hadn't asked her out again, or

really talked to her. I just got so busy with the Task that I kind of ignored

a lot of people."

"Well, I'd try to do better this time." Sirius said, folding his arms and

leaning back in his seat.

"Speaking of which." Remus said. He nodded at the Golden Egg on

Harry's bedside table. "The clue for the next task is in that. It's going to

happen early in the morning on February the twenty-forth. I'd suggest

you begin working on it as soon as possible."

Harry nodded and, as he finished his meal, listened as Sirius and Remus

told him about what the other Champions had done to get past their own

dragons. Harry made a mental note to open the egg and start working out

exactly what he was going to do so that he could spend the next two

months getting ready.

Despite the roaring fire, he felt cold, and couldn't stop shivering. He

desperately wished he could move himself closer to the fire at least, but

He was most unfortunately dependent of his servant, who was off

somewhere, most likely defiling the Jorkins woman. Ever since he'd

destroyed her mind, his servant had spent nearly every night with her,

the disgusting pervert.

Still, for now, he would allow it. So long as he continued to serve him

correctly, he would not allow his serpent to feast upon the Ministry

witch.

Suddenly the fire flared up and the flames turn green.

"Wormtail!" He called out. He heard the fat weakling running from

somewhere below, his feet sounding heavy on the steps as he

approached.

"Master?" Wormtail called as he entered the room, bowing low and

averting his eyes as he came around the large chair.

"My loyal servant calls. Bring me closer to the fire so I may hear his

report."

Wormtail gave a jealous look over his shoulder, noticing that the flames

were now green. He quickly moved behind the chair and began sliding it

forward towards the fire.

"Careful Wormtail. I will be most displeased if you cause me to fall." His

voice was cold and threatening. He looked into the green flams and saw

the face of his loyal agent looking very pleased. He bowed his head.

"My lord. The First Task is finished."

"It was over three days ago." He snapped angrily. "Why has it taken you

so long to make your report."

"I beg your forgiveness, milord. I feared our plan had failed. The boy

exhausted himself during the task. I feared he'd killed himself, but I have

just gotten word that the boy is well. He is in second place now."

He listened to the report and thought very carefully about what he'd just

heard. It wasn't the boy's power he wanted, but it was worth taking note

of. After all, the boy was supposedly destined to be his end. He knew

there was only one place to get his answer for the question that

constantly repeated itself in his mind.

"Continue to monitor the situation, and report to me should anything

change. Do not harm the boy or draw attention to yourself."

"As you wish, Milord." The servant bowed his head and withdrew from

the flames. At once the green changed back to the warm orange and

yellow fire it had been before.

"Milord, May I speak?"

"You may Wormtail." He said, breathing deeply as the fire warmed him

now that he was much closer to the fire.

"Please do not misunderstand me, you're plan is a good one. My only

concern is that you must wait so long. Surely if we found another suitable

wizard, you could return to your full strength much sooner. It seems a

waste of time for you to remain here as you are, suffering in this form."

"You would have me select any wizard? Any wizard would do, according

to your thinking?" He asked, loving how Wormtail cowered under his

glare.

"Surely we could find a powerful wizard suitable to your needs."

"It is true that I could select a powerful wizard and fashion a new body

for myself. But I need the boy. For reason far to complex for your simple

mind to comprehend, the boy must be the one. I only suffer because of

your incompetence. Now, it is time for my feeding. You will milk Nagini

at once. No go."

Wormtail bowed and left his master to his thoughts. He was now one step

closer to reaching his goal. He would be resurrected and he would

destroy the boy, solidifying his power once and for all. Then, he would

finish what he'd started thirteen years ago. Very soon the world would

tremble once again at the name of Lord Voldemort.

12. Chapter 12

"I'm telling you, not once!" Sirius threw his hands up in frustration.

"Never in his entire fourteen years has he ever complained of his scar

hurting this badly. Yes, once or twice over the last three years he's

mentioned a bit of a sting, but nothing like what he suffered last night. I

mean, for Merlin's sake, the thing almost looked as if it had just been

made."

Sirius and Remus were in the Headmaster's office the day after Harry had

finally awoken. They had come to see the headmaster about an hour

before Harry was to be released. Confident that Harry was fully

recovered and would be well taken care of if the mischievous smile on

the auburn haired girls face was any clue, Sirius and Remus bade Harry

good bye, promising that they would see him in the coming weekend.

Once they had gained audience with Dumbledore, they explained how

Harry had awoken during the night trembling badly and complaining

about the severe pain in his scar as well as blabbering about having seen

Wormtail tending to his master.

Dumbledore nodded, his left hand stroking his beard idly as he thought

over all he'd just heard.

"It is most disconcerting that his scar bothered him so powerfully as well

as the dream that accompanied it." the old Headmaster said reflectively.

"I confess that I am truly bewildered by it. That his scar paining him

should also accompany what seems a vision as opposed to a dream…"

"I just wish he could have told us where it happened." Remus said

sullenly. "Wormtail and Voldemort in one place…"

"It would have been most helpful. While Voldemort is still in this

weakened state, capturing him would prove most effortless." Dumbledore

looked wistful.

"How is it that Voldemort has returned in the first place?" Sirius asked,

sitting in a chair once again. "I know that you said that day I took Harry

that he might one day return, but how is it possible?"

"I have a theory, though I am not one hundred percent positive about it. I

have spent every spare moment I could looking into my hypothesis. It has

been enlightening, but unfortunately, I have nothing conclusive."

"You're not going to tell us, are you." Remus gave a chagrined smiled and

Dumbledore's mouth twitch mirthfully.

"At this time, I do not think it a good idea. I think, for the moment, our

focus should remain on getting Harry though this tournament. Once

we've accomplished that, we shall all gather for a very long discussion.

My sincerest hope is that it will be mostly historical in nature."

Dumbledore tried to smile, but both men noticed that there was no

twinkle in his eye.

"You don't think it will be, do you?" Sirius said, sounding very dejected.

"No. I don't. And given the state of a few individuals, this troubles me

more that it would have a few months ago." Dumbledore sighed.

"You're talking about Snape." Remus leaned forward. Dumbledore's

eyebrows rose questioningly but he nodded. "Harry told us about what

happened."

"He should have gone to Azkaban." Sirius grimaced. "I don't understand

how you could have protected that bastard all these years."

"Have you forgotten that it was he who warned us of Lord Voldemort's

interest in Harry?"

"No." Sirius shook his head. He lifted his head to look at Dumbledore

sternly. "But one good deed does not correct a lifetime of wrongs, does

it?"

"It was not a lifetime." Dumbledore said kindly. "You could have very

easily been in his position, save fore one or two differences, Sirius. Unlike

Severus, you had good friends who inspired you to be the very best

person you could be. Severus had one, whom he foolishly drove away,

thanks in large part to his immature jealousy as well as his naivety in

listening to his fellow Slytherins, who all felt that Lord Voldemort was

the second coming of Salazar Slytherin himself. I will not deny that he

tortured and murdered, nor I think would he. However, He started on the

road to redemption the day he came to me, begging that I protect James

and Lily."

"But he still served that blighter." Sirius started to argue.

"Do you remember when we started really countering Voldemort? All the

lives we were able to save near the end of the war? Do you have any idea

how I knew of all the attacks in advance? It was Severus. He turned spy

for our side, and it was because of him that the both of you are alive, as

well as Amelia Bones, Moody, Augusta Longbottom, The Greengrasses,

the entire Bobbin, Radford and Everard Lines, not to mention the

countless muggles and muggleborns. Severus has repaid his debt."

"So why'd he attack Harry?" Sirius countered, looking unconvinced.

"Harry, I believe represents the very best and worst things in Severus' life.

He is nearly a mirror image of James Potter, and for Severus it must be a

horrible reminder of his time as a student here at Hogwarts, but I think it

is Harry's eyes that hurt Severus the most. Imagine if you can looking

into Harry's eyes and being reminded over and over again how you

pushed away your only true friend. A friend that you love with all your

being. I can think of no worse punishment."

"But the way he treats the students?" Remus tried. "My gods,

Dumbledore…"

"Despite what many people believe of me, I have always been aware of

how Severus treats those in his care. It seems every year I had to remind

him that he was supposed to be a teacher. It was my deepest hope that he

would just let go of the hate he clings to, and turn into the man I know

lives deep within him. But I'm afraid the hatred he held for you two and

James turned inward and has poisoned him. His assault of a student

forced me to serve him notice. He is now on probation, and has until the

end of the year to make a change, or he will be released from service."

"You're firing him?" Sirius looked surprised.

"It is not my desire to do so. Severus, for all his faults, would be ideally

suited to step back into his role as spy for our side, should the need arise.

I fear what may become of him if he is let go. He would not survive very

long. Those still loyal to Voldemort would try to kill him. He's been

serving this school, and to their minds, me for the last thirteen years. A

greater betrayal they would not be able to think of. Then there are the

many former students he's taught." Dumbledore shook his head sadly and

leaned back further in his chair, looking at both men in turn.

"I believe still that Severus can turn his life around, and I believe that all

the ingredients for that change are now here at Hogwarts. He knows

what's at stake, and I believe that he has at least looked down the road to

redemption, thanks in part to our young Harry."

"Harry apologized for what happened?" Remus asked, looking awed.

"I have heard rumor that the two spoke at length in private. If the rumor

is to be believed, Severus was quite drunk, and I seem to recall him

suffering quite a hangover a few weeks ago. I must admit that I hoped by

Harry coming here to Hogwarts, Severus might be able to find some

peace with his past and let go of his own hatred."

"Wait a minute." Sirius said, holding up his hands as he rose out of his

seat once again. "I hope that you're not about to ask us to apologize to

him."

Dumbledore watched Sirius for several moments before he sighed

heavily. "It is not only Severus that I worry over. You Sirius, have clung

just as tightly to your own hatred of Severus as he has of you. Perhaps it

is not only Severus who needs to let go of their hatred."

"I never murdered anyone!" Sirius barked and Dumbledore shook his

head.

"Sirius, Calm down." Remus said grabbing hold of Sirius' wrist and

forcing him back into his seat. Sirius looked for a moment like he was

going to argue, but sat down.

"Apologize to that… That…"

"Sirius!" Remus shouted and his friend turned his angry eyes on the

werewolf. "You can not honestly tell me that you do not regret how you

treated Severus while we were at school. You've told me, and I've seen

how you've raised Harry to despise bullies. You don't have to like him.

But perhaps Harry has just shown you how well you've raised him.

Perhaps the student has become the teacher."

"Oh how very enlightened of you." Sirius said sarcastically. However,

Sirius' anger had clearly melted away and he sighed. "Alright. I'll think

about it. But I think it can wait a bit."

"Very good." Dumbledore said, rising from his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse

me, I do need to begin preparations for the Yule Ball. We're in talks to

have the Weird Sisters as the band. It should give the students quite a

thrill, I think."

After a few promises to talk again soon, and that they would be able to

see Harry again any weekend they wished, Remus and Sirius left the

castle for their home in the village.

Harry walked out of the Hospital wing with Tracey Davis at his side. He

was finally allowed to rejoin the students nearly a week after the First

Task. Harry was extremely happy to finally being able to leave Madam

Pomfrey's care. He'd only been awake for two days of his stay, but found

the matron to be a bit… overbearing.

It hadn't been all bad. Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Cedric and Cho,

Hannah, Susan, Luna, Mandy, Su, Padma and Tracey had all come to look

in on him, each giving a different perspective on the First Task. Well,

everyone except Tracey who'd come to apologize for losing her head and

shouting at him the day before the Task. She had clearly convinced

herself that she was responsible for Harry's exhaustion.

Tracey had been with him most of the time he'd been awake. Harry

thought she would have skipped classes to stay with him a bit longer if

Madam Pomfrey hadn't hovered as much as she did.

The two teens had really enjoyed the time they spent together, and

Tracey was just as sweet and easy going as Harry had remembered her

being before their first date. Harry did notice however, that Tracey got a

bit tense when any other girl came to visit with him, and barely spoke

while anyone else was present.

Still it was nice, and as he headed down to the Great Hall for his first

dinner out of the Hospital wing, Tracey was chattering up a storm,

keeping Harry smiling.

Harry got a bit of a surprise when he entered the Great Hall. Just as he

and Tracey were about to find seats along the Slytherin table, a thin girl

with sleek shining silvery blond hair stepped in front of him.

"Bon Jour, Harry Potter." Gabrielle Delacour smiled sweetly.

"Uh, bon jour… Gabrielle, right?"

"Oui. It is very good to see you out and about once again. How are you

feeling?" She asked sweetly, looking into his eyes intently. Harry felt as if

she was trying to hypnotize him or something, but all she seemed to be

doing was angering Tracey.

"I'm good. Actually I don't think I've ever felt better. Forgive me, this is

my friend Tracey Davis." Harry smile introducing the two girls. Harry

wasn't sure, but he thought Tracey looked as if she was forcing her smile.

"Bon jour." Gabrielle smiled offering a friendly hand, which Tracey took.

"I wished to visit you before, but my sister thought it was improper, as

we are not friends. It is something I wish to remedy, if you are not

opposed."

"No." Harry smiled. "I don't believe you can have too many friends."

"May I join you?" Gabrielle asked. Harry looked at Tracey who was very

clearly forcing her smile now. Harry sighed inwardly.

"I would like that very much, however, I did promise to spend a bit of

time with Tracey. Perhaps we could have breakfast or lunch tomorrow?"

"Oui. Très bien." Gabrielle smiled brightly and with two quick kisses to

each of Harry's cheeks, Gabrielle returned to the Ravenclaw table. Harry

watched her go and sit next to her sister Fleur.

"Shall we get something to eat?" Tracey asked, though most of her good

mood was gone.

Harry followed the auburn haired girl and they sat next to Daphne and

Blaise Zabini, who were enjoying their meal and discussing the latest

charms assignment.

"So, Harry. Back from the dead?" Blaise said.

"So to speak." Harry smiled.

"You put on one hell of a show. I don't think many seventh years could

have done what you did." Daphne remarked.

"It was basic transfiguration." Harry looked confused.

"Sure, the chains, but the way you controlled them and then the metal

bars…" Blaise said, then gave an impressed whistle. "I can't even imagine

the power you must have used to fight against that dragon. No wonder

you passed out when it was over."

"Yes, we're all impressed by Harry's power." Tracey remarked. "Everyone's

really impressed with Harry Potter."

"Oh no." Daphne muttered. Blaise rolled his eyes, setting his fork down as

if he were preparing to run from the table.

"Ok." Harry said turning to Tracey. He was doing his best to keep his

voice even and not get angry, but Tracey's sudden mood swing was going

to get irritating. "Not even five minutes ago, you were in a great mood.

What did I do?"

"How about flirting with that French trollop?" Tracey said scathingly.

"Flirting?" Harry looked surprised. "How was I flirting. She wants to be

my friend."

"They all want to be your friend, Harry." Tracey said sweeping her arm

around the Hall. "But that's not what I'm upset over. It's that you made a

date with another girl while you were with me."

"I didn't make a date!" Harry said quickly, now looking incredibly

confused. I said I'd have breakfast with her. I didn't say 'hey let's go to the

village and make out until our lips fall off'."

"You may as well have." Tracey snapped. "Let's not forget how you stared

at the girls who came to visit you in the hospital wing. Like a starving

man staring at a buffet."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, though he wasn't even sure if

he wanted to know. "You're talking like a crazy person."

"Oh boy." Daphne said from Tracey's side, her hand going to her face in

apprehension. Harry looked at her then back to Tracey who looked ready

to smack him.

"So now I'm crazy?" She said in a low, dangerous tone. "You know what

Potter? I don't think I want to be around you anymore."

At this she got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving a very

bewildered Harry in her wake.

"Did we just break up?" Harry asked, turning to Daphne, who was

nodding. "But, we weren't even a couple!"

"She got it in her head that when you accepted her apology that it was

just a formality." Daphne sighed. "I tried to make her see that you weren't

together and that if she really wanted to be with you, she should ask you,

but… Like I said, proud and stubborn."

"Oy." Harry said leaning forward and rubbing his temples. "Any chance I

can fix this?"

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?" Daphne asked and Harry looked at

her with confusion.

"I don't know!" He sighed with annoyance.

"Well, unless you do, I'd just leave it alone. I'd never tell her this, but

she's rather high maitinence, and she'll need a boy who's so devoted to

her, he worships the very ground she stands on." Daphne said a bit sadly.

"Someone who's much less independent than you are."

Harry nodded and with Blaise's help, they managed to change the subject

and finish dinner.

When it dinner was over, Harry went straight back to his room where the

Golden Egg waited for him. Harry took the heavy gold object and sat on

the couch in front of the fireplace to examine it. He had been told that

the egg contained the clue for the next task, and Harry still had almost

two and a half months to figure it out. He knew he'd need every minute

of that time to prepare, he was certain.

Harry took hold of the latch at the top of the egg and twisted. The panels

fell open and an ear splitting shriek echoed in his room. Harry slammed

the panels shut and stared at the egg horrified.

"How is that a clue?" Harry asked of the egg. He twisted the latch and

went to his trunk and got quill and parchment and went back to the egg.

He opened it again and listened to it as long as he could before slamming

it close again. He began making a list of what the sound could possibly

be.

"Banshee, Harpies, Syrens… " Harry said as he wrote. As he looked at his

pitiful list, Harry thought that it wasn't much to go on. It seemed a truly

weak clue. Just a strange glass shattering shriek. How were any of them

supposed to figure out what it was they were supposed to do next?

"Maybe Cedric has an idea." Harry said, making sure the latch was tight

on the Egg as he set it on the mantle. He then turned his attention onto

his homework, It had pilled up quite a bit while he'd been in the hospital

wing. Four hours later And still feeling very overwhelmed, Harry decided

it might be a good idea to get a bit of help from his friends to catch up.

Still feeling very tired from the First Task, Harry changed and got into

bed falling asleep almost at once.

Harry only had three days of classes before the weekend came, and Harry

welcomed it. Thanks to some of his friends, Hermione, Susan, Mandy,

and Hannah specifically, Harry had managed to catch up with all his

homework, though he still felt behind.

Tracey hadn't spoken to him since he'd been released, and Harry chose to

follow Daphne's advice and let the girl be. He felt sad that things had

become so strained, but he reminded himself that he'd done nothing

wrong. Though he was sure that Remus and Sirius were going to harass

him a bit about it all.

It wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, but as Harry was not officially a part of

the Hogwarts student body, he was allowed to go to the village and visit

with Sirius and Remus. He was up very early and once he was showered

and dressed, He made for the village, the Golden Egg stuffed into his

back pack.

Neither Harry nor Cedric had managed to crack the egg's clue, and Harry

was hopeful that Remus or Sirius would be able to guide him in the right

direction if not just tell him flat out what he was going to be facing.

Harry shivered in the cold, but smiled as he cast a glance over his

shoulder to take in the sight of Hogwarts castle. The first snow had fallen

and Harry couldn't help think how amazing the grounds looked covered

in a blanket of snow.

He arrived in the village and noticed at once how empty it looked

without loads of Hogwarts students roaming the streets. Harry thought

that if he had time, he'd stop by the sweets shop and get a few thank you

gifts for the girls who'd helped him catch up on his work this week. They

had all promised to ease up on him during the weekend, especially now

that he was caught up, though Hermione hinted that she'd like him to

continue working hard during the week. Neville had mentioned that

Hermione was really driven in her schoolwork, and had a habit of

"encouraging" her friends to work just as hard as she did.

Harry arrived at the small cottage where his godfather had taken up

residence and was greeted by a beaming Sirius, who pulled him into the

house.

"You're looking much better." Remus smiled as Harry sat down at the

table. The sensuous aroma of sausages cooking made Harry smile a bit.

"I'm feeling loads better. I know you said magic was like your muscles,

Sirius…"

"You got to work them to make them stronger." Sirius smiled as he leaned

against a counter, his arms folded.

"I feel like I can do anything right now. I've even had an easier time with

some of my spell work." Harry said, looking proudly at his godfather.

"Well, next time don't over do it. Magical exhaustion is a very serious

thing, Harry. Some wizards have never fully recover, and can actually

lose their magic. You have to be more careful."

"Are you caught up on your school work?" Remus asked, setting a platter

of toast on the table, which Harry immediately fell upon.

"Yeah. Hermione really pushed me hard over the last couple of days, and

I was able to get caught up."

"Hermione?' Sirius smiled, looking to Remus. "Was she the redhead?"

"No, That was Susan Bones. The one who had you blushing like an idiot

most of the time." Remus smirked. Sirius threw his head back and

laughed as Remus went on. "Susan and Hannah always came together.

Though I can see how you'd get confused. Hermione usually had Ginny

Weasley with her, and she's a redhead as well."

"So which one was Hermione? The really shy one who barely ever spoke

and just stared at Harry while he slept?"

"Wrong again." Remus smirked. "That was Mandy. And, just so you don't

screw up again, Luna was the one with the long blonde hair and the big

silver blue eyes. Hermione was the one with the really curly hair."

"Right, The one who kept asking us questions like we were living

encyclopedia's. Scary smart that one. You had so many girls coming to

look in on you, it was hard to keep track." Sirius shrugged, finally taking

a seat once he'd finished making his tea. "But five girls came everyday,

every moment they could spare."

"Who was it?" Harry asked curiously. "No one's mentioned visiting me."

"Huh." Sirius looked puzzled. "Well, Hermione was there. Actually, I think

she and Susan were there the most. Sometimes Hermione had that other

redhead with her…"

"Ginny." Remus remarked.

"Right." Sirius nodded. "Susan was there nearly as much as Hermione,

usually with that feisty little blonde."

"Hannah." Remus smiled dishing up eggs to everyone.

"I think those two fancy you. Hermione and Susan, that is." Sirius said

giving Harry a sly grin.

"Maybe, but I think it more likely Hermione just cares about me as a

friend. She doesn't have a lot of friends, or she didn't before I got there.

I've helped he make a few more, I think." Harry shrugged.

"Don't rule her out.' Sirius said, pointing his fork at Harry. "Sometimes

great romances come out of great friendships."

"I'll keep it in mind." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Is there any girls who've caught your eye? Last we talked you were

taking out…uh…" Remus looked to Sirius for help, but the man just

mirrored Remus' puzzlement and shrugged.

"Tracey. We broke up a few nights ago. At least I think we did. It's all

really strange."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sirius asked with concern, noticing the

strange look on Harry's face. Harry launched into the full story,

explaining how Tracey had accosted him the day before the tournament,

and how she had apologized they day he was released from the hospital

wing, and how they had gone to dinner and met Gabrielle.

"Then she just starts yelling at me, and breaks up with me. But the thing

is, we weren't even dating!" Harry finished looking pleadingly at his

godfather and uncle.

"Obviously she thought you were, or that you should have been." Remus

commented.

"That's what her friend told me after Tracey stomped out of the Great

Hall." Harry said, sinking in his chair a bit. "I'm not even sure I want a

girlfriend. I mean, I haven't even decided if I'm going to stay at Hogwarts

after this year. I mean, I love it and everything, But I have all my friends

at Salem and everything."

"And Stacy." Sirius quipped, making Harry turn an evil eye to his

godfather who was very interest in the bit of sausage on his fork.

"The point being, I don't want to end up hurting someone if I decide not

to stay. I mean, yeah, I'd like to go on dates, but to commit myself to

someone when I'm not even sure what's going to happen?"

"Harry,' Remus said placatingly as he looked at the boy who so reminded

him of his long lost best friend. "while it's noble of you to be so

concerned for other people's feelings, you are cheating yourself out of

something that could be very nice. There is no law written that says that

whom ever you date will be the one for you for the rest of your life, and

one or two dates isn't going to tell you everything you need to know

about someone either."

"The thing is…" Sirius said, setting his fork down. "People act differently

when they first begin dating. It takes a while for you to get comfortable

with the other person before you truly let your guard down and all your

ugly secrets come out. If a girl still loves you after she hers you singing

Backstreet Boys songs in the shower…"

"Oh, One time!" Harry rolled his eyes. "I told you it got stuck in my head.

Why can't you let it go?"

"… And she still loves you, that's a girl who you might want to have the

rest of your life." Sirius finished trying not to laugh at Harry's

indignation. "Got it?"

"So you're both saying I should get a girlfriend?" Harry asked, but both

men shook their heads.

"All we're saying is to do what feels right to you." Sirius said pointedly.

Harry smiled weakly and they continued eating, talking of

inconsequential topics until the meal was finished. Sirius asked if Harry

had had anymore nightmares.

"No." Harry shook his head. "But my scar twinges every now and again. It

feels like someone's putting a really hot knife to my forehead. But then it

goes away and I'm fine."

Sirius looked worried, but he said nothing.

"If you have anymore nightmares, go see Dumbledore right away. Do

your best to remember everything, write it down if you have to, but go

and see the headmaster." Remus said. "He's very interested in these

dreams."

"Are they important?" Harry asked, now sounding concerned.

"We don't know, but they could be. Dumbledore wouldn't tell us, but we

think that you might not be having dreams at all, but actually witnessing

events as they happen." Sirius explained.

Harry nodded his understanding. Once again the topics turned and jokes

were made. Harry really enjoyed spending time with his godfather,

especially now with the added bonus of having Remus. Sirius stories

became even better with the second, more honest opinion added to them.

At last, Remus broached the topic of the second task, which lead to Harry

removing the golden egg from his bag, and opening it for them to listen

to. It didn't take long before Sirius reached out to close the shrieking

object.

"See, not a lot to go on." Harry sighed heavily. "Every time I open it, I'm

afraid I'm going to rupture my eardrums. I think it might be syrens, or a

banshee."

"Actually Harry.' Remus said, folding his hands. "What's interesting about

our world is how one creatures language sounds very different outside of

its normal environment."

"I don't follow." Harry replied.

"Think about it Harry." Sirius said catching on to what Remus was saying.

"How many different, truly different types of habitats are there in this

world?"

"Hundreds." Harry answered at once, still looking puzzled.

"While that is technically true," Remus smiled. "Most of them have

something in common. Can you figure out what that is?"

Harry hated this. He wanted an answer and he was feeling like he was in

class again. Harry looked at both men who were smiling back at him and

knew they weren't going to get a straight answer. So, he thought about it.

Jungles, mountains, caves, deserts. What did they all have in common?

"I don't know." Harry said out loud, still thinking.

"Come on Harry." Sirius said. What is it that every single creature in the

world needs to survive."

"That's easy, air." Harry looked puzzled, and then he sat up suddenly.

"Whatever this thing is, it doesn't need air. At least not air like we

breathe." Harry shouted triumphantly.

Very good." Remus applauded while Sirius beamed.

"Whatever it is lives in the lake, right?" Harry asked and both men

beamed. "So in order to hear the clue, the egg needs to be underwater."

"I think he's got it." Sirius grinned and reached out to pat his godson's

shoulder. "Now that the hard part is over, you still have a big decision to

make. Who are you going to ask to the Yule ball?"

"The what?" Harry's eyes got as round as dinner plates and Sirius looked

to Remus who was shaking his head.

"I thought they'd have announced it already." Sirius looked liked he'd just

been caught stealing cookies. "Whoops."

"Well done Sirius."

Sirius and Remus made Harry swear not to speak of the Ball to anyone

until it was announced. That turned out to be quite easy as at dinner that

night, Dumbledore stood before the students and made the formal

announcement.

All around him, Harry saw girls bending close and whispering. Harry

couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt like he had a target on his back.

He realized that Sirius had been right, and that it would be a good idea

to ask someone right away to avoid a lot of awkwardness and hurt

feelings later on. The problem was, Harry didn't know who to ask.

Tracey was out of the question. She wasn't even talking to him anymore.

Harry thought for a moment about Hannah, but quickly decided that the

Yule Ball would be a perfect opportunity for Neville to man up and

finally ask the her out.

Harry was torn from his musings by the sound of giggling to his left.

Harry turned and saw some third year Hufflepuffs looking at him. He

decided that it would be a good idea to get away as fast as he could.

Bidding goodbye to his friends, and noticing the disappointed looks on

Hannah, Susan and Megan's faces, Harry scurried out of the Great hall as

fast as he could without looking like he was running for his life.

Harry went to his room and gathered his homework. He thought he

might be able to get some work done and maybe he could figure out the

answer to the problem of who to ask to the Ball. As he headed back out

and towards the Library, he passed to groups of girls, who all stared at

him as he passed, making him feel like he was a rabbit prancing in front

of packs of starving wolves.

"Oh sure, I can face a dragon, but a few girls look at you and you're the

god damned cowardly lion." Harry berated himself. So lost in his

thoughts about which girl he was going to ask to the ball, that he wasn't

paying any attention to where he was going. That was why he found

himself on his butt staring up at Viktor Krum.

"I am sorry." Viktor said offering a hand to Harry. "Actually I am very

glad to be seeing you."

"Yeah?" Harry asked a bit surprised.

"Yes. I vas vondering if you could help me. Your friend. The girl."

Harry cocked his head and smiled. "You need to be a bit more specific."

Harry said with a bit of a laugh.

"I suppose. I see you with many girls. But I am talking about the one who

usually joins you in the library. The girl with the very curly hair."

"Hermione?" Harry asked and Viktor smiled. "The girl with the really

bushy crazy hair."

"Yes this is her." Viktor nodded. "She has a very pretty smile. I have been

coming to the library trying to talk to her, but she is always with that

redhead girl, or with you."

"Do you want me to introduce you?" Harry asked, and knew at once this

was what Viktor was trying to ask.

"I'd be happy to, but, just so you know, I'm sure you could do it on your

own. I mean, you're famous and all."

Viktor nodded, but Harry saw that he didn't want to use his fame to get

close to Harry's friend.

"I've seen you and the Hogvarts in the mornings." Viktor said, changing

the subject as he turned and followed Harry into the library. "I vonder if I

may join you some mornings. Running is a very good way to keep in

shape, and I feel like I am vasting away here. I have not been on my

broom in months."

"I know exactly what you mean." Harry said as they took a seat. "I really

miss being in the air."

"You play Quidditch then?"

"Oh yeah, and racing." Harry nodded. "I prefer the racing."

"I have heard of broom racing, though I have not been fortunate to

vitness a race myself. I was hopeful that I might go to America this

summer to see one." Viktor said and Harry smiled.

"Why do that when you could be a part of one right here." Harry smiled.

"I haven't talked to the guys since before the First Task, but we were

trying to put together a race right here at Hogwarts. You're absolutely

welcome to join us as soon as we get it all figured out."

Viktor agreed and the two champions began talking about what had

happened in the first task. Harry hadn't seen Viktor but enjoyed listening

to his tale. It wasn't long however before someone joined them.

"There you are Harry." Hermione smiled as she approached the table, a

small smile on her face. She noticed who he was sitting with and looked

oddly at Harry.

"Hermione Granger, Viktor Krum." Harry said, and Viktor rose from his

seat and bowed to Hermione who blushed. It got worse when Viktor took

her hand and kissed it.

"It's very nice to meet you.' Hermione smiled though her voice was really

shaky. She hesitantly took the seat Viktor offered. "So what were you two

discussing?"

"Broom racing.' Viktor said, stammering a bit. Harry thought it was a bit

odd that someone like Viktor who was extremely famous would be shy

around someone like Hermione.

"Excuse me for a moment, I really need to find a book." Harry said as he

rose from his seat. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to

leave Krum and Hermione alone together. He disappeared into the stacks

but found a spot where he could see them.

They sat silently for a few minutes, and Harry wondered why Krum

should be so shy. He could understand Hermione, but Viktor was very

famous, known throughout the world. He was the youngest professional

Quidditch player, and one of the very best seekers in the world. Surely he

had girls flinging themselves at him.

And then it struck him. Maybe that's why Viktor liked Hermione. She

didn't care about Quidditch. He'd seen her eyes glass over whenever he

and Neville brought up the topic. Like Harry, perhaps Viktor didn't care

about his fame and wanted someone who liked him for who he was, not

his fame.

Harry was just about to return to the table and see if he could help them

start a conversation, when Hermione suddenly turned and asked Viktor a

question. They began to talk, and Harry could actually see Krum relax.

"Hmm. Krum and Hermione." A sweet dreamy voice came from behind

Harry. He turned and smiled as he saw Luna Lovegood looking through

the stacks at the two. "They'd have very adorable babies."

Harry choked on his laughter and shook his head at Luna. "I think it's a

little soon to plan a wedding. They just got introduced."

"I hope he snogs her silly. Hermione really needs a good release. I've told

her that she should masturbate more."

Harry felt his face burn with mortification.

"I am sometimes she can even function properly with all those

Snizzlegroves around her head all the time."

"Snizzle whats?" Harry asked, trying not to fall over with laughter.

"Snizzlegroves. There a lot like fruit flies, though they're invisible.

Constantly buzzing in your ears and breaking your concentration. The

only way to deal with them is to have at least one orgasm a day. I've