Chapter 481
"Padfoot!" Remus's worried yell shattered the silence.
Sirius gathered his composure. "Over here!"
Remus rounded the corner, wand out, covered in dust and the dark shadow of
a graze on his cheek. Sirius straightened and pushed off the wall to go and
check on him.
"Peter?"
"The rat went through a hole in the wall." Sirius grumbled as he grasped
Remus's chin and tutted loudly at the injury. "You alright, Moony? And the
others?"
"I took a bump to the head when the ceiling came down, but I'm fine. Bill's just
a bit scratched up. We managed a bit of transfiguration work to get through
the rubble. Wood's conscious but dizzy." Remus dismissed his concern.
"You?"
His body ached; bruises and bumps and scratches making themselves known
with the confrontation over and the absence of the adrenaline that had
masked them during.
"I need a drink." Sirius said bluntly.
"Let's get back then. Caro, Tonks and Shacklebolt found the pregnant
Summers woman in the other tunnel." Remus said. "It looks like they dosed
her with whatever they dosed the elf with. Caro's trying to dismantle the blood
ward to get her out."
Sirius brightened. That was good news. He cast a look back towards the
muggle sewer.
"Merlin, Moony, I think I almost had him. He…" the words Peter had uttered
before he'd ran off echoed in Sirius's head, "I think Peter's tried to help us."
Remus's mouth fell open. He shook himself. "What!?"
"I'll tell you all about it." Sirius promised, patting Remus's shoulder. "After I've
had that drink."
o-O-o
24th November 1994
Harry was going to throw up.
He stared at his pale image in the bathroom mirror and swallowed hard.
He shouldn't have had lunch although he wasn't entirely certain that the two
slices of bread and butter he'd managed to bolt down counted enough to
warrant being called lunch.
"Harry?" Sirius knocked softly on the doorjamb and caught Harry's panicked
eyes in the mirror. He immediately moved into the bathroom, resting his hands
on Harry's shoulders and squeezing gently.
"I'm going to throw up and embarrass myself." Harry muttered. He tried
another deep breath and let Sirius's warm hand on his back soothe him.
Sirius stayed silent as Harry got his nerves under control. He didn't try to give
him meaningless reassurances or platitudes. They both knew Harry had to go
and face a dragon; had to go and compete; had to make it look like he wasn't
scared because to do less would be to give Voldemort the win.
Harry turned away from the mirror and leaned back against the sink as he
lifted his glasses momentarily to rub his eyes. He dragged a hand through his
already ruffled hair. "How long do we have before I have to go to the tent?"
"We need to leave in the next fifteen minutes." Sirius sat down on the edge of
the bath. "Your friends are waiting for you downstairs. They want to walk out
with you."
Harry nodded. They'd discussed it that morning during History of Magic. He
was slightly wary of walking out holding Hermione's hand but the media storm
about their relationship had died down with the escalation of excitement
ahead of the first task. He worried someone would try something but
Hermione was adamant that she wasn't letting Jessica's horrible attack on her
interfere with them, and Harry knew Sirius intended escorting her to the
stands.
He smoothed a hand over the thick robe he wore over thick canvas trousers
and a black top. The robe was made of muggle fire-resistant material – even
the crests on the front – and would hopefully keep him safe. He knew Sirius
had commissioned it as soon as they'd become aware that he'd face a
dragon. His boots were combat boots that Sirius had bought specially for him.
"You look good." Sirius said.
"I wish I could wear my invisibility cloak." Harry confessed with chagrin. The
rules were clear that the Champions could only begin the task with one
magical item; their wand.
Sirius hummed. "You have your plans sorted?"
They'd sketched out ways to deal with each dragon and Harry had to admit
that it was good to have the knowledge in his mind before racing off to do
battle. It felt unusual but good. Still, a part of him was waiting for the other
shoe to drop because they really had no idea what the task entailed beyond
facing a dragon.
"I'm set." Harry took a deep breath and pushed off the sink. He held a hand
out for Sirius who raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not that decrepit." Sirius declared but he took the hand.
Harry gave an indistinct murmur. It hadn't quite escaped his notice that Sirius
had come back bruised after his escapade into the crypt in London. It also
hadn't escaped his notice that the physical wounds weren't as bad as the
emotional. Sirius had told him about the conversation with Peter and it would
take a long time before Harry would be able to shake the memory of how
much pain had shimmered in Sirius's eyes. He was also shocked that Peter
might have been trying to help them with the whole hinting about the ritual.
Peter aside, the trip to the crypt had led to the team saving Cindy Summers.
She was still pregnant if in the same drugged coma as Winky. The theory was
that Voldemort had her stashed away as a spare for the amniotic fluid. Snape
had started working on identifying what potion had been used but the general
consensus from everyone was that it was going to take time.
The other general consensus was that Voldemort and company were likely in
London somewhere. That sent a shiver down Harry's spine. The thought that
they were that close to so many people…Voldemort could do a lot of damage.
Still, Moody had been absolutely terrifying about security for the first task
which Harry appreciated. The grounds were being patrolled by Aurors; the
public was allowed nowhere near to the school, only to the stands and a large
refreshment tent set up by the Lake, and then only if they had a named ticket.
The school itself was on lockdown with all access restricted through the main
doors. The likelihood of Voldemort gaining entry was miniscule.
Harry took another deep breath as he reached the bottom of the stairs and
opened his arms for Hermione to hug him. He spent a good minute just
appreciating the feel of her holding him just as tightly as he was holding her
before they both inched away, hands sliding into a familiar hold.
They'd agreed to wait for their first date for their kiss.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 482
It was something that Harry swung from thinking was a good idea (he did
want it to be special and memorable for the right reasons) to thinking it was a
bad idea (mostly because he was worried he was going to screw up and he
just wanted to get it over and done with, and partly because he wanted to kiss
Hermione).
"You look good." Neville offered by way of greeting.
"Very scary." Ron said.
"I don't think the dragon is going to be scared." Harry replied.
Sirius adjusted his own smart black robes and gestured for them to start
moving. "We're going to be late if we don't get going."
They trooped out of the quarters and down the stairs, through the corridors
and through the main entrance out into the cold wintery day.
It was sunny; a blue almost cloudless sky stretched overhead with the thin
November sunshine lighting everything up brightly but doing nothing to
counter the chill.
Harry ignored the flash of a camera and focused on striding purposefully
towards the contestants' tent. He glanced over at the stands filled with the rest
of the school and the public; at the arena that had been created in front of the
Lake, the dragon pens backing onto the Forbidden Forest where they had
been hidden for days. He caught sight of the judge's platform set to the side
with the best view.
"Harry!" Bagman grinned at him with evident relief. "Good! We have all of our
contestants."
Harry waved at Viktor, Fleur and Cedric gathered in a small semi-circle in front
of Bagman.
Bagman registered that Harry wasn't alone and gave a false wince. "Lord
Black, I'm afraid you and the students will have to go to the stands now."
Sirius gave a nod of acknowledgement. Regardless of Harry's minor status he
wasn't allowed to be in a position to give Harry advice on the task once it was
revealed. Harry didn't protest the brief hug Sirius pulled him into, and a
hundred things crowded at the back of his throat.
"Good luck." Sirius said softly. "Do your best but I want you back alive, so
unnecessary risks, OK?"
Harry couldn't speak for the lump in his throat and settled for nodding.
Hermione sprang forward when Sirius released him. She gave him another
lightening hug. "Don't forget; you're a great wizard." She whispered in his ear.
Ron and Neville settled for manly handshakes and pats on the back along
with their expressed wishes of good luck, and within moments Harry found
himself standing alone. He shifted around Bagman to stand beside Viktor.
"Right!" Bagman clapped his hands and grinned at them. "The first task is
difficult but I'm sure you'll all do well." He reached into a pocket and pulled out
a cloth bag. "In here I have four small figurines of the creatures you'll be
facing. You'll each go in turn and draw a figurine out of the bag and then I'll fill
you in on the rest."
He shoved the bag towards Viktor.
"Harry should go first." Viktor said firmly. "He is youngest."
"I agree." Fleur said in heavily accented French.
"Me too." Cedric hurriedly said.
Bagman's face fell. "Unfortunately, that's not possible. We have to go in the
order the Goblet drew your names."
"It's fine." Harry said quickly. "I don't mind."
Viktor gave a harrumph of disapproval at the decision, but reached into the
bag. He pulled out the small figurine of the Welsh Green. Harry fought to keep
the disappointment off his face because he'd wanted the Welsh Green. It was
by far the most placid of the dragons.
Fleur was next and her hand opened to reveal the Hungarian Horntail. A small
frown marred her face and Harry couldn't blame her for her consternation. The
Horntail was considered to be the most dangerous.
Cedric's face showed his relief at not getting the Horntail as he reached into
the bag and drew out a tiny Swedish Short-Snout.
Harry took the last figurine of the Chinese Fireball. It was the second most
dangerous of the dragon types but the one best suited to his strengths. Redscaled, lean and with a ferocious flame, it was deadly on the ground but had
problems flying with its wings mainly for show. It was the one most closely
related to a serpent compared to the other dragons who fell more into the
lizard family as distant cousins.
Bagman ignored the lack of shock and horror, or maybe he put their lack of
reaction down to deep shock. Harry shook himself as Bagman cleared his
throat.
"So, the first task will be to get past the dragon and steal as many of the eggs
in the nests they are protecting, moving them to another location within the
arena. Contestants will be scored on ingenuity, spell-work and the number of
eggs successfully collected. The more eggs you get the more clues you will
receive for the next task."
Harry stared at Bagman, unsure that he had heard correctly.
"You vant us to steal the eggs of a movver dragon?" Viktor asked incredulous.
"Eet is barbaric!" Fleur tossed her blonde hair back as she glowered at
Bagman.
"Want is not the right word." Bagman said, losing some of his false bonhomie.
"This is the task that we've been given to do."
Right, thought Harry sourly; this was the task Voldemort had set so of course
it was barbaric and cruel.
"You'll each receive one hour to complete the task. Viktor will go first, and then
Fleur, Cedric, and of course, Harry, last but by no means least." Bagman
recovered enough to smile at them all. "You cannot watch the others before
you, you cannot confer on the task, and you will need to remain in the tent
until I come for you. There is a magical barrier above the arena which will
prevent anyone in the stands from helping you. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads. Harry's heart was sinking; he had to wait three
hours?!
"Well," Bagman pointed towards the tent flap, "Viktor, shall we?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 483
Viktor straightened his shoulders, a grim expression on his face as he strode
out. Bagman sauntered out in his wake.
Fleur made for the wooden chairs that had been set out at the back of the
tent. "Mon Dieu!"
"You can say that again." Cedric said, wandering over to sit beside her.
Harry followed him for want of a better plan and sat on the other side of Fleur.
"What are we supposed to do while we wait?"
"That's a good question." Cedric said. "They could have provided a deck of
cards or something."
"Perhaps we are meant to spend the time devising our strategy?" Fleur
mused, flipping her hair back.
"It doesn't seem fair to you and Viktor if that's the case," Cedric said, "you'd
get a lot less time to plan than Harry or me."
Fleur gave a Gallic shrug. "I do not want to talk about eet. Let us talk of
somezing else." She rapped her fingers on her thigh and shifted her gaze to
Harry. "You know Beel?"
"Beel?" Harry repeated before sorting out the accent in his head. "Oh, you
mean Bill." He got a sinking sensation. "Uh, yes? He's Ron's brother and he's
in service to the House of Potter."
"He is…" Fleur sighed in a dramatic heartfelt way that had Harry seeking
Cedric's gaze frantically only to get a 'I know it's horrifying' look back,
"wonderful. Non?"
"Non, I mean, yes." Harry stumbled over his reply and nudged his glasses
back up his nose. "Uh, he has a girlfriend?"
Fleur frowned heavily, her eyes giving away her evident disappointment at the
news. "The woman who works with him 'ere?"
"No, that's Caro; she's just his work partner." Harry explained. "His girlfriend is
Alicia Doge. They've been going out a while."
"Eet is a shame." Fleur sighed again. "I was so sure. He 'ardly felt the effect of
my allure."
"Is that important to a Veela?" Cedric asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"Oui," Fleur said dramatically, "eet is important to know if your lover loves you
and is not enthralled, non? That eet is real."
Harry understood her point. He had rigidly stuck to his belief that it was
important for his girlfriend to like him as Harry rather than as the Boy Who
Lived or Lord Potter or whatever title they were sticking him with that week.
He was so glad he had Hermione.
"Yeah," Cedric sighed, "sometimes I wonder if Cho only likes me as a
boyfriend since I became a Champion. Our practice date was a bit awkward."
Harry cast about desperately for another subject. "Why don't we play I Spy?"
"I Spy?" Fleur perked up with interest. "I have never played eet it before."
Teaching wizards how to play the muggle game of I Spy kept them busy until
Bagman returned to collect Fleur for her turn. Cedric and Harry wished her
luck before retreating back to their chairs awkwardly.
Cedric cleared his throat. "What do you think about the news that Richard
Gosforth is retiring from international Quidditch?"
Harry sent him a grateful look and they discussed Quidditch until Cedric
begged off to think about his strategy until Bagman turned up for him.
It wasn't long before Harry was alone. He wondered how the others had fared.
He felt cut off from the real world in the bubble of the contestants' tent. He
didn't know if the others had managed to get any eggs, if they'd gotten hurt, or
how well they'd scored.
Maybe that was a good thing, Harry considered thoughtfully. He should
concentrate on his own performance and not worry about theirs. He turned
over the strategy he'd worked out for the Chinese Fireball in his head.
Flying had been a central component. He'd figured he could summon his
Firebolt and take to the air to get past the dragon. It was still a possibility but
grabbing an egg from a nest would be tricky, then there was manoeuvring on
the broom carrying a dragon's egg with an angry dragon trying to get to him.
He knew his flying skills were good but Chinese Fireballs had a hell of a flame
and they were smart and clever.
His back-up plan was weather related. The Chinese Fireball liked the heat
and hated the cold. It was a good day for his back-up plan. There was already
a chill in the air; he could work on that. If he made the Fireball cold and
lethargic, he could disable it.
He bit his lip. What if he injured her giving her hypothermia? What if she died?
No…he wouldn't let that happen, but a dragon was too dangerous to leave
capable of thinking and moving for his task.
There had to be a better way.
Bagman entered the tent and Harry's heart seized for a moment in his chest.
Had it already been an hour?
"Your turn now, Harry?" Bagman said. "You, uh, you do have a plan?"
Harry looked at him guardedly. "Of course, Mister Bagman."
"Splendid!" Bagman beamed, his toothpaste smile even whiter up close. "Just
through here…" They went through a long canvas tunnel and out onto a
platform overlooking the arena.
And suddenly, the noise was deafening.
The arena was a square shape, not unlike a Quidditch pitch, but there was a
pit below in the middle which had been transformed with grey rock and
boulders to create a forbidding environment, like the sharp jagged landscape
that Harry had once seen in a photo of a volcano. A large gate on the opposite
side gave away the method of how they got the dragon into the pit. The
Chinese Fireball was already present on the right of the arena under the
Hogwarts' stand, chained but sinuously curled around its rocky nest filled with
four crimson gold-speckled eggs. It was snarling at the noise, protective of its
young.
Harry gulped down air and looked up instead into the stands.
He caught sight of the Gryffindors, ranged together with banners of support
for him – but there were other signs in the other Houses; one prominent in
Slytherin that Harry knew belonged to Theo and the Slytherins allied to the
House of Black, another in Hufflepuff where Susan and Hannah stood, and
one that glittered in Ravenclaw that belonged to Luna. The banners were
duplicated in the public stands that curved behind him. There was a VIP box
and he identified Cornelius and Arthur before he tore his gaze away.
He took a calming breath as he realised Bagman was doing a formal
announcement, explaining he had to get the eggs over to an area marked by
a small flag on the left under the Champions' stand which included the
remaining visiting students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 484
He searched out the faces he wanted to see: Sirius, gazing at him fiercely
from the Champions box in the public stands, Remus beside him looking
worried, Hermione between them with Ron and Neville close to the railing by
Remus. His friends spotted him looking and waved to him, clapping and
cheering. Sirius placed both hands on the railing, leaning forward, and across
the distance of the arena their eyes met.
Something inside Harry eased and he gave a slow nod to Sirius.
He was ready.
"Enter the arena, Harry Potter! Your time starts now!" Bagman announced.
Harry walked slowly to the small gate that stood between him and the pit. He
opened it and followed the rocky path down until he was stood in a crevice
that looked out at the arena.
The issue of the eggs complicated things, Harry mused. He considered simply
making his way out to the flag and summoning the eggs – the advanced
charm Flitwick had taught him would work but…he would have to catch the
eggs without breaking them and he didn't trust that the dragon wouldn't
charge him down if he tried such an approach. No, he was better sticking with
his original idea; disable the dragon and then he would worry about the eggs.
He changed position, easing out from behind the wall and the dragon
immediately swivelled to stare in Harry's direction; the ruff of golden spikes
erect as she sensed danger.
Harry pointed his wand skyward and opened up his full power. "Frigus
Ventus!"
For a second, nothing happened but then…
A freezing wind erupted from his wand in a gust that pushed him backwards
into the hard rock. He put his free hand out to steady himself and forced his
hand to direct his wand where he wanted it; in the direction of the dragon.
The Fireball gave a tremendous roar as the cold hit her. She shook herself as
she uncurled, lowered her head and shot out an enormous stream of fire that
dispersed the wind.
Harry dodged back.
His heart was pounding.
It wasn't working. He had to be closer. Harry's eyes searched out the rock
around him. He tucked his wand into its holster and grabbed hold of a
protruding edge, levering himself upwards. He focused on climbing, hand hold
followed by foothold, followed by hand hold. Below the dragon paced,
occasionally trying to get to him with her flame but Harry was climbing out of
reach.
He got to the top of the rock formation and ran lightly along the surface until
he was almost near to the edge nearest the dragon. He flattened himself as a
blast of fire shot over his head. He peered over into the pit.
The dragon was on her feet in front of him.
All he had to do was jump down and he would be right in front of her. The only
problem was that it was quite a jump, the rock was just as hard below him,
and it wasn't like the dragon wasn't going to notice him jumping. He'd be toast
before he hit the ground.
He needed a distraction.
Harry chewed on his lip as he considered his options. He aimed his wand
towards the other side of the pit. "Animatus!" The boulders there rolled
together and formed a creature that looked a little like a giant dog. It crept
near to the other side of the eggs. Harry immediately pointed his wand back at
his throat. "Sonorus!" He cleared his throat. "Keep the dragon occupied!" He
commanded.
The rock-dog immediately lumbered to do Harry's bidding and the dragon
turned around to meet the new threat.
Harry cancelled the sonorus with an absent-minded thought and directed his
wand at the ground below, casting a cushioning spell non-verbally. He didn't
want to alert the Fireball to what he was doing. He checked on the dragon and
the rock-dog. They were dancing around each other but the dragon remained
with its back to Harry. Harry quickly wriggled forward, clutched at the edge of
the rock and tried to lower himself down slowly until he was hanging by his
fingertips to the rock, his face smushed into the shale.
He let go.
The rock he fell onto was soft like grass and Harry had taken greater falls in
Quidditch. He rolled as he landed and came up on his feet just in time to see
the dragon burn the rock-dog to dust. He cancelled the cushioning charm on
the ground; he needed a solid surface.
Harry took a deep breath, centred himself and pointed his wand again. "Frigus
Maximus!" He yelled.
The startled dragon whirled around in a shimmer of red and opened her
mouth, roaring with anger as she received the full blast of Harry's spell in her
face; a stream of white light pouring forth from the holly wand.
The dragon backed away a step, spreading her small wings to protect her
eggs from the cold. She opened her mouth and a stream of fire poured out to
push the spell away.
Red met white in the centre of the confrontation.
Harry skidded back a few feet but he kept his balance. He gritted his teeth
and locked his arm; pushing with all his magical power.
Slowly, slowly, his magic overcame the dragon's fire.
Inch by inch, the white light of the spell gained ground over the fire.
With a sudden rush, his magic extinguished the dragon's fire and swiftly
enveloped the Fireball in a white light. The dragon gave a mournful cry and
staggered under the cold blanketing her everywhere, as ice formed over her
scales, zig-zagging across her skin in a crazy crystalline fashion. She took a
haltering side-step and collapsed, unconscious with a thump.
Harry sucked in a needed breath and slowly lowered his aching arm, his eyes
never left the dragon. She was down and she wasn't getting up.
He became dimly aware of the crowds' cheers around him but blanked them
out to focus on his task, walking on unsteady legs to the nest of dragon eggs.
He continued to give the Fireball a wide berth as he climbed up the rock and
got a good look at the eggs.
The rock was warm beneath them, Harry realised. He shrugged out of his
robe, placing it on the ground and quickly spelling a warming charm on it. He
carefully levitated the eggs and bundled them up so they were protected by
the folds of the robe from knocking into each other.
He cast a quick look at the dragon. She was beginning to stir. Maybe he could
apparate…but no; Harry dismissed the idea swiftly. Sirius had taught him the
theory of how to do so in an emergency but Harry wasn't all that well practiced
and he would probably break the eggs if he attempted it. He was going to
have to do it the hard way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 485
He hurriedly levitated the robe and its precious contents and began to run
over the rocky ground, slipping and sliding with his cargo floating safely
behind him. He reached the flag and set the robe down gently, breathing
heavily, a stitch in his side from his frantic run. He heated the rock up beneath
him and levitated the eggs out of his robe until they were safely arranged.
"Will you look at that?" Bagman's voice boomed out over the arena. "Our
youngest competitor has completed the task successfully with all eggs intact!
Well done, Harry!"
And suddenly he could hear everything over the beat of his heart and his
every breath. The noise was deafening; a cheering wall of applause and
whistles.
o-O-o
Sirius gave a relieved sigh and clapped enthusiastically as Harry lifted a hand
to wave weakly at the astounded crowd.
It was over.
Thank Merlin.
Remus gripped Sirius's shoulders from behind him. "He was brilliant, Sirius.
Really brilliant."
Sirius wasn't going to argue. Harry had been brilliant, although he had almost
given Sirius a heart attack when he'd jumped down behind the dragon. He'd
been so close to it!
Around him the rest of the House of Black celebrated. Hermione, Ron and
Neville were spinning each other around, jumping up and down with
excitement. Andromeda had her face still buried in Ted's shoulder. The
Malfoys had settled for polite clapping but Sirius caught Lucius sending a
smug smirk in the direction of Amos Diggory.
Sirius kept his own gaze on his son. He watched as Harry picked up his robe
and started back towards the path up to the contestants' gate.
And Sirius finally started to relax. The Fireball was still down; all Harry had to
do was to leave.
"I've never seen such a masterful display of raw power." Ted murmured.
Sirius grinned and turned to reply.
A ferocious roar ripped through the noise of the crowd, silencing everyone and
freezing Harry mid-step in the middle of the arena.
Sirius looked hurriedly towards the Fireball but it was only just stirring.
Another roar filled the air. The large gate to the dragons' pens shook under a
huge thump and then splintered into bits as it gave under the weight of an
enraged dragon.
The Hungarian Horntail stalked into the arena, her green scales glimmering in
the weak sunlight, her spikes sharp and glittering.
The Horntail was loose!
And Harry was right in front of it.
Pandemonium spread over the watching crowd as panic took hold; shrieks
and shouts echoed around the arena.
"HARRY!" Sirius screamed. He raised his wand to fire at the Horntail.
Remus grabbed him roughly. "You can't help him! The magical barrier won't let
anything through!"
Sirius's heart leaped into his throat as Harry began to run for the path and
safety, only to have to dive to the side as a long stream of fire erupted from
the dragon. Hermione screamed beside Sirius, her hands flying up to cover
her face. He only breathed out as Harry threw himself behind a large boulder.
"I have to help him!" Sirius declared, turning for the exit. He could get into the
arena through the contestants' gate.
"I'm coming with you!" Remus said hurriedly.
"Me too!" Ron said, determination written all over his pale freckled face.
Andromeda caught hold of Ron and moved to block Hermione and Neville.
"You kids are staying here."
Sirius didn't wait to see if she was successful, just trusted that she would take
care of keeping the kids out of danger. He ran from the box, Remus at his
heels.
Harry needed him.
.....
Harry's heart thundered in his chest and his breath rasped sharply in his
throat as he tried to make himself smaller behind the boulder he'd managed to
find for cover.
He peeked out.
The Horntail was stomping further into the arena. She was furious, her
viciously spiked tail lashing out.
Harry's eyes widened in alarm.
The eggs!
He threw his arm out, wand in his hand, and cast a shield hurriedly over them
just as the tail came down with a crash.
Harry breathed out in relief as the tail lifted to reveal the intact eggs. His shield
had worked.
On the other side of the arena, the Fireball roared, recognising the new threat
to her eggs. She caught the Horntail's attention. Another fierce cry rang out,
this time directed at the Fireball as the Horntail challenged her. The Fireball
answered it furiously, getting to her feet and shaking off the remnants of ice
clinging to her scales. The Horntail lowered her head and attacked.
Harry looked around anxiously, assessing the situation breathlessly. He was
stuck. There was open ground between him, the dragons and his path out of
the arena. They might be distracted while they were fighting but he wasn't
certain he wanted to take the risk of them both spotting him and deciding to
gang up on him instead of battling each other. But there was the problem of
what was going to happen once the battle was over.
There was better cover behind the flag where the flat of the rock sheared
away providing a roof of sorts to a dip below. If he could get there…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 486
He checked on the dragons.
The Fireball was at a disadvantage, chained and befuddled from the cold spell
Harry had used, but she was lithe and using her greater manoeuvrability to
avoid the worst of the Horntail's swipes and hits. She was also using the
former nest as cover occasionally, picking up shards and loose rock to throw
at the Horntail in between sending jets of fierce fire towards the other dragon.
The Horntail lashed out with one wing and the Fireball in avoiding it ran
straight into the Horntail's tail. She flew backwards, her chain breaking with a
snap as she landed on her side with a massive smack on the nest.
She didn't get up.
The Horntail roared her victory.
Harry's eyes fell on his robe lying on the ground. He wet his lips, a plan
forming in his head. He mouthed the spell quietly; the robe rose from the
ground as though pulled by invisible ropes to spin in mid-air. Another spell had
it growing rapidly spreading out to provide a wide curtain between him and the
Horntail.
He ran.
He was almost at the eggs when the sound of ripping fabric had him glancing
behind to see the Horntail rending the robe to pieces with its claws. She
tossed the remains to the side as she stormed forward and Harry knew he
didn't have time to get under cover.
He threw up a shield as the Horntail slapped a massive foreleg down on him.
He blinked as the foot stopped bare inches from his body. He rolled out as the
dragon lifted her leg again and hurriedly threw up another shield as the leg
came down again; the tail landing close enough to the side of him that the
rock beneath shook. He absently noticed the Fireball regaining her feet on the
other side of the arena.
He was reminded how the Fireball had used the rocks around to pound on the
Horntail and he pointed his wand at the wall of rock behind and with a rushed
spell lobbed a chunk of rock at the Horntail.
The jagged boulder of black granite hit the Horntail in the face, whipping her
head back painfully, and she yowled in pain.
Harry scrabbled backwards, careful of the eggs close behind him. He flicked
his wand and sent another barrage of rocks and debris at the Horntail.
The Horntail batted them away though. She snarled through the green blood
dripping down her face where Harry had wounded her and lashed out with her
right wing, Harry could see the tail already in motion to hit him if he darted out
of the way of the wing. And if he moved, the eggs were going to be smashed.
He hastily threw up another shield, barely aware that it shimmered with gold
and silver.
The wing descended…
The Horntail's mouth opened to deliver a devastating blast…
"Arrestus!" Harry pointed his wand and pushed the rest of his power into the
spell.
The Horntail froze.
And a rock smashed down on the Horntail's head; once, twice, three times.
The Horntail crumpled into a bloody heap, its head caved in.
The Fireball stood behind it, the large rock clutched in one claw. She dropped
it and the broken chain around its leg scraped along the ground.
For a terrifying second, the Fireball bristled, the golden spikes around its head
erect. Harry kept still, his heart stampeding in his heart; he couldn't breathe,
didn't dare.
And their eyes met.
There was pain in the Fireball's gaze and something else; an intelligence that
seemed to judge Harry in every way.
Harry swallowed hard, desperately trying to think of anything that would work.
The image of Merlin talking to the dragons in the play he had seen over the
Summer flashed through his head and Harry latched onto it. "Please…" he
whispered, unaware the word had hissed out in Parseltongue.
The dragon cocked her head.
"Please." Harry whispered again. "Let me go. Your eggs are safe. I protected
them and I would never hurt them, I promise."
Her green-slitted eyes shifted to the intact eggs. She sniffed at her young.
Slowly, the Fireball's ruff sank back to lie flat. She gave a snort and sank back
on her haunches.
Harry moved slowly, not entirely sure she wouldn't attack him still despite
apparently doing what he had asked. He carefully got to his feet and sidled
away. The Fireball didn't look at him; she crept into the space Harry had
vacated and curled protectively around her eggs. Harry stumbled around the
massive body of the Horntail, hurrying as fast as he could to the path. He fell
a couple of times, his legs shaky and weak, but he scrambled back up each
time.
At the gate, he wasn't surprised to see Sirius on the other side waiting for him,
Remus not far behind. Sirius opened the small wooden door and Harry all but
fell against him.
Sirius clutched Harry tightly to him. Harry tucked his head against Sirius and
breathed.
He was safe.
Bagman was announcing something.
Harry didn't care. He tightened his grip on Sirius, his scratched-up hands
fisting in the material of Sirius's robes. He felt Sirius rub his back, small circles
of warmth as Harry shook. There was another hand on his shoulder providing
a comforting grounding anchor; Remus.
"Come on, Pronglet." Sirius said quietly. "Let's get you to the infirmary tent."
He didn't release his hold on Harry though, and Harry figured Padfoot was
waiting on him to move. He slowly convinced his fingers to let go, one at a
time. He pushed weakly on Sirius's chest and Sirius helped steady him as he
got upright.
Sirius slid an arm around his waist. "Do you think you can walk?"
Harry nodded quickly but Remus moved to his other side and braced between
the two of them he found it wasn't a lie. He could walk although their progress
was slow.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 487
Everything hurt.
His arms ached; his hands stung where they were scraped; his legs were sore
from the climb and the fall and the stumbles.
Madame Pomfrey met them at the flap of tent. "Goodness, look at you! I'm
afraid you're stuck with me; Doctor Jordan is out at the dragon pens healing
the injured from that dangerous Horntail." She sniffed. "Dragons! What were
they thinking?!"
She chivvied them towards a bed and Harry climbed up and endured the
diagnostics with a pained grimace as Sirius hovered beside him; Remus at
the end of the bed.
He glanced around. Fleur was curled up in another bed at the far side of the
tent; her shoulder was heavily bandaged. An attractive older woman with
blonde hair, a distinguished looking man, and a young girl who looked like a
miniature Fleur were gathered around her. Her family, Harry guessed.
"What happened to Fleur?" he asked worriedly. She'd faced the Horntail.
"When they were bringing the Horntail into the arena, one of the eggs was
dropped and destroyed." Remus explained. "The Horntail was enraged before
Miss Delacour even entered the arena." He sighed. "She actually did very
well. She hit it with a strong sleep spell, had a similar idea to you with the robe
to carry the eggs only…the Horntail woke up before she got more than a few
steps away from the original nest. It attacked her and the rest of its eggs were
destroyed."
"They had to send half a dozen dragon handlers in to subdue it and get Miss
Delacour out." Sirius added. "How the hell did it get free to go on the
rampage?"
"A good question." Remus stated dryly.
There was the sound of running feet and Cedric and Viktor both entered.
Viktor looked unharmed beyond a strapped-up wrist but Cedric was covered
in pink burns paste all over one side of his face.
Pomfrey tutted loudly. "What did I tell you about leaving the tent, Mister
Diggory?" She pointed at the bed between Harry and Fleur.
"I snuck out to watch you." Cedric said to Harry as he hurried to sit where she
was pointing. "You were just…"
"Incredible." Viktor said gruffly. "Your strategy vas excellent."
Harry shrugged despite the praise making him smile. "How did you both go?"
Viktor frowned heavily. "I used Conjunctivitis Curse but I vas only able to get
two eggs as the dragon destroyed the others when she staggered into them."
The curse caused great pain in the eyes and Harry tried not to let his
disapproval at deliberately hurting the dragon and causing her to hurt her own
eggs show. It could be argued that he had hurt the Fireball just as much,
freezing her half to death.
"What about you, Cedric?" Harry asked.
Cedric gave a pained smile. "I summoned my broomstick to fly around it. I
managed to get one egg but…it caught me full blast with fire on the second
run and that was me out of it." He winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm going to need a new broom too. Mine's ash now."
Harry grimaced. He remembered how he'd felt when the Whomping Willow
had battered his first broomstick. It had been a loss. He loved his current
broomstick though, mostly because it was his first ever present from Sirius.
He was suddenly very glad he had decided not to fly.
"Vou are in lead." Viktor said disgruntled.
"The judges awarded you thirty-five points and you got tens from Bagman and
Professor Dumbledore." Cedric expanded. "Madame Maxime gave you a nine
and Karkaroff gave you a six."
"Karkaroff is blatantly biased." Remus said with an apologetic look at Viktor.
"He gave Cedric three points and Fleur a zero."
Viktor nodded in agreement though. "I did not deserve nine."
"What are your overall scores?" asked Harry as Pomfrey started to wave her
wand over his hands, healing up the scratches.
"Fleur has sixteen. Maxime gave her a six, Dumbledore a five and Bagman
another five, and you know Karkaroff's score." Cedric recited. "I had all
sevens except for Karkaroff so I'm on twenty-four."
"I have thirty-three." Viktor said brusquely.
It was a high score but Harry appreciated that Viktor's competitiveness
demanded perfection and he hadn't attained it. Harry squirmed under
Pomfrey's fussing over the bruises on his legs.
Remus patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'm going to tell everyone you're fine. I'll
see you in your rooms later for the celebration."
Sirius caught hold of Remus before he left. "Find Moody and ask what the hell
went down with that Horntail, will you?"
"Definitely." Remus answered.
Harry felt some of the strain ease out of his arms and shoulders as Pomfrey
healed them.
"We're done here, Lord Potter. You're free to leave but I highly recommend not
using your magic for a day and resting." Pomfrey said. She bustled into the
back of the tent which was cordoned off.
Harry slid off the bed and he was pleased that his legs held up better than
they had when they'd come out of the arena.
"Ah, there you all are!" Bagman grinned and gave them a brief round of
applause that drew disapproving looks from the Delacours. Harry didn't blame
them.
"Fantastic performances today, boys!" Bagman said brightly. "Really, really
fantastic start to the competition."
Harry, Cedric and Viktor all exchanged a disbelieving look.
"Now, clues for the next task!" Bagman continued chirpily, paying them little
attention. He raised a black velvet bag and delved inside. "This one is for you,
Cedric. One clue for one egg." He handed Cedric a small golden egg.
It reminded Harry of the small Cadbury Crème eggs that Dudley always
scoffed at Easter.
Bagman rooted around the bag again and handed Viktor a larger egg about
the size of a normal chocolate Easter egg. Dudley usually had several
whereas Harry had never received one from the Dursleys. "Two clues for you,
Viktor."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 488
"And for you, Harry," Bagman reached into the bag and improbably brought
out a large gold egg, "you get all four clues." He straightened. "Now, you're
not allowed to confer or share clues before the next task which will be held on
February twenty-fourth!" He gave another smarmy smile and left.
"I should go back to ship." Viktor bowed at Cedric and Harry, departing briskly
with no other fanfare.
Cedric sighed and subsided onto the bed. Harry wondered where his parents
were; he knew if he was as injured as Cedric Sirius would be hovering…just
like he was hovering right at that moment.
"You going to be OK here, Ced?" Harry asked, holding tightly to his egg as
Sirius wrapped an arm around him. He wanted to protest but he knew Sirius
probably needed the reassurance that Harry was OK.
"Yeah, I only have to stay another hour." Cedric confirmed. "Then I'll be all
fixed. No scars which will be good because I think Cho would probably dump
me if I had scars, and she definitely wouldn't go to the Yule Ball with me."
Harry froze. "Yule Ball? What Yule Ball?"
o-O-o
"I can't dance!" Harry declared, looking more panicked than he had facing off
against a dragon with nothing more than his wand. "I'm terrible! Ask Andy!"
Sirius made a comforting cluck as he directed Harry up a flight of stairs
towards the tower. Harry had apparently missed everything Bagman had
announced including the news that there was an official tournament ball. He
understood some of Harry's consternation; there hadn't been time in Harry's
etiquette lessons for polishing Harry's dancing skills that much was true.
"We can teach you enough to get by over the next couple of weeks. It'll be
fine." He gave a comforting squeeze since he'd wrapped his arm around his
son on leaving the infirmary tent and hadn't let go as they walked back
through the school to their quarters. "At least you don't have to worry about
who to ask."
"Oh Merln!" Harry clapped one hand to his forehead almost dropping his egg.
"I have to ask Hermione!"
"Well, I assume you want to ask her…" Sirius murmured, wondering why
Harry was so bothered about it.
"Of course I want to ask her but…" Harry sighed wearily. "We're going on our
first date on Saturday and I spent a really, really long time coming up with
something special. Now, I have to figure out something for asking her to the
ball too! And then there's…"
He went so violently red that Sirius worried it was a reaction to the dragon
fight for a moment before Harry mumbled something about kissing. And yeah,
Sirius wasn't touching that subject with a ten foot pole unless Harry
specifically asked for advice.
"Look," Sirius said firmly, "you've had a busy day," understatement of the
century, "we have quarters full of your friends waiting to congratulate you for
successfully completing the task and, you know, not dying with the whole
thing with the Horntail so…" he made a vague gesture, "worry about this
tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Harry nodded briskly. "Right."
They were almost at the portrait. Sirius gave the password and it swung open,
the babble from the waiting group of friends and family. He gave Harry a
nudge forward and followed him.
There was an immediate outbreak of applause, whistling and cheering at
Harry's entry.
Sirius plucked the egg out of Harry's hands as Hermione rushed over and
hugged Harry hard enough that Sirius was pleased that Pomfrey had seen to
Harry's bruises before he'd seen her.
"Oh God, Harry, that was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen!" Hermione
said, low enough that her voice didn't carry to the rest of the room, but Sirius
was close enough to catch it as he safely placed the egg on the table.
Harry patted her back consolingly. "The basilisk was worse."
His matter-of-fact tone brought Hermione back to herself and she moved back
to consider him with an arched eyebrow.
"The basilisk bit me," Harry pointed out, "I almost died."
"The Horntail did kind of stomp on you, mate." Ron piped up, moving forward
to slap Harry on the shoulder.
"Shield." Harry replied. "I had a shield. I was fine." But there was a flush of red
on his neck that gave away his own fear that he might not have survived.
Or maybe Sirius was projecting.
"You were brilliant with the Fireball." Neville beamed at him.
Harry grinned back at him. "How much did you win in Blaise's pool?"
"Lots." Neville said cheerfully.
"Gambling is wrong." Hermione said sternly. "It can lead to all kinds of trouble
just look at the twins."
Sirius wondered whether he should investigate as Ron shushed her and
darted a quick look around as though to check his mother wasn't present.
Sirius cleared his throat and slipped in between the chattering teenagers to
gather Harry up.
"Come on." Sirius said cheerfully. "There are others here who want to say
hello."
Andromeda approached first as protocol dictated, sweeping Harry out of
Sirius's loose hold and into a hug of her own. "You were very smart with the
Fireball and frankly I couldn't watch after the Horntail almost roasted you."
She leaned back and brushed a hand over the grime on his face. "You need a
bath then bed. You're exhausted."
"Madame Pomfrey said no magic for the rest of the day." Harry said.
"And I suggest you don't do anything tomorrow either." Sirius said. "Give your
core time to recover." He glanced around. "Where's Ted?"
"There was a report of injured from the Horntail getting loose?" Andromeda
said. "He's gone to help."
Sirius surreptitiously inched closer as the Malfoys stood.
Narcissa gave Harry a light hug and kissed his forehead. "You did well, Harry.
I was most impressed."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 489
"Your performance was most satisfactory." Lucius didn't try to offer Harry his
hand or approach him.
There was a frisson of tension remained between Harry and Lucius. Both
appreciated the need to tolerate each other but neither would ever like the
other. Sirius wasn't too bothered by that since he didn't think Lucius liked him
much and he definitely didn't like Lucius either.
Harry smiled humourlessly back at Lucius. "Perhaps I'm finally living up to my
reputation."
Lucius's eyes glittered. "Perhaps." He stroked a hand over the top of his cane.
"I expect to have some interesting conversations over the next few days."
Which was good.
If they could convince more of Voldemort's supporters to abandon him
because Harry was showing them the power of the opposition, it would be
less for them to face in a final showdown.
Harry nodded. "I hope so."
"Oh, I think there'll be a number of interesting conversations with that display
of heroics you just performed, Potter." Draco offered his hand to Harry who
rolled his eyes and shook it with appropriate seriousness. "Do we know how
the Horntail got free to turn up and try to kill you?"
Most of the room looked interested in the answer and Sirius jumped in.
"Remus has gone to investigate." Sirius said.
Narcissa placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "If you'll excuse us; Sirius,
Harry. We're going to walk Draco back to Slytherin and take our leave."
Draco pulled a face but nodded. "I should get back and confirm you're still
alive."
Sirius's lips twitched as Draco's dry tone. "Your service to the House of Black
is appreciated, Draco." He kept his tone light but sincere, and watched as
Draco's face lit up with the praise. Apparently it was also enough to warrant an
actual real smile from Narcissa. Lucius's suspicious gaze (as though he was
wondering about Sirius's motives in praising his son) simply made Sirius's
day.
"I should go too." Andromeda said, pulling on her outer robe. "Let Harry get
some rest."
Almost immediately Harry's friends surged forward again as Sirius walked the
Tonks' and the Malfoys out with a brief confirmation that Friday's family dinner
was still on.
By the time he walked back to the main sitting area, the four kids had
sprawled into one of the sofas and had started rehashing the entire first task.
Dobby was busily providing refreshments.
Sirius snagged a cup of hot chocolate from the elf and took up a watchful
pose in front of the fire.
"Krum was brilliant!" Ron enthused.
Hermione shook her head. "He was cruel. The Conjunctivitis Curse is one of
the most painful curses!"
"I'm not sure I can throw stones seeing as I froze mine half to death." Harry
muttered, wrapping his hands around his mug.
"Poor Fleur!" Hermione said. "She was doing really well too for a while but the
sleep spell just wasn't strong enough."
"Cedric did well until the dragon set his broom alight." Neville said
diplomatically.
Ron poked Harry. "I thought you were going to summon your broom too,
mate?"
"We worked so hard on that plan too." Hermione sighed, folding her arms,
obviously waiting for an explanation.
"When they said we had to get the eggs it didn't seem practical." Harry
explained. "I fumble the Quaffle enough if I have to carry it in practice and
that's with the spell that makes it sticky, I wasn't going to risk eggs."
Hermione sniffed. "Well, you're very lucky magical fire doesn't work the same
way as a real fire which uses air as fuel."
"Weird." Ron commented.
"It's also a conjured wind so it doesn't have the same properties." Harry said
simply.
Hermione's face brightened. "Where did you learn that spell anyway?"
"Professor Flitwick assigned me an essay on weather charms." Harry began
to explain.
Sirius propped an elbow up on the mantelpiece and watched Harry, alive and
well if exhausted and dirty, chatter with his friends.
o-O-o
"Stay still!"
The strident tone of the healer had Remus changing directions. He halted his
search for Moody and made his way to Doctor Jordan. She and Ted Tonks
were surrounded by injured dragon handlers. Most of them looked to have
minor injuries, scrapes and burns, but there was a covered body a few feet
away by the remains of the gate to the arena. The horror of losing one of their
own told on the faces of the waiting men and women.
"Can I help?" Remus asked.
Jordan didn't look up but continued working. "That's OK, Mister Lupin. Healer
Tonks and I have it under control."
Ted looked over briefly but only acknowledged Remus with a brief grim nod
before turning back to his patient.
Remus decided not to argue. The Healers maybe needed to heal the ones
they could after losing a patient. He continued on his way.
He caught sight of the Fireball, drugged and unconscious, being levitated into
its pen by a team of dragon handlers. The Weasley hair was like a banner.
Remus was pleased to see that Charlie was fine. He was about to move away
when Charlie saw him and motioned for him to wait. Remus raised a hand in
acknowledgement and folded his arms as he watched them manoeuvring the
dragon. He shook his head in renewed amazement that Harry had gone up
against it one on one.
It was a few minutes later that Charlie wandered over to him. He looked
exhausted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
Chapter 490
"Remus," Charlie greeted him with a handshake, "how is Harry?"
"Battered and bruised," Remus said, "but otherwise good." Better off than the
dragon handlers Remus had seen waiting for treatment.
Charlie winced as though he'd read Remus's mind anyway. "The Fireball team
were impressed with him especially when he protected the eggs."
"I couldn't believe the Fireball just let him go in the end." Remus admitted.
Charlie tilted his to the side, his eyes darting back to the pen. "They're very
intelligent creatures despite their reputation of being dumb animals. The
Fireball is one of the oldest species. The theory Karl, the team leader, has is
that the dragon recognised Harry was protecting the eggs and so wasn't a
threat." He gave a small sigh. "Tarkin thought Harry talked her into it since it
looked like he said something to her but that's probably wishful thinking. I
think all of us dragon handlers wish we could talk to them!"
"The Fireball recognising Harry wasn't a threat seems a reasonable theory to
me." Remus said. "I was actually looking for Moody to see if he had found out
how the Horntail got loose."
"We'd all like to know." Charlie sighed and shook his head. "It's the craziest
thing." He motioned at Remus. "The Horntail team is the most experienced.
There is no way they made some kind of mistake."
"Did you know the handler who died?" Remus asked compassionately.
Charlie nodded. "The Reserve is a small place, you know." His face crumpled
briefly before he wrestled his grief back. "It's hit us all pretty hard."
Remus made a comforting noise. "I should get on and find Moody."
Charlie pointed to the next pen. "He's in the Horntail's pen with the guys from
the Magical Forensic team."
"Thanks."
"No problem," Charlie took a step away, "hey, I was wondering if you can send
Mum a patronus, let her know I'm fine?"
Remus could only imagine Molly's reaction if she heard one of the handlers
had died and she didn't know Charlie was fine. He cast his patronus and sent
it off with Charlie's message.
They headed in different directions and Remus spotted the Horntail's pen
immediately. The metal railing and gate were melted in some places, mangled
in others. Severus stood by the remains of the entrance and straightened at
Remus's approach.
"Lupin." Severus drawled. "This area is off limits."
Before Remus could reply, Moody's gruff voice drifted over the railing. "Let
him in Snape."
Severus glowered at Remus but stood aside.
"Thank you, Severus." Remus said politely. He had drawn level with the
Potions Professor when Severus cleared his throat.
"I trust Potter is in one piece?" Severus asked casually as though the answer
didn't matter to him.
"Poppy healed the bumps and bruises he got." Remus confirmed since he
knew Severus was concerned. "He just needs rest."
"He performed adequately." Severus sniffed.
Remus smiled. "High praise from you indeed, Severus." He hesitated a
moment. "Any luck with Winky or Summers yet?"
Severus stared down his nose at him. "I believe I will know in three weeks
which potion was used. Beyond that…"
"It takes time." Remus nodded. "I'll remind Sirius when he gets too impatient."
"You will be reminding him frequently then," Severus said dryly, "to date, he
has contacted me daily for an update."
Remus sighed. Only Sirius… "I'll see what I can do." He promised Severus
and finally walked past the railing and into the pen properly.
Moody waved to him from the back of the large pen. Remus spotted Bertie
and Caro beside him and a large steel pin that was driven into the ground.
Caro straightened as he approached. "Sirius send you to find out what
happened?"
Remus nodded. "Although I am curious to know the answer to that myself."
He gestured towards the pin. "What have you found?"
"It's what we haven't found that's the key." Bertie pointed at the empty ground.
"No chain."
"There's a faint residue of a banishment charm." Caro chimed in, wiping away
the sweat from her brow. "I think it was likely timed to coincide with Harry's
attempt at the task."
"The feed was drugged too." Bertie said grimly. "Someone intended for the
Horntail to be enraged."
Moody harrumphed. "They couldn't anticipate the eggs getting broken and the
Horntail going feral anyway."
"She probably only attacked Miss Delacour in the manner she did because
she was under the influence of drugs. It was likely the reason why she didn't
stay under the sleep spell either." Bertie sighed. He looked his age for once;
tired and weary. "I have to go make a report to Cornelius and Amelia.
Whoever did this was responsible for the death of a dragon handler and
attempting to kill Harry." He motioned to Caro. "Keep looking for clues. Maybe
our culprit dropped something." He sighed. "I'll check in with Bill. He was
going to check out the arena."
Caro thinned her lips but applied herself to the task.
Remus grimaced and rubbed his brow. It was no more than they suspected
but he wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to Sirius.
"How did they get back here?" Remus asked Moody as they walked back to
the mangled gate.
Moody frowned. "Nobody got back here during the last few days. I'd say
whoever it was did the damage while the dragons were still being kept in the
Forbidden Forest." He huffed impatiently. "The Reserve took responsibility for
guard duty then along with a couple of Aurors they accepted for show mostly. I
bet Amelia's going to string up her guys' guts for garters."
"It is certain then?" Severus said as they reached him. "It was sabotage."
"Certain as eggs." Moody said with dark humour.
Severus seemed to fall into quiet contemplation as they walked back towards
the school, taking it slowly to account for Moody's leg.
"I believe we should consider the possibility that Potter was meant to draw the
Horntail in the competition and therefore the preparations were made to make
his task a true fight for his life." Severus broke the silence as they approached
the tournament tents.
Remus breathed in sharply. "That's not a bad theory. Someone should round
up the draw tokens – whatever was used, and examine them."
Moody stopped and pointed at the contestants' tent up ahead of them. "Let's
take a gander then, lads."
The tent was empty and devoid of anything but a long table and some flimsy
wooden chairs.
Severus sniffed. "There." He pointed at a side table where all four miniature
dragons lay still.
Moody huffed and cast a standard detection spell. "Nothing."
"Maybe they couldn't get access to the tokens and that part of the plan failed."
Remus suggested. "Otherwise why bother? They couldn't guarantee that the
Horntail would enter the arena and kill Harry. It could have just rampaged
around the dragon pens."
"Can't argue with that, and either way, I thought Riddle wanted the lad alive at
the end of this." Moody said, gathering up the tokens into a bag for evidence
anyway.