- Days Later -
It wasn't until the final week before the First Task, when Harry spotted "Charlie Weasley" moving around on the farthest edge of the Marauder's Map, going back and forth between the Forbidden Forest and a small clearing a short distance away.
Racing to grab Fleur, who was making her way back to the Beauxbatons carriage after dinner in a thick cardigan and jeans, they quietly snuck off during the night to see for themselves what the magical creature they'd be facing was.
As they reached the Forbidden Forest, the sounds of men shouting and deafening, earsplitting roars could be heard nearby. Glancing at each other, they snuck around a clump of trees before coming to a halt as they stared wide-eyed.
Dragons. Three, fully grown, vicious-looking dragons were seen releasing torrents of fire into the night sky.
They were kept inside of a fenced off enclosure with thick, fire-resistant wooden planks. At least thirty dragon handlers could be seen attempting to control the raging beasts, pulling on long chains connected to heavy leather straps around their necks and legs.
There was the Swedish Short-Snout; its silvery-blue scales and long, pointed horns the most noticeable thing about it. That was…until it breathed bright-blue flames that were far hotter than the other dragons, melting the very ground itself as its massive mouth snapped and snarled at the dragon handlers.
Next to it, the Chinese Fireball had bright, ruby-red scales and a fringe of golden spikes around its face. Rearing up on its back legs, it breathed a mushroom-shaped flame that didn't burn so much as it scorched, affecting a wider area than the Short-Snout's fire had.
Perhaps worst of all, was the Hungarian Horntail. More lizard-like than the others, it had obsidian-black scales, long bronze horns, and a massive spiked tail. It roared the loudest as it spewed fire that, while not as hot or as wide as the others, reached twice as far in an instant.
'Of course, because things just couldn't be that easy.' Harry thought deadpan.
The sight before him was like something out of a nightmare. A sentiment that at least Fleur seemed to share with him, if her unnaturally pale face was anything to go by.
"Let's get out of here," he whispered to the frozen-still Fleur. "We saw what we needed to." Gently grabbing her hand, he ignored its clammy state as he pulled her back from the tree-line and towards the castle.
…
- Warning! - Small Lime - Warning! -
Returning to the castle, Harry quickly pulled Fleur into a small broom-closet as he gently grabbed her unhealthy pale face in his hands. "Fleur?"
When she didn't respond, he pulled her into a kiss, dominating her mouth as his tongue plundered its way through.
The sudden intensity finally got a reaction out of her, causing Fleur to moan in surprise as he pushed her against the closet wall. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair as he reached down to grope her ass through the jeans she wore, pulling her against him.
Feeling his erection press against her dampening groin, Fleur moaned loudly as she dry-humped him. The adrenaline from the Forest, and the quickly heating passion proved too much as she pulled back from the kiss to whisper out, "'Arry!"
Their sexes ground together as they both came, leaving noticeable damp spots in their pants as they slowed down their movements, Fleur biting his neck to smother her loud moan, leaving a small mark.
- Lime Over -
When their breathing finally settled, Fleur rested her head against his shoulder, gently kissing the mark on his neck as she spoke up. "Mon dieu, 'Arry. I 'ave never zeen you zo…passionate." She purred out, incredibly pleased with what just happened.
Chuckling Harry kissed the top of her slightly sweaty head as he replied, "Yeah…well, it was the only thing I could think of to get you to snap out of it."
"Oui…" Fleur muttered, her thoughts trailing back to the Forest, and the sight of the dragons. "That was…terrifying. To think we will have to go up against those…beastz."
She had never been so afraid for her life before, and the thought that she would have to face one of them nearly caused her to start panicking. As her breathing picked up, flames flickered on her palms as her Veela side responded to her fear.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked, spotting her shaking palms and the small embers dancing in her hands.
Ignoring the fire, he turned to face her fully as he reached out to pull her hands to him, surprised that the flames didn't burn him. Noticing her hands slowly changing into talons, he brought them up to his lips before kissing them.
"It's okay, Fleur. I'm here." He muttered, interlacing his fingers with her talons.
Using his touch to center herself, Fleur glanced down at their joined hands before her sapphire blue eyes widened in surprise at the state of her hands.
Looking back up, she searched his eyes for any sort of discomfort or disgust.
Finding none, she gave a beautiful smile as she blinked away some gathering tears. "Merci, 'Arry." She muttered lovingly, staring into his emerald green eyes, framed by horn-rimmed glasses.
"Of course." Harry replied softly, rubbing his thumbs over the back of her talons, feeling its rougher texture.
- Timeskip: First Task -
After their private moment in the broom-closet, Harry and Fleur agreed to gather the next day with their friends to discuss what they were going to do.
Marietta, Cho, and Hermione had been suitably shocked and upset to hear what the first task was going to be. Even worse, the task was only a few days away, giving them very little time to plan.
It was decided that Harry and Fleur would focus on using their strengths. Harry would stick with Transfiguration, as the Dragon's magic-resistant hide would render most charms useless, and he didn't have the skill in flying to try using a broomstick.
Because her talents in Enchanting wouldn't provide much use, Fleur revealed, to his surprise, that Veela are naturally gifted singers. She planned to use a charm to enhance her voice into lulling her dragon to sleep. Apparently, the magically resistant hide didn't protect a dragon's eyes, ears, or the inside of their mouth.
With their plans somewhat in place, they nervously practiced every day and night as everyone waited for the day of the first task.
…
Sitting down together at the Ravenclaw table, Harry and Fleur were practically joined together at the hip with how close they were sitting, needing to feel the other's presence as they tried to keep their nerves under control.
All around the hall, everyone was looking at them and Krum, some coming over to wish good luck, while others tried to get autographs.
Thankfully, their friends noticed how out of it they were, and shooed everyone off.
Hearing footsteps coming from the Staff table, everyone turned to watch as Minerva and Maxime walked over to them while Karkaroff went over to the Slytherin table.
Once the older witches reached them, Minerva spoke. "It's time…"
Their friends offered "Good luck's" and "You can do it." interspersed with tight hugs before watching silently with the rest of the students as they exited the Great Hall.
While Maxime lead Fleur away, Minerva walked side-by-side with Harry. "I'm sorry you have to go through with this. It's not fair…" She muttered.
Ever since Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, she had tried desperately to find a way around the oaths they had to swear, keeping all teachers from offering any sort of help to the champions.
Smiling, Harry gently squeezed her hand. "I know. Thank you for worrying about me."
Turning, Minerva pulled him into a warm hug. "Of course I worry, Harry. You're as good as family to me." She muttered, squeezing him tightly as he hugged her back.
Letting go, they set off once again out of the castle towards a sectioned off area that bordered the Forbidden Forest. A massive tent was erected against the side of a wooden arena. Instead of walking straight to the tent, they veered off towards three smaller tents next to it.
Each smaller tent had the coat of arms for one of the three schools. "There's a set of robes inside, you'll need to put those on before you can enter the Champion's tent." Minerva explained, pointing towards the small Hogwarts tent.
Reaching up to caress his cheek, she said, "Good luck."
Giving a nod and smile in thanks, Harry stepped inside the tent to change into the set of padded black robes. It didn't seem to have any charms on it, but the extra padding would offer some protection from glancing blows or pieces of flying rubble.
Stepping out, he walked silently over to the main tent's entrance, trying to steady his nerves as he pulled back the flaps leading inside.
- Champion's Tent -
Krum stood off to the far side of the tent, dressed in similar robes of a blood-red, looking even surlier than usual as his beady eyes stared at a single spot on the floor. Fleur sat in another corner on a small stool, her powder-blue robes looked quite nice on her, but Harry was more focused on her bouncing leg as she nervously looked around the tent.
Quickly making his way over to her, she practically leapt up from the stool into his arms. "'Arry…" she whispered, taking deep breaths as she inhaled his scent. It seemed to calm her down immensely as she pulled back to smile shakily at him.
"Are you ready?" She asked softly.
Shrugging as his arms refused to remove themselves from around her body, Harry muttered. "As best as I can be…you?"
"Oui."
There was nothing else they could think of to say as they stood in each other's arms, drawing strength and support from each other.
Their moment together was interrupted by the sound of a jolly voice calling out from the entrance to the tent. "Harry! Good-o!" Bagman exclaimed, "Well, now that we're all here - time to fill you in!"
The man looked like a slightly overblown cartoon figure as he bounced on his feet, dressed in his old Wasp Beater robes that stretched over his overweight frame.
"When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," he held up a small sack of purple silk as deformations moved along its surface. "From which you'll each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different…varieties…you'll choose from."
Bagman chuckled at his own joke, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere as the champions stared silently back at him.
"I have you tell you all something else too…" He mumbled, scratching his head. "Ah! Yes…your task is, to collect the golden egg!"
The three of them nodded once in reply, not wanting to speak up.
Soon, the sounds of hundreds of feet could be heard passing the tent as students talked excitedly, laughing and joking as they made their way into the stands. When the noise started to die down, Bagman held out the purple silk sack towards Fleur. "Ladies first!"
Fleur put a shaking hand inside of the bag, flinching as she drew out a tiny replica of a Swedish Short-Snout with a small number one tied around its neck. Holding the facsimile in her hand, Fleur glanced at Harry for a moment before focusing on Bagman as he passed the bag over to Krum.
Krum wasted no time in reaching into the bag before roughly pulling out his dragon.
Harry breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he spotted the obsidian-black scales of the Hungarian Horntail with a number three around it. That just improved his chances of surviving tremendously.
Reaching into the bag, he pulled out the last dragon, the ruby-red Chinese Fireball with a number two.
"Well, there you are!" Bagman said, " You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the number refers to the order in which you are to take on the dragons. Now, I'm going to have to leave you all in a minute, as I'll be doing the commentating."
Turning to Fleur, he explained, "Ms. Delacour, you're first. Just go out into the arena when you hear the whistle, all right?" Getting a nod, he turned to Harry, "Now…Harry…could I have a quick word? Outside?"
"O-kay…" Harry replied hesitantly, following the man out of the tent and into the tree-line.
Turning back to Harry with a fatherly expression on his face, Bagman asked, "Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?"
"Er…no. I'm fine, thank you."
"Got a plan?" he lowered his voice conspiratorially as he glanced around, "Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them…I mean, you're the underdog here, Harry. Anything I can do to help…"
"That's all right, Mr. Bagman." Harry replied, trying not to sound rude.
"Nobody would know, Harry." Bagman winked at him with a smile. Before he could continue, a whistle blew somewhere. "Good lord, I've got to run!" He said in alarm before hurrying off.
Harry blinked as the man sprinted towards the arena before making his way into the tent where Fleur stood nervously. Without another word, he walked up and pulled her into a tight hug.
They stood there for a moment before giving a final kiss, "Be careful…I'll see you after this is over." Harry promised, staring into her sapphire blue eyes.
"I'll be waiting." Fleur whispered, steeling herself as she pulled out of the hug before stepping through the flaps leading towards the arena.
…
It was the most nerve-racking minutes of his life, standing there listening to the sounds of the crowd cheering at Fleur's entrance into the enclosure.
Bagman's commentating gave very little insight into what was going on, but Harry knew that Fleur was using her charmed singing to lull the Short-Snout to sleep. It was the same plan she used in the storybooks, and there really was no reason to change it. Fleur could render her dragon unconscious and grab the egg without having to battle it, reducing the risks of her being roasted alive.
"OH, I'm not sure that was wise!" Bagman shouted gleefully. "Oh…nearly! Careful now…good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"
Harry wasn't a particularly violent person, but right now the only thing on his mind (besides worrying for Fleur's safety) was how badly he wished to punch Bagman in the face.
A few moments later, the crowd erupted into applause, signaling Fleur's success in getting the golden egg.
"One down, two to go!" Bagman yelled out as the whistle blew. "Mr. Potter, if you please!"
Releasing a deep breath, Harry squared his shoulders before marching out of the tent. 'Here goes nothing.'
- Arena -
The arena itself was fairly small in size, with large piles of black rocks that provided cover from the Dragon's flames.
All around, hundreds of faces stared down at him from stands that rose up over the arena. The crowd cheered him on, waving Ravenclaw and Hogwarts flags as they called out his name while Bagman's voice boomed overhead.
At the other end of the enclosure, the Fireball crouched over her clutch of eggs, snarling and glaring at him. The Fireball's ruby-red scales glinted in the sun, and the bright red eggs were barely recognizable underneath the Dragon's mass, a single gold egg standing out in the bunch.
Raising his ebony wand, Harry tested something out before going forward with his plan.
"Accio Golden Egg!" He shouted, using the incantation and wand-motions for maximum effect. Waiting a few moments, nothing happened. 'Damn, worth a try.'
Shrugging off the failure, Harry knew it would have been a long shot for that to work so easily. But a guy could dream…
Turning to the black rock rubble that laid all around the enclosure, he cast an old favorite of his that had helped him out once before. 'Draconifors'
The rubble turned into dozens of small red dragons, flapping their tiny wings as he sent them towards the Fireball. He had obviously mastered the spell by now, able to mimic the appearance of any type of dragon he wished, and as the ruby-red miniature dragons flew forward, he grinned.
The Fireball went from looking menacing, to confused, as it stared at the approaching baby dragons that flew around it.
Glancing between the ruby eggs underneath it, and the little ones lying around its head. Harry made sure not to have his dragons attack the Fireball. Their job was meant to be nothing more than a distraction.
Waving his wand, Harry cast a far more complex spell. Conjuring a large bronze eagle, he charmed its talons to have a Sticking Charm before sending it off.
Conjuration was a very difficult branch of Transfiguration for him, it required an incredible amount of magic and control to use on larger creations, and was generally taught at the end of Sixth-year.
Luckily for Harry, he was a bit of a Transfiguration prodigy. And thanks to his role as Minerva's unofficial apprentice, he had more than enough experience seeing conjuration in action, and understanding of how it worked, to use it himself when he practiced the spell with Fleur and their friends.
The difficulty for him, was that because of his younger body and magic, he could only use the spell once or twice before he grew exhausted.
From the stands, the Ravenclaw students roared in celebration at the symbol of their house's mascot.
Watching eagerly, Harry commanded his conjuration to soar underneath the Fireball as the small dragons roared loudly, hiding the eagle's approach with their bodies and cries.
As the bronze eagle flew underneath the Fireball, its talons grasped the golden egg, causing the Sticking charm to attach it to the conjuration as it flew out from underneath.
Grinning, he held out his hands as the eagle placed the egg in them before vanishing, its task complete.
The Fireball finally seemed to notice the disappearance of one of its eggs as it turned to look at him. With a roar, it spewed out a mushroom-shaped flame, scorching the rocks and several of the little dragons in the process as the crowd gasped in fear.
Harry did nothing as the flames stopped a few feet from him.
This was why he breathed a sigh of relief at not getting the Hungarian Horntail. The Horntail's longer flames would have allowed it to reach him, and potentially put his whole plan at risk.
Transfiguration wasn't a subject that allowed one to move around very easily like Charms could. It required time and focus to transfigure and conjure the more advanced creations, meaning that he had to stay back at a safe distance if he wanted to be at his most effective.
Part of what made Dumbledore so terrifying on the battlefield, was the fact that he wouldn't even move from his spot as his Transfiguration spells wreaked havoc on the enemy, creating the illusion of an Immovable Object that they had no hope of defeating.
Lifting the egg into the air, drawing a final cheer from the crowd, Harry turned around to walk out of the arena as Bagman's voice boomed overhead.
"Would you look at that! Our youngest champion now holds the fastest time for catching his egg! Will Mr. Krum be able to top that?"
…
Just outside, Minerva hurried over to him. "Are you alright, Harry?" She asked worried, gently grabbing his shoulders as she looked him up and down for any wounds.
"I'm fine, I don't think I got a scratch on me." He replied, the adrenaline starting to fade.
"Oh, you brave boy," Minerva muttered, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you! That was a wonderful showing." Smiling down at his slightly shorter stature, Harry internally groaned at not yet reaching her height. At least now he wasn't being smothering into her large chest every time she hugged him.
"Come…every champion needs to be checked by Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your scores." She let him go before gesturing towards another tent.
Pushing through the flaps, Harry noticed that the tent was divided into cubicles; he could barely make out Fleur's shadow through the canvas material of the one on the far left.
Madam Pomfrey stepped quietly out of Fleur's cubicle, motioning him over to the one next to it. "In you go, Mr. Potter."
…
Inside the small space, Pomfrey waved her wand over him, casting several spells to check his condition as she spoke, "Dragons!" Her disgusted tone rang out, "First it's Dementors, now it's Dragons, what are they going to bring into Hogwarts next?"
When her spells came back negative, she sighed in relief. "Well, you seem to be perfectly fine. Just a bit of tiredness from using stronger magic, I'd recommend not using any more complex spells until you've had time to rest." She replied, pulling open the flap of the small cubicle. "You're quite lucky, Ms. Delacour received a fairly nasty burn on her leg in her attempt."
Wide-eyed, Harry glanced at Pomfrey before moving over to Fleur's cubicle. "Fleur? Are you okay?" He asked worried, wanting nothing more than to push his way in, but also wanting to respect her space if she needed it.
"Oui…" Came her soft reply, "It iz not that bad. You can come in."
Stepping into the other cubicle, he spotted her sitting on a small bed, the left leg of her padded pants removed at the thigh to reveal a large burn covered in a thick orange paste. "What happened?" He asked softly, switching to French as he kneeled down to look at the damage.
Fleur watched his concerned face with a gentle smile as she replied. "I got too close to the Dragon after putting it to sleep. It had curled up next to the eggs, and there was barely enough room to get to the golden egg. When I turned to leave, it snored out some flames that I couldn't dodge."
Glancing down at the burn, she grimaced. "Usually, Veela are immune to most fire, but a Short-Snouts hotter flames burn us easily. Madam Pomfrey says that it may even leave a small burn-scar."
Looking up into her eyes, Harry saw that the thought of having a scar didn't sit well with her. "It will look quite ugly." She added, "Even with the burn-salve, there is little else they can do against magical fire."
Rising to his feet, Harry leaned in to kiss her on the lips, drawing a surprised sound from Fleur. Pulling back just enough that his lips brushed hers, he replied softly. "Nothing about you is ugly. Not even this."
Grinning slightly, he teased with a wink, "And I'd be more than happy to help rub the salve on your leg, or anywhere else for that matter."
Fleur laughed, throwing her arms around his shoulders as her body shook. "Merci, 'Arry. Merci."
The moment was eventually ruined by Madam Pomfrey opening the flap to the cubicle. "Come along, Mr. Potter. You and Ms. Delacour can spend some more time later; right now, you need to get your scores from the judges."
Glancing back at Fleur, she smiled lovingly as she waved him off, "Go on, they are waiting for you."
Smiling, Harry switched back to English as he replied, "I'll see you soon, Flower."
…
Picking up his golden egg that sat next to hers, he walked out of the medical tent and back over towards the arena where the five judges were.
Seated at a table overlooking the arena, the judges sat in large chairs of gold. Maxime was the first to raise her wand and start off the scoring. From the tip of her long wand, a silver ribbon shot out before twisting itself into a large figure '7'.
As the crowd applauded, Mr. Crouch raised his wand before shooting out a '9', drawing more applause.
Dumbledore raised his wand next, smiling proudly down to Harry from his seat before a number '10' rose into the air. The crowd cheered harder than ever.
Bagman barely waited for Dumbledore to lower his wand before shooting up his own '10'.
Karkaroff raised his wand last, pausing for a moment before reluctantly shooting out a '5', to the disapproving uproar of the crowd. The scowl on his face showed that he wished nothing more than to give a zero.
With the judges finished giving out their scores, Bagman spoke up from his seat at the table. "And with that, Harry Potter receives a score of 41! Beating Ms. Delacour's score of 37!"
Turning to walk back the medical tent, Harry didn't wait a second to step back inside to sit with Fleur as the burn-salve finished its work.
Through the flaps of the tent, they could hear the crowd cheering as Krum made his attempt.
Bagman's voice commentating their fellow champion's progress. "Very daring!" The Horntail roared a terrible, roaring shriek as the crowd drew in a collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing!"
There was a long crash, as if something massive had impacted rocks, "Oh, dear! That was a nasty hit, I wonder if he's okay?" Fleur and Harry glanced at each other, concerned for Krum's well-being. They may not care about him very much, but they don't want to him get killed in the Tournament.
"He's going in again! And…yes…Yes! He's got the egg! Quickly, get the dragon handlers in there!" Bagman yelled, the cheering and applause from the crowd shattering the silence as everyone congratulated Krum.
Moments later, the flaps to the tent opened, bringing their attention to Krum's limping body as he stepped inside. Behind him, Madam Pomfrey was quickly ushering him into the third cubicle on the far right.
Krum looked barely alive. There was a massive cut going down his chest, tearing straight through his padded robes. His face was bloody, with two black eyes that were quickly swealing, and blood dripped down his front in puddles on the floor as he slowly limped on a single good leg into the cubicle.
As Krum and Pomfrey disappeared into the cubicle, Minerva came through the tent, waving her wand to clean up the spilled blood as she walked over to them. "He tried to fight the Horntail." She informed them, staring at the shadows behind the canvas.
Shaking her head, she turned back to them. "Used a Conjunctivus Curse to take out one of its eyes. The Horntail didn't approve, and smashed him into the side of the arena with its tail." She grimaced at the memory. "We were worried he wasn't alive, when he slowly started crawling through the rubble. He was barely able to sneak close enough to get his hands on the golden egg when the dragon handlers had to rush in to stun the beast."
Glancing down at Fleur's leg, Minerva added, "Madam Pomfrey informed me that you're free to leave now, Ms. Delacour. She said to remember to put the burn-salve on every night before bed, and to soak it thoroughly in water."
Nodding, Harry helped her up as they left the medical tent arm in arm, their golden eggs cradled in the opposite hand.
Spotting their friends standing around nervously, Cho, Marietta, and Hermione noticed them immediately before racing over.
"We saw what happened," Cho said, pulling Fleur into a hug before looking down at her leg. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Fleur smiled gratefully at the concern as she waved off the injury. "I am okay, thank you. It iz not az bad az it seemz."
"Still," Hermione replied, pulling Fleur into another hug, "Try not to scare us like that again, please?" Fleur nodded.
As Marietta pulled Harry into a hug, Cho spoke up, "Look! Krum's making his way over to the judges."
Turning around, they watched as Krum limped out of the tent, noticeably less injured than he was before, but still not healed. They all waited for the judges to give his scores.
As Karkaroff shot up a '10', Marietta grumbled at the unfairness. "Krum did the worst of you three, and his Highmaster stillgives him a perfect score."
Fleur and Harry simply shrug in response. They were just happy to make it out alive, scores mattered very little compared to their lives.
Bagman's voice spoke up as the last score was tallied. "And with a score of 32, Mr. Krum takes third in the First Task!" As the crowd cheered, he continued, "Will the champions please make their way back to the Champion's tent for further instructions?"
Waving goodbye to their friends, Harry and Fleur walked back to the largest tent.
"Well done, all of you!" Bagman exclaimed once Krum hobbled in. "Now, just a few quick words…You've got a nice, long break before the Second Task, which will take place at half-past Nine on the morning of February, the Twenty-Fourth."
"In the meantime," He added, "We've given you something to think about! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open." Motioning to the clasp at the top of each egg.
"You will need to solve the clue inside the egg, which will reveal what the Second Task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear?"
The three champions nodded minutely, glancing over their individual eggs. "Well, off you go, then!"
Before they could leave the tent, screams could be heard outside as the sounds of footsteps raced past the tent. "What in the world?" Bagman asked, stepping out of the tent.
The champions looked at each other confused before following him outside.
…
Pandemonium.
That's the word that came to mind as Harry watched everyone sprinting out of the arena and back towards the castle. Bagman tried to stop one of the students to ask what was going on, who yelled out a single sentence that chilled them to the bone.
"The dragons! They're loose!"