Unexpected Help, or How the Triwizard Tournament could have been

Sirius and Remus had just finished dinner and sat in the reading room to discuss their plans when Kreacher turned up and announced that someone was knocking on the front door.

“Who? Can only be Lady Bones, not even Harry has the Fidelius secret yet.”

“It is two people, Master, but one of them seems like a powerful Lady.”

“Get me a formal robe please and then request their names. We will be on our way down momentarily. If I let them in, then go serve tea in the office please.”

Kreacher nodded, snapped with his old and bony fingers once before handing Sirius a grey set of robes with purple trimming and leaving again.

“Okay Moony, let’s go.”

Amelia was relieved when a house elf opened the front door to greet them. This meant that Sirius Black was indeed here. Good.

“Good evening, I am Lady Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. With me is Senior Auror Rufus Scrimgeour.  We would  like to meet Lord Black to discuss some business. We mean him no harm and have no intention of arresting him.”

“One moment, I will announce you to the Master of the House.”

The elf closed the door again, presumably to ask Sirius if it was okay to let them in. Just moments later, he opened again.

“Lord Black will meet with you. Please come in.”

The house was less gloomy and grim than anticipated. Rumours had always been that hell would be more welcoming than Walburga Black’s home, but either these rumours were wrong or Sirius Black had been busy.

“Good evening, Lady Bones, Mr Scrimgeour. I invite you into this ancestral home and offer you House Black’s hospitality. Do you accept it?”

Amelia turned around, slightly startled. Despite scouting the entire room upon her entry she hadn’t noticed the man on the top of the stairs, standing in the shadows and now slowly walking down. She quickly regained her composure, having recognised the formal invitation.

“I accept House Black’s hospitality on behalf of House Bones.”

She elbowed Rufus.

“Oh, yeah, I accept as well.”

Sirius Black came into sight, dressed in formal robes of very high quality. A subtle grey with nice purple trimmings. Arcturus Black had worn stuff like that too, though he mostly preferred navy blue. He was looking healthy and fit, no longer gaunt and nearly starved. The insane expression he had on his arrest and wanted pictures was gone and the hair was combed and falling down to his shoulders. The grey strands weren’t gone though, some marks of Dementor exposure never really went away. 

Amelia immediately noticed the aura he was giving off, the heritage of House Black seemed to be pulsating through Sirius Black’s veins. Oh yes, if they teamed up, then they could change the world. A man of his charisma and magical power would easily gain majorities in the Wizengamot…Damn. She let herself get swayed by his power. Which wasn’t per se bad if their interests aligned. She was one hell of a stubborn woman, but if Black’s innate gifts could get to her that easily despite being aware of it, then he was freaking strong. 

“So, now that the formalities are over, please come in and join me. Kreacher, please take their robes and serve the tea for us four.”

While the elf did his job, Rufus and Amelia looked around. The prevalent thought still was that this looked not at all like a Black house. But hey, maybe Walburga and Orion had been bad examples.

“Like the interior design? My dearest mother left behind a bloody mess but we’ve tried our best to make it habitable again. Follow me upstairs please. Good evening, Grandfather.”

Sirius greeted the painting of old Arcturus, and so did his guests. On the way to the office he told them all about this crappy house and his late mother’s awful portrait, trying to lighten the mood a bit. The house was still predominantly dark and they had believed Sirius to be evil for years. This wasn’t really the most relaxing of situations for the two aurors. But over a cup of tea and in a much more cosy and warm office, they managed to discuss everything important. They shared political visions, plans against Voldemort and Dumbledore and Sirius told them everything he knew about the remaining Horcruxes. It was an efficient conversation and they couldn’t wait for Sirius to be acquitted so they could set some of their plans in motion.

The entirety of the next week was spent with finalising everything. Harry was as prepared as he could be for the dragons, Amelia Bones was sure to get Sirius Black free and outsmart Dumbledore and Rufus had decided to go on a Horcrux hunt. Obviously the snake was the last one to think about and the one in Harry was almost ready for removal, so it was either the goblin item at Hogwarts (working theory: Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, location unknown, to be researched by Potter and co. after the task) or the item under old family wards. Because they were deteriorating it was unlikely that they belonged to one of Voldemort’s followers - except the dead ones. Beyond that he was looking for Tom Riddle’s ancestry, that was probably the more likely option. But since the stupid bureaucrats at the ministry didn’t know the word “logic” it would take him ages to find some helpful files. Nonetheless, it was a start. 

The shock of Moody having been impersonated since the beginning of the term scared many students, especially because the Ministry wasn’t giving them all the details yet. But hey, an upside was that aurors were teaching DADA, and so far every lesson had surprised them. Only Harry and his friends knew it for a fact, but it was clear to everyone that those teachers had been instructed to ignore the curriculum and do a crash course in surviving attacks. Well, especially the OWL and NEWT students learned the theory too, but for the most part it was like that. Learn how to run and hide, deflect, block and immobilise. 

Even though Dumbledore didn’t like outside influence in his castle, he didn’t complain. For once he was satisfied with the outcome of the Ministry messing with his school and his plans. Depending how Tom would make his return, many of these pupils might have to fight Death Eaters at some point. At least once Tom came to kill Harry Potter at Hogwarts. Sad, but unavoidable.

The final days before the first task, Harry was slightly stressed. Though, one shouldn’t ignore the fact that Hermione was even worse when it came to panicking… even though she wasn’t the one who had to face a dragon. After Professor McGonagall pulled her aside and told her not to panic too much, because she clearly stressed and distracted Harry with it, the girl calmed down a bit.

Hagrid once tried to give Harry a “subtle” hint about the dragons (Merlin, that guy was lovable but not subtle at all), but Harry just thanked him for the offer and declined. He had a plan. It was only due to Neville’s reassuring statements that he finally gave in and left. Sneaking out at night to see the dragons when Harry needed his sleep and didn’t want to risk getting caught was not a good idea. 

Viktor Krum did something similar the morning after which Harry should have visited Hagrid, he waited in a shadowy corner near the Great Hall after breakfast and pulled them aside into an unused hallway.

“You know of the task, Potter?”

“Yes. Requested a list of dangerous creatures currently in Britain via a proxy. I’ve been preparing for weeks.”

Krum laughed.

“Good. I vould not want you to fight a dragon unprepared, but I believe you are best prepared. The French know too.”

“Do you feel prepared, Viktor…sorry, may I call you Viktor? Call me Harry.”

Hermione just shook her head while Viktor nodded. This boy was impossible.

“I think so. And you, Harry?”

“Hopefully. I’ll survive at least, I don’t care about the rest.”

“Good. And be careful, Karkaroff is getting nervous.”

And with that, Krum was gone again. It was a bit scary, he just quickly moved into the shadows without making a sound and vanished. He definitely didn’t apparate or anything, he was just great at moving unnoticed.

“Mione, do you think I should tell Cedric too?”

She hesitated for a second, but then nodded.

“Probably. You don’t care much about winning, so why would it matter if he is prepared? That way it’s a bit safer for everyone.”

“Thought so too. I’ll go tell Susan to leave him a copy of the list in the Common Room.”

Harry just couldn’t stop being this caring, selfless person. Hermione smiled and reached out for his hand. Despite the Tournament they were happier than ever.

The morning of the task Harry got up early and went through a last round of preparations and checks. Thankfully all classes were cancelled for the students. Sirius and Remus had written him a supportive letter and he was looking forward to seeing them later this evening. Everything would go well today. Nonetheless, he was longing for a dose of Felix Felicis - a luck potion he read about a few days ago. 

Even the morning edition of the Daily Prophet wished him luck, the article including statements from the Minister, Lady Bones and a few other top level Ministry officials. By now the newspaper was kind to him, and so was the Ministry. Henry explained that Fudge surely didn’t want to look like an idiot, but instead saw this whole mess as a chance ‘to support the boy-who-lived through his unjust treatment’ to increase his popularity rating and secure Harry’s political support in the future. 

Then, a while before the task was set to begin, Irma Pince came to get Harry from the library, since Professor McGonagall was asking for him. Something about the family of the champions coming to visit. Harry was sure that it wouldn’t be the Dursleys, and Remus and Sirius were unlikely. So… Dumbledore probably arranged the Weasleys to be there. Harry was happy about that, as long as Mr and Mrs Weasley would understand his current problems with Ron and Ginny. But he didn’t really worry. They were nice people.

Molly Weasley was slightly irritated. Professor Dumbledore had asked them to visit Harry before the first task, they were probably as close to family as possible for the poor boy. That wasn’t unexpected. What was strange was that Minerva McGonagall, who greeted them at Hogwarts, suggested that Ron and Ginny shouldn’t join them for now. Later, once Harry went on his way, then sure, but not when they were there for him. She had no idea what was going on.

Arthur on the other hand had some good guesses. Ron and Ginny having a problem with Harry, but the twins were fine, and their letters sounded a bit different. If he had to guess then the falling out was due to Harry and Hermione. Ginny was so enamoured with the boy-who-lived and Ron was jealous pretty often. Result of being the youngest boy. Maybe Harry and Hermione finally noticed that they both had a pretty obvious crush on each other, and his youngest two didn’t like that.

Then Harry finally came in sight, smiling at the sight of them. Fred and George were walking towards them too, waving at Bill and Charlie with delight. After hugs and introductions to the eldest two Weasley sons Molly couldn’t hold herself back anymore and asked what was wrong.

“What is going on with you, Ron and Ginny? Don’t worry, Harry, you’re family too.”

Harry blushed and looked down, but the twins walked up to him, expressing their support.

“Let me guess, Harry, you and Hermione? Ginny doesn’t take it well and Ron is jealous?”

“Yes, Mr Weasley. It’s not really anything official yet, but Ginny is just glaring at us all the time. Honestly, she did that since Halloween, when Hermione - just as a friend -  was the only person believing and supporting me. And Ron just keeps throwing a tantrum. I’m just doing that for all the fame and so on, and Hermione should realise that she should spend his time with him. He still never acknowledged that I didn’t enter and his claims were wrong. These days he’s struggling with school work and just spouting nonsense all the time.”

Then Harry realised how enraged and frustrated he had become and looked a bit uncomfortable. It only took seconds for the Weasleys to react, and despite Molly being very enthusiastic about hugging poor Harry, their oldest son - Bill, a younger and fitter copy of Arthur - was quicker, stepped forward and put a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. From what I’ve heard from Mum and Dad you’re a nice boy, no one is gonna start hating you. Ron has always been a bit jealous and I’ll see to it that he sees reason. And Ginny… she’s gonna have to realise that she can’t have everything she wants. But don’t forget, these are all normal teenage worries, we’ve all been there and know what you are going through.”

“Exactly, Harry. Teenagers and their troubles. You are still family, and I’ll have a chat with those two. Come here.”

After smiling at Bill Harry received a tight hug from Molly Weasley. He was relieved. So relieved. 

“Thank you all so much. And you are all here to watch me? Well… aside from you, I guess, you are probably busy working, Charlie? I know about the task and I’m prepared, no need to worry, Mrs Weasley.”

They all had expected it to be dragons, and they were clearly worried, but that soothed at least some worries.

“I’ll make sure that you stay fine, Harry, but after hearing about a certain basilisk I doubt you’ll have any issues whatsoever. Gotta tell me about that some day, sounds bloody cool.”

Molly Weasley just let out a slightly enraged “Charlie!” while Arthur just laughed. Gosh, his kids were great.

After a little while of chatting, Harry left again, he needed to get his things for the task and double check everything. This half an hour or so took away a lot of his stress and now he felt mostly comfortable. Let’s go fight a dragon and then face the Wizengamot. What could go wrong?

Honestly, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to be in Ron’s place right now. Yes, fighting a bloody dragon, sure, but Mrs Weasley seemed pretty upset at her youngest son. She was such a caring and lovely woman, and Mr Weasley was so understanding as well. The quirky man, who had become a sort of additional father figure to him, had immediately understood what was wrong and expressed his support. Oh, and Bill and Charlie were just cool. Like really cool. He sort of understood why Ron often felt inadequate and had this desire to prove himself. It’s not like that was a rational line of thought, but still somehow understandable. Bill worked with the Goblins in a very profitable, dangerous, challenging and cool profession for which he needed lots of knowledge, and Charlie worked with dragons. That alone was freaking cool. The twins were bloody smart and innovative (and on top of that very well-liked with many friends) and Percy apparently was a rising star in the Ministry. Clearly Ron felt inadequate and felt a need to perform better, but he was still younger and had his own talents. But hey, jealousy wasn’t rational.

Just about an hour before the event was set to begin, Harry realised how busy and full the castle slowly got. Aside from meeting with Lady Bones for a bit (and being introduced to Rufus Scrimgeour and a few other loyal aurors) he saw Cedric’s family, talked to Luna Lovegood’s incredibly quirky yet brilliant father and got introduced to several other people of all ages. Department Heads, pre-Hogwarts-age siblings, parents, grandparents, and so on. Lady Longbottom was pretty nice too, and judging from her subtle comments she knew enough about the meeting later to be able to reassure Harry that everything today would go well.

Then, Neville suddenly warned Harry.

“Look out, the Minister is coming your way.”

And indeed, Cornelius Fudge was walking up to them, at first followed by a woman in pink, but after a brief and heated debate, he came alone.

“Harry Potter, I hope I am not disturbing right now? I know that you probably have a lot on your mind.”

“Minister Fudge, good to meet you again. Don’t worry, I might be very stressed but I’m okay. Figured out the task and prepared for it. Honestly, the Wizengamot meeting stresses me more.”

“Wait… you know of the task? And of the meeting?”

“Magic Beast Control Act of 1855. Had someone get the list for me. And yes, I know of the meeting. Just don’t tell Dumbledore. He had a lot of failures recently and the public supports me. If he is unprepared later, he will not be able to intervene and you will profit. Both your ratings and your support in the Wizengamot.”

Cornelius Fudge contemplated for a second. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t an idiot. Inexperienced in House politics for sure, but he was a Minister with a mostly good track record. They still had massive issues, but recovered from the war and were mostly stable, financially and economically. Potter was incredibly popular these days, and he was close to Lady Bones via her niece. She was probably how he got the list of the Beast Control Act - smart move by the way. And Bones had said the same things. His administration would profit from it. 

Okay. 

He dared following Potter’s lead here.

“You want someone to be acquitted? Unjust treatment under Bagnold and Crouch? If it is legitimate, no worries, you have my support. And I won’t tell Dumbledore. He’s always trying to meddle around without asking, him taking a hit for a massive failure would be great. But I think my detail is getting worried, I should probably head towards my seat. Don’t worry too much, if you are prepared then you will be fine. And the handlers are among the best on the planet. Good luck, Harry. Heir Longbottom, and… I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”

“This, Minister, is my best friend, and, once I make it out of the dragon pit, the person responsible for my survival. Muggleborn yet outclassing every other student of our year and beyond. Miss Hermione Granger. You might want to warn the Department of Mysteries that they have a literal genius heading their way… unless you’re looking for more brilliance directly in your administration in a few years.”

“Oh! You were the one with the time turner. That alone tells me more than enough about your skills. Nice meeting you, Miss Granger. I’ll be sure to remember your name. But now, Miss Granger, Heir Potter, Heir Longbottom, I think I better go. Good luck.”

Once he was out of hearing range, Neville turned around and stared at Hermione.

“Time turner? That explains a lot. And that was a great job, Harry. Don’t look like that, Hermione, you are at a disadvantage due to your blood status, especially when it comes to jobs. Well… now no longer. Now you should have all the same chances as a pureblood. I saw at least five Lords or Heirs overhearing us, and you have no idea how much the auror detail gossips. By the evening half the Ministry will know. That is the way our country works.”

Sadly, Neville was right. In most cases the Ministry would probably prefer someone like Crabbe and Goyle, with maybe one or two bad NEWTs, instead of someone like Hermione with a record number of O NEWTs, when it came to filling any sort of important position. Not officially of course, but still. And people like Fudge, Bones or Arthur Weasley, who didn’t (entirely) support that behaviour, had to ignore that to prevent getting kicked out of their positions by the nobles. It was of no use to lose your position, because then you couldn’t change anything anymore. Both Arthur Weasley’s department and the DMLE at least employed staff of every blood status in relevant positions.

Instead of arguing or complaining, Hermione stayed silent and got lost in her thoughts. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what Harry did for her, but the whole system was just flawed. Maybe she could change something after Hogwarts. 

But contemplating future careers wasn’t on her agenda right now. Harry needed to get his stuff and then it was time to face a dragon. First, Hermione asked Neville to maybe go and get them some good seats for them and Susan, but the boy declined. 

“I’ll ask Susan to do that, she will sit with her aunt. They’re bound to have a good place either way. I am going to help Harry suit up.”

Hearing that, Harry looked up.

“Really? You sure?”

Neville nodded. And Hermione… well, she was just confused.

“There is something I am not understanding here, isn’t it?”

“Politics. Neville helps me get ready for battle, putting on my robes, carrying my weapons, that sort of stuff. In any formal duel that would basically say he’s my second. But regardless of that, it is a sign of alliance and friendship. It’s a powerful gesture. Thank you, Nev.”

And so Harry put on Henry Potter’s robes, made to fight dark wizards like Grindelwald back in the day. He wore two daggers and two wands, Henry’s well-known wand visibly strapped on his wrist in a holster. A sort of utility belt carried dozens of prepared rune stones and a simple set of carving instruments. He was prepared for virtually every possible outcome. He would survive, give those bloody Lords one hell of a show and then get Sirius acquitted. Easy.

Neville grabbed a bag with spare utensils, it clearly displayed the Potter sigil on it. On top of it, Neville took a short sword from the Potter family with him. Harry would probably at least wear it during the task, even though he didn’t intend on using it. The intention was that Neville carried the sword of his friend and ally to his fight. That should get some raised eyebrows. Politics…

Several professors and some Lords and Ladies wished Harry luck on his way to the tent, in which the champions would meet before the task. They all noticed Neville accompanying Harry (McGonagall even gave Neville points for being an exemplary friend and supporter before she actually briefly hugged Harry), but no one commented on it. Molly Weasley caught up to them too, giving Harry a very tight hug and wishing him luck. She seemed a little off, but that was just due to her two youngest being problematic. Ginny had cried her eyes out and thrown a tantrum, not understanding that she was acting obsessively, and Ron had been grumpy and silent, just saying the most unreasonable things. Bill and Arthur tried too, but that didn’t really work either. 

“I’m sorry, Harry, he is just so stubborn and jealous. Ron envies you and doesn’t get that you’d gladly trade all your fame and money for your parents. He probably feels lonely these days and doesn’t want to acknowledge having been wrong… and let’s not talk about his school work. He will have to get through that by himself. But don’t forget, you two are still family. I  admit, I never saw it, but Arthur did and he is right. You two are so lovely together. Now go out there and win, Harry. You want to come with us, Hermione?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll go with Neville and we meet Susan Bones and her aunt.”

Molly nodded, smiled at them and walked away.

“That went better than expected. I really thought…”

“Don’t worry, Harry. They all know how teenagers are and they care about you.”

Before Harry could say anything different, a rather healthy looking Barty Crouch stepped out of the tent. Amelia had informed them about the Crouch Junior story and it was a relief to see the man fitter and with a clear mind.

“Lord Potter, your companions sadly can’t go beyond this point. We’re about to start, so please say your goodbyes. Oh and admirable behaviour, Heir Longbottom.”

Neville handed Harry his bag and then held out the sword. Just before Harry took it, he saw Rita Skeeter in the corner of his eye and subtly nodded into her direction. And so, the moment he touched the sword, a flash went off and Rita grinned. Brilliant picture. 

“Thank you, Neville. Look after Hermione and go cheer for me. I'll see you later.”

Then he turned to Hermione, who attacked him with one of her bone-crushing hugs, which he obviously returned. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek (and knew that he would probably make the cover of Witch Weekly with that moment) and then smiled. Hermione had tears in her eyes.

“Come back to me, please.”

“I promise.”

One last smile at his friends, and then he turned around and walked into the tent, where Ludo Bagman was waiting. The other three champions were there as well, but thankfully not the judges. No need to explain to Dumbledore where he had the sword from before the task.

Following some nonsensical talk from Ludo Bagman, they all drew their dragons. Obviously, it had to be the Horntail. Cool. And even worse, he started last, meaning he had to wait ages in here.

And then, one by one they all headed out to fight their dragon until Harry was alone. This was the time. He shed his Hogwarts robes, under which he hid his armour, affixed the sword to his belt, ran one last check on his rune stones before having a last minute backup idea. Oh this would be cool. 

Now, one might argue that Harry having additional time to prepare was not fair, or that entering the arena with so much equipment must be against some rules, but no. The judges did say that this was a test of their wand skills, but this didn’t mean he couldn’t bring a sword or something with him. Victor too had a sword and Cedric carried a dagger. Blades of all sorts were classified as weaponry allowed to carry, and his rune stuff fell under magical tools. And as long as he managed to carry the rune stones on his body this was fine too. Something like a broom or a magical cannon would have been too sizable and specifically prohibited, and more than three standard-sized potion vials would have been outside of the limit too. His utility belt (one without expansion charm, that one would have been prohibited) was within size, so rune stones, potion based objects (like the twins’ creations) or alchemical objects fitting in there were fine. Obviously, there were some rules to that (no vial of basilisk poison for example), but they were all oddly specific and he didn’t break any of them. He knew the rule book well enough to challenge Karkaroff if the man would complain.

A ministry aide stepped into the tent, eyed his outfit with surprise and told Harry that it was his turn.

Okay. It was just a dragon.

Let’s go have some fun.