Chapter 6
Harry, Neville and Theo were currently sitting in the library with thousands of books on dragons spread out in front of them.
"Has the Ministry lost their minds? Dragons should not be considered safe." Neville said in disbelief. "Thank Merlin Hagrid told you. I don't how you could have survived this task otherwise."
Theo snorted. "You'd have been burnt to a crisp." He joked.
Harry glared playfully. "I'd like to see you try to face a dragon yourself, Theodore." He retorted.
Theo gasped loudly, pointing an accusing finger at Harry. "How dare you say that name, Harrison?"
Harry cocked his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "If you were waiting for a reaction, you would be sitting here until you die. I don't mind if people call me by my full name."
"Well, I do mind." Theo told Harry and glared. Harry started glaring back, and they didn't stop.
"Come on, you do this every day! Harry, you know Theo doesn't want to be called Theodore!." Neville scolded, but the other two just kept glaring at each other. Neville groaned. "If you two don't stop, I'm getting McGonagall and tell her you two are acting like children again."
When they heard his, Harry and Theo turned to face Neville so fast that they could've gotten whiplash. "You wouldn't dare." said Harry. Neville laughed at Harry and Theo's horrified faces. "I totally would, unless you to stop doing that until we have at least finished analyzing the four dragons you might be facing." Neville threatened, and the two immediately picked up a book, but not without grumbling while they did. Neville puffed out a laugh at the sight, but quickly grabbed one himself.
It was quiet for some time. The only thing you could hear was Theo's quill scratching the parchment as he took notes, and Harry's laugh when he read something slightly amusing.
After about 30 minutes, Theo put down the book he was done reading. "I'm done with mine." He stated. Harry and Neville immediately put down their books to listen.
"The four dragons you saw, based on your descriptions," Theo started, "were a Chinese Fireball, a Swedish Shortsnout, a Common Welsh Green and a Hungarian Horntail.
"The Common Welsh Green is the one I consider the least dangerous of the four. It's one of the more docile dragons, and doesn't attack unless provoked. It does have very sharp claws and is an agile flier, but as I said before, it won't attack you if there's no reason to.
"The Chinese Fireball would be the third most dangerous one. While the dragon is very fast and agressive, that can also be used against them. The thing you should be most worried about is the balls of fire they shoot. The fire doesn't reach you as fast as the fire of the other dragons would, but if it does, you'll wish you had died of natural causes instead.
"The Swedish Shortsnout is much more dangerous than the Chinese Fireball, but not the most. While other dragons breathe normal fire, these dragons breathe blue fire. This, in comparison to normal fire, is much more dangerous and very harmful if you were to come in contact with it. However, they are very predictable dragons, so it's likely you'll know when they plan to attack. They also have very tough scales, but since I sincerely doubt you'll have to kill it to get the golden egg, it shouldn't be something to worry about.
"Last but not least, the Hungarian Horntail. This is the most dangerous dragon you could face, maybe even the most dangerous one in the world. It has some of the strongest wings there are amongst dragons, so one hit can throw you back hundreds of meters. Other than that, they have spikes on their tails, and trust me, you don't want to know what happens if you were stabbed by those spikes. Their fire, though considered as normal fire, is lethal and could kill you in seconds. However, their aggressive nature and their reliance on brute strength can make them vulnerable to clever strategies."
Once Theo was finished, no one dared to speak for a minute.
Once he had soaked up all the information, Harry broke the silence. "So, I'm fucked either way?"
"Yep!" Theo chirped with the biggest grin the normally stoic boy could muster.
"Great." Harry groaned. "I thought I would live 'till at least 20."
---
"Cedric! Wait up!" Harry shouted across the courtyard, with Theo and Neville in tow.
The Hufflepuff in question turned around from where he was walking with his friends, who sneered at Harry as soon as they saw him.
"Hey, Potter! Still won't admit to being a cheater?" One of them jeered, causing everyone standing close enough to hear to laugh.
"Have you seen our beautiful badges?" Another called out exuberantly, pointing to the huge badge attached to his robe.
When Harry took a closer look, he could see the words changing from 'Support Cedric Diggory – the REAL Hogwarts Champion!' to 'Potter Stinks!'.
Harry snorted. "Yes, really funny." He said, before turning his face towards Cedric once again. "I have something I need to tell you," He looked at all the people around them, "In private."
"Don't do it, Cedric! He might kill you so he can win faster!" Ernie MacMillan joked.
"Stop it, guys. I'm quite sure that Harry isn't a homicidal maniac. Whatever he wants to tell me is probably important." Cedric interrupted. He then walked over to Harry and smiled in apology.
Harry smiled back and then looked at Theo and Neville. "I'll be back in a bit. I'll see you in Potions, alright?" The two boys nodded and said quick goodbyes, leaving Harry and Cedric to talk.
"What did you want to tell me?" Cedric asked as they sat down on one of the benches next to the fountain in the centre of the courtyard.
"It's about the first task." Harry started, "Last night, Hagrid came to me, asking to come with him. He then lead me into the Forbidden Forest and we hid behind a bush. I asked him why I was here, but I soon found out why."
"What did you see?" Cedric inquired curiously.
"Well, it turns out that our first task is dragons-"
"Dragons? Are they crazy?" Cedric interrupted, suddenly sitting upright and staring at Harry in disbelief. "How could they have possibly thought that was a good idea?"
"I don't know what possesed them either, but I'm serious. They apparently want us to retrieve a golden egg out of a nest, specifically out of a mother's nest. You either have to face a Swedish Shortsnout, a Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball or a Hungarian Horntail." Harry then gave Cedric a copy of Theo's notes. "I figured it would do you good to know beforehand. I found it unfair that you were the only champion not in the know, seeing as Krum and Fleur were also there that evening, so I thought it was best if I also told you. Because the task is in such short time, these notes might be useful."
Cedric stared at Harry in bewilderment. "Thanks for telling me. I'm also definitely going to use this." He said as he held up the parchment.
Harry smiled politely. "It's the least I could do, with me stealing your spotlight and all." He joked, and Cedric laughed.
"Hey, it's not like you put in your name yourself. I knew you couldn't have when I saw you standing there in front of Dumbledore. That didn't look like someone who entered willingly." Cedric said, and Harry's shoulder sagged with relief.
"Glad to know there are more than 4 people who believe me at this school." Harry said and smiled. "I should go now, no reason for Professor Snape to dislike me even more." 'Even if he has a soft spot for me now' went unsaid.
Harry stood up and waved goodbye, and Cedric did too before going back to his friends.
When Harry walked into the Potions classroom, he was glad to see he wasn't late. Snape himself hadn't even arrived himself. As soon as Harry found his spot next to Neville at the front of the class, Snape slammed the door open and walked over to his desk with his robes flowing behind him.
Snape then snapped his fingers, and instructions began to write themselves on the board. "Today," He drawled, "You will be making the Oculus Potion. Does anybody have an idea what this potion is used for?" He looked around the classrooms, before his eyes landed on Neville, who had his hand up.
Snape raised a brow and called on Neville, "Mr. Longbottom?"
"It's an eye-restoration potion that can be used after being cursed by the conjuctivitis curse to restore the eyesight, sir." Neville confidently answered, Harry quietly encouraging him. Theo had been tutoring both of them in Potions at Snape's request, and it obviously seemed to be paying off.
"Correct, Mr.Longbottom." Snape said. "Five points to Gryffindor." He added quietly, but loud enough for only Neville and Harry to hear. Neville beamed and Harry patted him on the back proudly.
"Now, follow the instructions on the board. You have one hour to prepare the potion. Begin!" Snape ordered, and Harry immediately stood up to collect the ingredients.
When Harry had grabbed the last ingredient, Hermione walked up to him. "Harry?" She asked, gaining Harry's attention. Harry turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Sorry, you'll have to be quick. Nev and I need all the time we can get." Harry told her. 'I guess Minnie was wrong about Hermione not going to me herself' Harry thought to himself as he waited for Hermione to start talking.
"Well, I was just wondering why you haven't been in most classes? I asked Professor McGonagall, but she told me to ask you myself." Hermione told him she grabbed her own ingredients.
"It's kind of complicated, but I don't attend some classes and self-study instead, so I have more time to prepare for the tasks." Harry explained. "Oh, and I don't know if you noticed, but I'm also attending Ancient Runes now."
"Yes, I did notice, although I thought you were just joining Nott, seeing as you would normally have a free period then." Hermione said with her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.
Harry laughed. "That could've been the case, yes, but McGonagall told me it might be smart to take up another elective. Self-study tends to give you a lot of spare time, so she offered and I said yes."
"Oh, that would explain it." Hermione said. "I'm sorry I've not been here for you the past few days, but it's just been-" She wanted to add, but Harry quickly waved her off.
"It's fine, Hermione. Things have been hectic, so I don't blame you." He told her. "You can join Theo, Neville and I in the library this evening if you want to?" He offered as an afterthought. Ron might have been a total dick to him, but Hermione hasn't, and that counts for something, doesn't it?
Hermione smiled widely at Harry. "I definitely will, see you there!" She said, then raced off to her desk with the ingredients, sitting down next to a fuming Ron. Harry merely rolled his eyes and went back to his own desk.
"Did that go alright?" Neville asked, and Harry could only beam at him. "Hermione isn't that much of a lost cause as we previously thought." Harry told him, and Neville smiled at the news. They could have expected Hermione to not leave a friend behind so quickly, but Ron set a bad example. Now that Harry didn't have to worry about that anymore, a great weight had been lifted off his chest.
It had been a good day.