Chapter 11
Harry was pacing around his dorm, his hands holding his head as he panicked. Theo was sitting on his bed, a forgotten book on his lap as he watched Harry with a fond expression.
"What if the spell doesn't work because I'm stressing too much? What if the dragon only gets angrier, and I get burned? What if-"
Theo rolled his eyes and stood up, interrupting Harry's rambling. "Harry, we've practiced the spell at least a hundred times, and at least twenty of those were done in high-stress simulations. Charlie will be on the side-lines and step in if deemed necessary. You'll be fine!" Theo reassured him as he laid a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.
Harry subconsciously leaned into the touch as he met Theo's eyes. "I just can't help but worry. Given my bad luck and everything that's happened to me in the past few years, it wouldn't surprise me if the dragon managed to escape during the task."
"Your bad luck is astounding, yes, but if that were to happen, there are enough people who can deal with it. They are prepared for almost everything." Theo reassured with a small smile. They looked at each other a bit too long, as if they were having another staring contest. After about a minute, Harry realized what they were doing, and averted his eyes as he stood up, a blush turning his cheeks a deep red. Theo also flushed, but it was much less noticeable because he had his head tilted downward.
"Shall we go? I'm starving and I know some people who will want to see me before the task." Harry offered, but he never turned his face from where he was waiting at the door. Theo smiled slightly; he somehow knew Harry was blushing just as fiercely as him.
"Sure, Har. Just let me grab something first." Theo announced as he ruffled through his trunk. He searched for a minute, but finally found the object he was looking for. "There you go!" Theo said as he handed the blue velvet box to Harry.
Harry looked a bit skeptical at first, but he opened the box anyway. Theo wouldn't hand him something cursed, so there was no reason to worry. As the item was revealed to him, his eyes widened as he took in the beautiful artifact. It was a silver chain that shone brightly in the light of their dorm, with a small pendant attached to it in the middle. On the black pendant, you could see silver snakes moving around a beautiful emerald that was purer than anything Harry had seen before. As he turned the pendant he stared at the runes in shock.
"Algiz, Othala, Gebo, Mannaz, Berkana." Harry recited with wide eyes. He glanced at Theo, who was smiling hesitantly. "You had this made? For the Tournament?"
"Yes. An old friend of my mothers made the necklace, carved the pendant out of a stone that laid on the beaches of Kråkenes, where I used to live. I added the runes with the help of Professor Babbling, but-" Theo couldn't say anything else, as Harry had knocked the breath out of him with a hug.
"It's beautiful, Theo. It was made in your hometown, which makes it even more special. Thank you so much." Harry told Theo, who grinned so wide that it hurt his cheeks.
"It will protect you when I cannot, will warn me when you're in serious danger. I thought it might be useful, with the whole tournament thing going on." Theo admitted as Harry slowly let go of their hug.
"What if someone steals it?" Harry asked uncertainly while he puts the necklace around his neck.
Theo chuckled. "You don't have to worry about that, Har. I took every single precaution, so only you can take it off. Even when you leave it lying around, it will stay right where you put it. Put it on a table? The table can't be moved. Put it on a person? The person can't move. Of course, the rune can be removed by someone who knows how they work, but it will spare you some time to get away if you need to." He explained, which calmed Harry's nerves. He didn't want to lose something as precious at this because someone decided to steal it.
"Let's go to the Hall, now. We are already here for far longer than we anticipated." Theo said, and they finally left their dorm. Harry could feel the pendants magic washing over him at all times, which made him feel a lot more confident about this.
Maybe Harry should get something special for Theo, too. It was only fair, right?
---
"Hey, Harry!" Hermione called out as Harry and Theo entered the Hall. "Are you ready?"
Harry puffed out a breath and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Am I ready? Yes. Doesn't mean I'm not nervous, though." He told her, and she chuckled, pulling him into a quick hug.
"Come on, Neville is waiting for us." She said as she stepped away from the hug. She grabbed both boys by their arms and dragged them to where Neville was sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Susan Bones, Hannah Abott and Luna.
When Neville noticed the three, he waved them over excitedly. "Harry, Theo, come sit!"
Harry grinned and sat down next to his friend, Theo following silently. Hermione went and sat in between Susan and Luna. "Hi, Nev!" He said as he loaded his plate with some scrambled eggs, a few strawberries and a piece of toast.
"Heiress Bones, Abott." Theo greeted and inclined his head politely. The two girls smiled and greeted him the same way.
"Hi, Susan, Hannah, how's it like in Hufflepuff?" Harry asked cheerfully as he picked up his toast. The two girls have always been nice to him, even when their whole house suspected he had been behind the pretrification of their classmate, Justin Finch-Fetchley. Once they knew for sure that Harry hadn't done it, they became friends. Hannah gave him fashion and hair advice, and Susan gave him short lectures about Heirships, Lordships, the Wizengamot– anything political.
"Well, it's been a bit tense the past few days. Diggory became very mad the other day because some of his friends couldn't stop talking about how you're a traitor and put your name in on purpose. He shut them down, went to his dorm, and hasn't talked to them for the past 5 days. They tried, obviously, but he either stays silent or walks away. He made it very clear that he believes you, and that you are helping him wherever you can." Susan pointed out.
"That, but some became mad at us for staying friends with you. They see it as the ultimate betrayal of House Unity. However, as I explained to them, us being friends has no effect on that whatsoever. House Unity cannot become reality without stability. Sometimes stability has to come in the shape of two Gryffindors and a Slytherin. If we were to only be friends with people of our own houses, there is a much bigger chance of rivalry and bullying to try and prove who is the 'most superior in the house'. Most people changed their minds immediately, but some- some are just outright gits." Hannah added.
Harry raised a brow in surprise and smirked. "All that to protect our friendship? You told me last week that if someone offers you candy quills in exchange for our friendship, you would gladly chose the candy." He teased, and Hannah guffawed in mock-offense.
"That's just hypocritical of you, Harry! You told me that if someone asked you to chose between your Firebolt and our friendship, you would choose the Firebolt!" She retorted with a fist raised in anger.
Neville was hysterically laughing, holding onto Harry like a lifeline. Theo was chuckling fondly, same with Hermione. Susan was hiding her giggling behind her hand, but her shoulders were shaking so hard anyone would know she was laughing.
"You know what that Firebolt means to me, Hannah! Uncle Siri got it for me."
"I don't care whether your dogfather got it for you! Our friendship is more important."
"But you said sugar quills, Hannah! Sugar quills! You could buy hundreds with the same money you would need for a Firebolt."
"I suppose you have a point. Doesn't mean I forgive you, peasant!"
"Of course I have a point! Just so you know, I don't forgive you either, dipshit!"
"Friends?"
"Friends."
"Does this mean I can finally come get you for the task, Potter?" Snape drawled as he smacked today's paper on Harry's head.
Harry jumped and almost fell of the bench he was sitting on. "Jeez, Sev! No need to give me a heartattack when I'm already dying today!"
Snape rolled his eyes dramatically. "You aren't going to die, Potter. And what did I tell you? No calling me anything other than Snape outside of my, or Minerva's, office or personal quarters."
Harry saluted jokingly. "Understood, Professor Snape, sir!" He exclaimed as he stood up stiffly.
"Come on, you brat." Snape hissed and dragged Harry out. Harry laughed quietly. Snape may look mad, but Harry knows he's more amused than anything.
"Bye, Harry!" "You can do this!" "We believe in you!" "Don't die!" Harry heard as he followed Snape out of the Hall, and he cracked a small smile. He had the best friends ever.
"You think I can do this, Sev?" Harry asked quietly as they walked across the school grounds.
Snape stopped both of them for a moment, and forced Harry to look at him by grabbing his shoulder. "Don't, for even one moment, think that you can't do this. I've seen what you can do. I've watched you pratice that spell yesterday, and you've already mastered it. Even if that doesn't work, you have enough other plans you can use. Remus, Black, Minerva, Theo, Longbottom, me, we all believe in you."
Harry gaped at the man for a moment. If you told the Harry from last year that he would get a motivational speech from Snape, he would tell you that you're crazy. Harry knew that Snape has begun to be nicer to him, but he could never have expected this. He thought that his worries would annoy the man, make him mad. That wasn't the case, obviously.
Snape snorted at the baffled look. "Yes, Potter, that happened. Now, it would be smart if you were to go to the tent. You don't want to be late, get the worst dragon, and die, right? That would be very unfortunate." There was the Snape Harry knew! Nonetheless, Harry followed Snape in silence and they entered the champions' tent.
When Bagman noticed Harry enter, he came over with two pieces of clothing in his hands. He handed them over to Harry. "There you go, Mr. Potter! You will wear these clothes throughout the tournament, as they have your schools symbol on it. You will find the changing cubicles at the back of the tent, and to your right." He explained, and Harry nodded. With one last look at Snape, he left to change.
As soon as Harry stepped out of the changing room, he could hear a snort from behind a pillar. Harry rolled his eyes in recognition. "Theo, I know it's you."
Harry heard a scoff and grinned as an annoyed Theo became visible to him. "You and your amazing hearing, I swear!" Theo smirked, though there was no real malice behind it.
"Come to visit me before the task? Afraid you'll never see me again?" Harry asked dramatically and posed as if he was about to faint.
Theo chuckled. "I'm actually here to ask you whether you want blue or purple flowers at your funeral?"
Harry tapped a thoughtful on his chin. "Mhm. That's a hard one. I was actually thinking about white, but a pale blue will do. It will make me look a bit livelier." He answered jokingly.
Theo bowed as if he were a servant. "I will note that down, Heir Potter."
The two boys stared at each other for a bit, but quickly burst out into laughter. They clutched at each other, trying to stay upright. Harry's glasses almost fell off his face, and Theo tried to steady them, but it was to no avail. The glasses fell on the ground, and the two boys laughed even harder.
The two then saw the flash of a camera go iff and immediately stopped laughing. Theo's eyes flashed in anger as he saw the person who had taken the picture. "Skeeter! I thought you made an agreement with Harry to not take pictures of, and not have an interview with him without his consent?"
Harry stepped forward. "I made my terms very clear, Ms. Skeeter. Destroy that picture, or face whatever I put on the contract in case you broke the rules." He threatened, and Skeeter immediately ssnatched the picture out of the photographer's hands to burn it. Harry banished the ash just for good measure.
When Harry had been taken from the Potions class for the 'Weighing of the Wands' Ceremony, Skeeter had tried to force him into an interview. She basically grabbed him by his shoulders, shoved him in a cupboard and ambushed him with questions. Remus, of course, wouldn't have that, so he set up a contract with the Goblin in charge of the Potter fortune, and had a contract made that clearly stated that, in any case, Skeeter was not allowed to take pictures of, have an interview with, or even talk to Harry without his permission.
The punishment for breaking this agreement wasn't known to anyone but Harry, Remus, Snape and Sirius, so Skeeter couldn't risk anything. Who knows what kind of thing those four could've come up with together.
"Of course, Mr. Potter. I will take my leave now." Skeeter squeaked and ran out of the room, her photographer following close behind.
"Don't you even try to spy on us as a bug! We will catch you!" Harry shouted after her, and Theo snorted. Theo found out that Skeeter was an Animagus after an article was published about Harry with quotes in it that Theo had told him in their dorm. It was a bit suspicious that while they were having that conversation, there had been a beetle on the window near Harry's bed- specifically a beetle with lines that looked like glasses around the its eyes. As soon as Theo had told him that the beetle could be an Animagus, Harry panicked and threw the beetle out of the room, yelling a 'not again!' with panicked eyes. Theo, of course, found it very funny considering the events that had taken place the year before.
After some laughing about Skeeter's face and the way she curried away like a scared dog, Theo left to go to the stands and Harry went to the main tent, where the other champions were. When he entered, he found out he was the last one there.
"Ah, there you are, Mr. Potter!" Bagman announced with his usual smile. It reminded Harry a bit of his uncle, but he quickly shook that thought away.
"Sorry, I got caught up by Skeeter." Harry apologized, but Bugman waved him off, saying they had enough time left.
"So, champions, the first task is to test your daring. It's an individual task, meaning everyone will do it separately. In this bag," Bagman held up the small brown satchel in question, "are miniature versions of the things you'll be facing, different for each champion. There is a number attached to each miniature, which will be the order in which you are doing the task. Number one goes first, number four goes last. Ms. Delacour, you can go first!"
Harry could see Fleur swallow as she reached into the bag and yelped loudly, pulling her hand back to reveal a small version of a Common Welsh Green, the number 2 attached to it. Harry groaned internally as he realised this only increased the chance of getting the most dangerous one.
Viktor pulled out the Chinese Fireball, he had to go third. Harry waited with bated breath as Cedric pulled his out, and almost screamed when he saw the Swedish Shortsnout with a small number 1 on it. This would mean the Hungarian Horntail is the dragon Harry will be facing and he would go last, great.
Harry glared at the figurine while the other champions went to retrieve their golden egg. He really did have the worst luck. How was he supposed to distract one of the most temperamental creatures that existed?
After about 20 minutes of waiting, the signal that Krum was done sounded. Harry took in a deep breath and slowly walked over to where he would enter the arena. He clutched his wand in his hand tightly and jumped when his starting signal went off.
"Time to do this." Harry muttered to himself, before stepping into the light. When he entered, he couldn't hear anything other than the loud cheering and screams of the people in the crowd. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts.
He took a quick glance at where Sirius, Remus and Theo were supposed to be sitting, and grinned when he caught a glimpse of the banner Sirius had promised he'd make. 'Don't ask me any questions. I'm here to support my godson!' The banner read. There were small lightning bolts scattered around the fabric, along with a small stag next to a dog in one of the corners. It looked rushed, but Harry absolutely loved it.
Harry turned his eyes on the dragon, who had already been watching him with flaming yellow eyes. Harry figured it was best to try Parseltongue first.
,,Mother of all Dragons, I've come to ask you a favor." Harry stated as he neared the dragon. He could hear gasps coming from the quieted crowd, but he paid them no mind.
The dragon cocked its head at him and snorted, which released smoke that prickled at Harry's eyes. ,,How dare you, a mere peasant, try and ask me for a favor? I am above you!" It roared at him.
,,I'm merely asking you to hand me the imposter egg within your nest. See, it's not one of yours. It was placed there for me to retrieve. If you do not believe me just look at your eggs, you'll see that one is a fake." Harry defended, bowing his head to show submission.
,,I don't have to do anything for you! I would know if one of my eggs were a fake. Leave, and no harm shall come to you." The dragon warned.
"I'll have to do this the hard way, then." Harry said under his breath, and he raised his wand. "Ignis Apparentia!" Harry shouted, and fire burst out of his wand. Multiple screams could be heard on the stands as a dozen fire figures spread around the arena, but leaving a gap where Harry currently was. Harry grinned and his worries of the spell not working washed away. It worked, and now Harry had the perfect chance to get what he needed.
The dragon rose and roared in rage, its magnificent wings spreading out. It turned away from Harry and lunged at the fire, leaving Harry with the perfect opportunity to summon the egg. He pointed his wand at the egg, and the crowd watched with wide eyes as it flew across the air and into Harry's arms without a word, no spell cast.
Harry rushed back to where he entered before and vanished the shapes just as he was out of sight, unscathed and with the golden egg in his arms.