I am not J.K. Rowling, and I do not own Harry Potter (although I do own a copy of all the books and movies), and am certainly not making any money off of this. I'm writing this purely because I enjoy it, and I hope you do too.
A Sirius Matter
Chapter 28 - The Wrong Side of the Fence
While Dumbledore was talking to Snape and Hagrid, Sirius walked into the hospital wing, looking ready to kill.
"Sirius," said Harry, "I was wondering where you were."
"Sorry cub. While you were still having your vision, I left Hagrid's hut to try and find Karkaroff. I couldn't find him."
"I'll bet that traitor is half-way to Bulgaria by now!"
"I don't think so, Harry," said Hermione, looking deep in thought. "I think we can assume that he put your name in the goblet, and therefore will die when the first task is over."
"So?"
"So, there's only one reason why he would have sent us to Voldemort. Remember your previous vision! He's been promised help against that curse."
"I doubt Voldemort's gonna help him now," said Sirius, "even if he somehow can."
"Not unless he manages to deliver…"
"My head on a platter."
"Well, yes," she said, taking her boyfriend's hand, "But we won't let that happen. Will we Sirius, I mean, Professor Black?"
"Of course not," he said, patting Harry on his back. "I hope Karkaroff does show up! I can give him what's coming to him." A dark look crossed Sirius' face. "It'll be better than the Dementors."
-
A week passed by with no trouble at the school. The Daily Prophet reported that defense classes would be offered to the general public for ten Sickles per lesson from the famed retired auror, Alaster Moody. After seeing his picture in the paper, Harry wondered how many people would actually attend classes taught by someone who looked like that. Then again, with Voldemort back, he supposed most people would take all the help they could get. It also reported the murders of some muggle families by Death Eaters, but no one attacked Harry.
-
Harry was surprised to find a new teacher in Care of Magical Creatures class. A woman named Professor Grubbly-Plank was handling the lesson that day. The professor said she didn't know where Hagrid was or when he'd be back when Harry asked. She led the class to a tree on the edge of the forest where a unicorn was tethered.
"Oh they're beautiful," several of the girls proclaimed. Then the substitute teacher had the girls pet it while the boys stayed back.
-
After an enjoyable trip to Hogsmeade (wherein Harry bought his girlfriend a dozen roses) that Saturday, Harry and Hermione took a walk around the lake, holding hands and enjoying each other's company when Harry noticed some movement near the edge of the forest.
"Someone's over there!" said Harry, stepping in that direction, "sneaking around the forest. Could it be Karkaroff?"
"I don't think so," she answered, "judging by the size I'd say it might be Hagrid."
"Let's take a closer look."
"We can't, Harry! It might be dangerous."
"You're right, Hermione. Go back into the castle. I'll be there in a little while."
"I meant both of us!"
"Shh!" Harry said, continuing in that direction. "That's not how Hagrid dresses. I think it's Madam Maxime. I wonder what she's up to."
"It probably has something to do with that stupid tournament."
"Maybe she's cheating."
Harry kept walking, so Hermione sighed and proclaimed, "I wish we at least had your cloak."
As they walked the perimeter of the forest, staying a good distance from the Beauxbatons headmistress, they heard roars in the distance. Hermione grasped Harry's hand even tighter than she already had been. She approached a fence with several wizards on the other side eating lunch about twenty meters from giant cages holding three dragons. Harry and Hermione stood back for a moment watching them until they saw a big rock shoot out of the forest and straight into Maxime's head from behind. She fell down, unconscious.
Hermione ran to help her while Harry pointed his wand in the direction the rock had come from. "Petrificus Totalus," he heard Karkaroff's voice shout as his girlfriend froze in place, falling face-first to the ground.
"Serves you right mudblood!" said another voice Harry was familiar with. Both Karkaroff and Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the forest. "Mr. Potter. What a nice surprise. We were just discussing how to lure you here, and you delivered yourself."
Before Harry could do anything, Lucius had performed some sort of levitation charm on him wherein he was hanging upside down and was moving over the fence while Igor was picking Hermione up and positioning her stiff body against the fence. "Now you can watch helplessly as your pathetic boyfriend is cooked and eaten by the dragons!"
Lucius let Harry fall in front of the cage that contained a Hungarian Horntail, and then cast a ward around the dragon tamers, so they couldn't help anyone. Karkaroff magically opened the cages one by one. The beasts were still chained to the cages so they couldn't fly away, but the chains were about thirty feet long. "Now we must take our leave of you. Too bad we don't have the time to watch you die slowly. Good day." Both Lucius and Igor took hold of a portkey and vanished.
Harry was momentarily too scared to move as he looked into the eyes of a dragon, but his instincts took over as it prepared to breathe fire on him. He rolled out of the way just in time only to find another dragon, the Swedish Short-Snout, looking at him. He was hit from behind by something that felt like a tree. As he was flying about twenty feet, he realized that it must have been the horntail's tail. Fortunately, he wasn't hit with the end of that tail, or he'd be dead. As it was, he believed a few of his ribs were broken. He was miraculously still holding his wand.
-
Hermione watched helplessly, frozen in a position to watch this horrific scene. She realized that she didn't even have the ability to cry while in the full body-bind. Harry had landed in front of the Chinese Fireball, which was preparing to make a fireball out of him. Harry moved out of the way, but not before his robes caught fire. He pulled them off quickly, burning both his hands in the process. He was relieved that his wand didn't catch fire. He shot a silent `Stupefy' at the beast, only for the beam to bounce off the skin toward the sky. In desperation, he fired a silent `Reducto' at the monster's face. It hit the snout, moving the head back slightly, angering it.
-
Charlie Weasley watched in horror as the boy his mum counted as another son was hit by the Chinese Fireball's tail back toward the Hungarian Horntail that had hit him only a minute before. He knew Harry had to have several broken ribs by now. He was actually surprised that the boy-who-lived was still alive. He was impressed that his spell had gotten any reaction from the Fireball. He thought that Harry would be a very powerful wizard; that is if he somehow survived this. He rejoined his colleagues shooting spells at the ward holding them.
-
Harry was laying on his back watching helplessly as the Horntail prepared once again to roast him. He saw the monster's open mouth and had a flashback to his long-ago fight with a basilisk. This time, instead of a sword, he had a wand. Concentrating all the power he had, Harry shot a `Reducto' straight into its mouth. The beast screeched in pain as it flew backwards, head first, into the Swedish Short Snout, landing on top of it. As the Fireball was running toward him, Harry, panting heavily, turned his wand on his own chest. "Wingardium Leviosa." He quickly rose up straight in the air.
-
The bushy-haired girl watched in amazement as her boyfriend flew straight up in the air, beyond the Chinese Fireball's range, but wondered how he'd land. She suddenly heard movement behind her and feared that her attackers had returned.
-
"Finite Incantatum!" said Madam Maxime from behind the Hogwarts girl. She'd just awoken with a terrible headache, and saw the brunette stuck, leaning against the fence.
"You've got to help Harry!" Hermione yelled as tears finally started falling down her cheeks. She pointed at him in the sky. "Thank you, by the way."
"You're velcome, child." The half-giant looked at the spec in the air. "Eef ve lower him to the ground, zee dragons vill get him. He vill need a broomstick."
Maxime pointed her wand in the direction of her carriage while Hermione watched her boyfriend. At the same time that a broom arrived from the forest, the dragon-handlers broke through Malfoy's ward and started shooting at the Fireball and Short Snout. The Horntail hadn't moved since it was thrown off the Short Snout.
"I am too large to fit two people on a broomstick. You vill ave to fly it to him."
Hermione stiffened a bit and swallowed. Harry was at least fifty feet in the air. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. She took what she could identify as a Nimbus 2001 from Maxime and mounted it.
-
Harry was tiring quickly as he kept his wand pointed at himself. He was also feeling light-headed. He probably would have passed out already if he hadn't been in such pain. He thought his whole ribcage was broken, and wondered how long he'd be in the hospital wing this time when he got down. "If I get down," he corrected himself. From where he was, he saw the broom flying through the forest and smiled to himself until he saw his girlfriend mount it. She'd gotten practice flying in the summer, but not at that skill level. He knew she was a genius, and good in a fight, but he didn't actually have that much confidence in her ability to fly to his height and pull him onto the broom without losing balance, and fly him down. He also knew he wouldn't be able to help her with his injuries.
-
She took off into the sky easily enough, and pointed straight toward Harry. She wasn't worried about the simple flying. It was getting him onto the broom. When she got next to him, she nervously said, "Hi."
"Er, hi."
"Need a lift?" she said with a worried smile. She slowly maneuvered the broom right below him and moved up until it was in a position he could grab it.
He did with one hand and landed behind her, screaming in agony as he felt his broken ribs. The broom was tilting upwards and he could tell she was fighting to rebalance the broom. She was also crying. "I'm sorry! I'm just not very good at this. I'm…"
"Shh. Just relax and fly above the forest into the school."
"But it's against…"
"Hermione. I know I've got at least a couple broken ribs, and who knows what else wrong with me. I need to get to Madam Pomfrey fast." He was panting as he said that. He managed to stick his wand in a pocket so he could put his arms around her for better balance.
She soon descended in front of the castle and pulled out her wand, performing a spell to open the door. She knew from `Hogwarts, A History' that when the castle is locked, that spell won't work. She flew into the hallway and around a corner, passing Filch, who started running and yelling at her. She didn't stop until they were in the Hospital Wing.
"Miss Granger! Mr. Potter. What is the meaning…" At that moment, Pomfrey noticed the look on Harry's face and some of his injuries. "Let me levitate him onto a bed."
"Be careful. He thinks he has broken ribs."
After the school Healer had safely gotten her patient onto a bed (where he promptly passed out) and was examining him, Mr. Filch ran into the room. "I've caught you now, Granger, Potter! You'll be…"
"Mr. Filch! If you'd open your eyes and look at anything but the filthy floors, you'd have seen that Mr. Potter is grievously injured! Miss Granger brought him to me using the quickest means available to her. She should be rewarded, not punished! If necessary, I shall take this matter up with the headmaster himself. Now, leave my Hospital Wing!"
She said all of that without stopping her examination. Filch stormed out of the room grumbling about how unfair it was. Hermione said, "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, what happened this time?"
"He was attacked by dragons."
Her eyes bulged out as both Maxime and Charlie rushed into the room. "How is he?" asked the redhead.
"I've just healed five broken ribs and am now treating the burns on his hands. What happened? I know he wasn't in the tournament."
The three witnesses explained it together as the Healer listened in silence. That is until Charlie said, "…and he killed the Horntail!"
"What?" asked Pomfrey, sure that she was hearing wrong.
"He shot a powerful `reducto' into the dragon's mouth and killed it! I couldn't believe it! They're rushing a replacement dragon over right away so they can still have the tournament."
"Can't dragon leather be used for armor?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, along with jackets, boots, and several other things."
"And dragon blood has twelve uses as well," she added.
"That's right," said Charlie with a smile.
"Then can't Harry have the Horntail's remains?"
Charlie's eyes widened. "What?"
"I mean, he was attacked by a dragon you dragon-keepers were supposed to be guarding. It's the least you could do."
"I, I…"
"I'd think your employer would be honored to give it to the famous Harry Potter. I'd hate for the press to find out he refused the request."
"I'll have to talk to him."
"There's no need," came a voice from behind Charlie. He looked around to see his boss. "Harry Potter certainly can have the remains with our apologies."
"Thank you, sir."
"We just ask that you keep the information that the school champions will face dragons a secret until Tuesday evening."
"But Madam Maxime knows," Hermione said, indicating the half-giant who was listening. "She'll tell Fleur Delacour."
"I vill not!" she said as she lay in bed with her head injury, planning to break her promise as a terrified-looking Sirius Black rushed into the room.
"What's happened to Harry now?"
-
Please review. Thank you to those who have. Sorry I took so long to update.
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