Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
More Important Than Any Broomstick - Chapter 30 - Challenges
"Dragons?" exclaimed Sirius and Remus together at the next training session.
"Are you sure?" asked Remus.
"Hermione," said Harry sarcastically, "Were those dragons or gerbils that we saw yesterday?"
"Hm," said Hermione with a smirk, "They are hard to distinguish. Perhaps we should use a pensieve to review the memory."
"All right," said Sirius, "I can't believe Dumbledore wouldn't tell us!"
"He thinks we'd help Harry," said Lupin.
"As if the other headmasters aren't helping their champions!" said Sirius.
"D-Dragons?" said Ginny, while Neville was just silent and pale.
"Yes, Dragons," yelled Harry, getting annoyed.
Hermione said, "All we need is a strategy."
"Why doesn't Harry just summon his firebolt and outfly the thing?" asked Ginny.
"That might work," said Sirius, "but it would be dangerous."
"I lost my Nimbus last year!" protested Harry. "I don't want my firebolt getting burned! I'm sure I can do something else! What has all this training been for?"
"You've been training to fight wizards not dragons," said Lupin. "Most spells won't go through a dragon's scales."
"…and if you managed it," said Hermione, "That would be showing your powers."
"Of course," said Sirius, "if you aim your wand at its eyes, you could probably defeat it without getting people suspicious."
Harry smiled at this, "As long as I'm pointing my wand, nobody will suspect I'm not using it. The question is; what should I do to the dragon that will be the most fun?"
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After they'd come up with a strategy, the normal training began. A few hours after it was over (it was a Sunday, so there were no classes), Harry and Hermione were in the library doing their homework. They'd just finished a history essay for Professor Brooks, when Hermione got up from their table, saying, "I've got to use the loo. I'll be right back."
"Have fun," Harry said sarcastically. He then decided to call up one of the books Dumbledore had let them copy on his laptop to do a bit of reading while Hermione was gone when none other than Fleur Delacour sat in Hermione's recently vacated seat.
"'Ello `Arry, `ow good too see you again!" she said cheerfully.
At that moment Harry heard a click and said, "Did you hear that?"
"I only `eard my `eart beating faster for you!" she said.
Harry was getting annoyed. "Er, Fleur, you're in Hermione's chair…"
"Why would you be interested in zat little girl when you can `ave me. I'm not only a much more beautiful woman than zat little bookworm, but I am part Veela," she said as seductively as possible, although she appeared to be getting frustrated.
Harry noticed her frustration and said, "You may have noticed, but I am immune to your Veela charms. I found that out at the world cup."
"Even if that magic doesn't vork on the brave, handsome, powerful `Man Who Lived,' I do have other charm as well."
"Maybe you do, but I AM NOT INTERESTED!!! Maybe you should try your charms on Krum instead! His team had Veelas for their mascots at the game. LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
"Fine," said Fleur proudly while getting up, "Iv you want to play, `ard to get,' I'll go along, although I don't see why you waste time vith that plain girl. I know you want me!" She finally walked off. She didn't notice the evil gleam in Harry's eye.
Harry then turned his attention back to his laptop until about ten minutes later when Hermione came back looking furious.
"What happened?" asked Harry.
"Krum!" said Hermione, trying to keep her voice down. "When I left the loo, he was waiting for me and tried to `charm' me into dumping you! He cornered me against a wall…"
Harry got up and said, "I'll kill him!"
"No, no," said Hermione, "it's all right. I kneed him in the crotch and then he had an unexplained bout of nausea." Hermione then winked at him.
"Fleur tried to pick me up while you were gone. What? There's that click again."
"I heard that before too," said Hermione, "I just can't remember where. Anyway, what did Fleur do?"
"Oh, she went on with some rubbish about her being so much more beautiful than you." He then leaned closer to her and whispered, "She doesn't know it yet, but before she left, I gave her the worst case of acne the world has ever seen. It'll last until New Years Day and there's nothing Madam Pomfrey can do about it."
Hermione laughed heartily with Harry for a full two minutes before saying, "ha that's ha mean ha ha ha…It's ha wrong ha" and she burst into more uncontrolled laughter. In between giggles, Harry could distinguish a few phrases like, "abuse of power," and, "her dragon will die laughing." Harry couldn't understand why she had to pretend to disapprove.
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On Monday morning, when Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were eating breakfast; an owl brought a copy of the Daily Prophet to Neville. After he'd looked at the headline, he slammed it on the table, obviously trying to hide it.
"Neville," said Ginny, "why are you hiding the paper?" He carefully showed he the headline, and she paled and glanced at Harry and Hermione.
"Er, guys, you should probably read this article before you go to classes." Ginny then handed the paper to them. The first thing they noticed were three pictures - one of Harry and Hermione, one of Viktor and Hermione, and one of Fleur and Harry - all at the same table in the library. The picture of Harry and Hermione had them holding hands, winking, and kissing, while the other photos weren't moving. The newspaper said,
"Harry Potter's Assorted Love Affairs
By Rita Skeeter
I'm sure that many people at Hogwarts are concerned that Harry Potter, Hogwarts Champion for the Triwizard Tournament, as well as the famous `Boy-Who-Lived,' who has never had a proper family, having been raised by muggles after his parents died, is having a very unhealthy love-life. He has an official girlfriend, Hermione Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, whom several people believe started using a love potion on Mr. Potter during the last Christmas break. `They weren't dating at all, and then suddenly they were snogging everywhere,' said Seamus Finnegan, fellow Gryffindor. `She's always been good at potions, so I'm sure she could brew a love potion,' said Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin.' However, it seems Mr. Potter has not been faithful, and indeed has been able to fight it off to an extent. He has been seen flirting with Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatons Champion, who said, `The boy can't keep his hands off of me, not that I want him to,' while blushing. Dean Thomas also stated that, `Harry got Ginny Weasley to wear a skimpy bathing suit last summer at his birthday party so he could look at her while they were flirting.
Miss Granger, while not having as much luck with the opposite sex as Mr. Potter, has been seen with Viktor Krum, world famous Seeker and Durmstrang Champion. Perhaps she is bewitching him in revenge for Mr. Potter's unfaithfulness. Or else perhaps she is through with Harry Potter and is moving on to another victim. Neither Mr. Potter nor Miss Granger were available for comment, and we suspect that one or both of them tampered with our photographs."
"That's the biggest load of rubbish I've ever read!" said Harry. While he was speaking, several owls bearing several packages came to them. Harry said, "Don't touch any of them!" A howler was dropped right in front of Harry that said, "Harry Potter, YOUR PARENTS WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU!!!!..." and such nonsense. Hermione luckily took Harry's advice about not touching the packages, because Remus, who'd rushed to the table with Sirius and Hagrid, found a substance that burns the hands in one of the envelopes when he'd examined it with his wand.
"Crazy, the lot of em!" shouted Hagrid, "How can anyone think that of yer in the first place? And sendin' yer dem things!"
-
The day before the first task started normally, with morning exercise and a few howlers from whackos at breakfast. However, while Harry and Hermione were walking hand-in-hand toward Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures class, Harry heard some unusual noise in the nearby forest. He turned to Hermione, who was just turning at him. They both drew their wands, although neither planned to actually use it. When Ginny and Neville, who'd been right behind them, saw their friends stop and draw their wands, they did the same.
Suddenly, a barrage of spells came out from between the trees from at least three different people. The students were shooting spells out of their wands without a sound (while avoiding getting hit - although they all had armor) while the enemies did the same, and no progress was being made. Hermione decided to try something different. Four wands came floating at them from their hidden assailants. The teens ran into the forest as fast as they could, only to find four people disappearing while holding an old boot that was obviously a portkey. Snape was the only one whose ugly face they could see.
Harry, who pointed at the wands Hermione was still holding, said, "I wonder if the ministry can identify who the owners of these wands are?"
"Only if they're registered," she said, "which is doubtful."
"Maybe we should just keep the wands and not mention that we have them," said Ginny.
Harry smiled at that. "I'm keeping Snape's wand! Even if I don't need it!"
After they'd distributed the extra wands and hidden them, they walked the rest of the way to Hagrid's and told him what had happened. He naturally had them tell Dumbledore about the attack. "This is very disturbing news," said the headmaster, "Hogwarts is no longer safe. There will be new security measures taken. However, there will be insufficient time to implement them before tomorrow's first task. Therefore I'm asking all of you, especially Harry, to be extremely careful.
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