Remus was about to start the next chapter when a little house-elf popped next to them.

            “The Mistress is wanting me to tell you that lunch is being ready,” the little elf said.

            “But, Binky! We’re busy!” James whined.

            The little elf put one hand on her hip and the other had a finger pointing at James.

            “Master James is doing what Binky tells him and is going to lunch. Now,” and with that the little elf popped away and James started ushering everyone to lunch.

            “I thought House elves had to obey their Master?” Lily said.

            “They do, but Binky is special. She kind of channels Mrs. Potter,” Remus explained, “But then again, being responsible with James, she had too.”

            “Is she your only house-elf?” she asked.

            “No, we have another one,” James answered.

            “You two go ahead. I need a word with James,” Lily shooed Remus and Sirius. They went looking confused. James looked ecstatic.

            Remus and Sirius entered the dinning hall and found Mrs. and Mr. Potter at the table where they sat down.

            “James and Lily are coming soon,” Remus said.

            “Good,” Mrs. Potter said.

            “And what mischief have you been getting into?” Mr. Potter asked grinning.

            “Mr. Potter! You wound us. We? Getting into mischief?” Sirius answered theatrically.

            “Actually, they have been very good,” Mrs. Potter said, “Surprisingly. They have been reading in group all day yesterday and today.”

            “Reading?” Mr. Potter asked, “You’re finally rubbing on them Remus!” he said pleased. Remus blushed. At that moment James and Lily entered with very coy smiles. Sirius and Remus gave them pointed looks but they acted like nothing happened.

            When they were at deserts James asked, “Say dad, if you had to get past a dragon what would you do?”

            Mr. Potter raised his eyebrows and said, “Please tell me you are not planning to get past a dragon James.”

            “Oh, no. I have no intention too. I was just curious.”

            Mr. Potter looked suspicious but answered, “I’d play to my strengths and the dragon’s weaknesses.”

            “How so?” Lily asked.

            “Well, I am a good flyer. All Potters are.”

            “Yes, so I’ve heard,” Lily said giving James a pointed look.

            “So I’d probably try to outfly it. But I am not that sure I’d be able too. So I’d try to give myself an advantage. A dragon’s weakest point is it’s eyes, so I’d probably send a Conjuctivities Curse to them and try to blind the dragon.”

            They all looked pleased with the answer and hoped Harry would think of something like that.

            After lunch they went back to their spot in the garden and Sirius crossed his arms.

            “Ok, spit it out! What did you two do?”

            “Well,” Lily said looking very innocently, “See my dear sister is a creature of habit. Every afternoon, at five on the spot she serves her boring friends tea. And as they are as boring as my sister, she can count on them being on time. Not a minute too early not a second too late. So she prepares the tea before they arrive and has a cup to check that the tea is perfect,” here she gave a feral grin, “And the thing she hate the most is anything she doesn’t consider normal.”

            “So, I asked Twinky to pop at the Evans’ house and spike that cup of tea with a little tasteless potion we had that will turn her hair purple. And she won’t know until she open’s the door because Lily says that she doesn’t look in the mirror between that taste and the door because she’s already made herself impeccable.”

            “And I’ve heard her and her friends go on and on about how disgusting those people that die their hair abnormal colors and put piercing and tattoos all over are. I just wish we could give her a big tattoo somewhere visible too, but alas, it’s not to be.” Sirius and Remus couldn’t help it. They burst into laughter.

            “And the best part is; she won’t be able to blame me because I’ll be miles away and Twinky has orders to be completely invisible,” Lily finished laughing.

            Lily started reading.

The Honor of a Gryffindor

The moment dawn broke Harry was out of the Gryffindor Tower, heading straight for the library. He honestly didn’t care how upset his roommates would be to find him gone once again. That was the last thing on his mind. With as protective as everyone was, Harry knew he couldn’t tell anyone he knew what he would have to face. The entire school would know by lunch time. Hopefully he would find the answers before anyone knew he was gone.

Unlikely but hopefully.

Entering the empty library, Harry went directly for the Magical Creature section and pulled out a rather large book on dragons. Sitting down on the floor with his back against the bookshelf, Harry started paging through the book, reading various passages trying to find anything that would help. He discovered the weakest spot on a dragon was the eyes which could be useful.

            “Yes, that’s what dad said!” James said happy that his son was finding the answers.

 He also learned that nesting mother dragons were extremely protective of their eggs, lashing out on anything that got near.

            “That happens with all animals. The mothers are the most protective,” Lily explained.

That got Harry thinking. He had to get past a nesting mother for what? Probably for one of the eggs. It made sense.

            “I hope not! That’s suicide!” Sirius cried.

The question now was what to do. Sirius had taught him quite a bit this summer and Remus had taught him a lot the summer before but none of that training would do any good against a dragon. He could summon the egg but the chances of accomplishing that without the dragon noticing was very unlikely.

Harry let out a sigh in frustration. He wanted to talk to Sirius and Remus but Harry knew he needed to do this on his own.

            “Why? I bet Karkaroff and Maxime are telling their champions exactly what to do,” James said, “Why does Harry have to figure everything out alone?”

            “Because Harry has this noble thing going on for him,” Remus explained, “And also, like any teenager, he is annoyed at being seen as a kid.”

Cedric, Viktor and Fleur wouldn’t be running to their parents for answers and teachers weren’t allowed to help.

            “But they will! Harry don’t be naïve!” Lily urged.

            “Lily! Encouraging cheating?” Sirius asked proudly.

            “No, encouraging survival!” she retorted.

If they could pull this off than so could he. Harry just needed to figure out how in the world he was going to.

The sound of the library door opening and closing again pulled Harry out of his thoughts. Quickly, Harry put the book back, moved over to the Charms book stack and pulled out a book. Sitting back down and leaning against the book case, Harry quickly opened the book to a page in the middle of the book and pretended to read.

Footsteps echoed through the hall as the person approached. Harry could hear them coming closer and closer but he kept his eyes on the book. He ignored every instinct that was telling him to attack the stranger. He suppressed the urge to draw his wand to defend himself. After all, Malfoy wouldn’t be caught dead in the library this early in the morning.

“Harry Potter?” a familiar voice asked in accented English.

Harry looked up to see Viktor Krum looking at him in surprise. “Er—good morning,” he said nervously. Harry knew he should have expected this. It was only natural that Viktor and Fleur would want to research dragons too. “Um—I can leave if you need to study or something—”

            “Hey! You have as much right to be there as he has!” Remus said indignantly.

            “Yes, but if he stays Krum will know that he is researching dragons and therefore knows what the first task is,” Sirius explained, “That could get Harry and Hagrid in trouble. Moony, where is that Marauder head of yours. That is “Avoiding capture 101”!” Sirius finished ruffling Remus hair.

“No, that’s fine,” Viktor said quickly. “I am just surprised to see you of all people here so early. I remember ven I vas fourteen. The last place you vould find me vas the library. Of course I didn’t have your reputation…”

Harry paled as his eyes widened. He hated to think of half of the rumors the Slytherins, Ravenclaws and even Hufflepuffs had spread about him by now. Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys had done what they could to shield Harry from it but there was no denying it was happening. “Whatever you heard is a lie,” Harry said quickly.

Viktor barely held back a laugh as he sat down beside Harry. “Is that so?” he asked candidly. “You didn’t stop You-Know-Who again ven you were only eleven here in this very school? I also heard all about vhat you did for Sirius Black last year, some people said you faced the Dementors for him. No one has revealed all the details but I know you have left quite an impression.”

            “Oh no, he’s not going to be another adoring fan is he?” James whined.

            “I doubt that, I bet he knows how these things are and will get Harry better even then his friends,” Lily said.

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Harry tried to think of something to say but his mind wasn’t coming up with anything believable. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum. “Well, you know people like to gossip,” Harry said softly. “They really don’t care about the truth just as long as they have something to talk about.”

“True,” Viktor said thoughtfully. “I should tell you, Harry Potter, that I was intimidated ven I met you. You stopped He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ven you vere a baby. You are a legend. Then I come here and see that you are a normal teenager. You have friends, enemies and challenges just like the rest of us…vell, maybe not like the rest of us. I heard what happened.”

Harry let out a groan. “Everyone heard what happened,” he grumbled. “Malfoy always acts like this. It’s only because he was caught by Professor Moody instead of Professor Snape that something’s being done about it.” Harry shook his head slowly.

            “You know, Snape isn’t doing Malfoy a favor by letting anything slide,” Lily said, “If he gets used that he never gets punished he’ll think he can do anything and when he gets into the real world he’ll get a nasty surprise.”

            “I don’t think Snape’s point is to teach Malfoy but to get revenge on Harry and any Gryffindor,” James said.

            “And why is that?” she asked annoyed.

            “Because he’s childish,” Sirius said. At her look he continued, “Look, I know we do a lot of things to him but he isn’t innocent either. He doesn’t waist an opportunity to attack us and not always in retaliation and almost never the harmless fun we have. Yes we do humiliating things, but never things that injure. And unlike Malfoy we always get punished.” She looked a little convinced.

He knew this was probably the last thing Viktor wanted to listen to. “I’m sorry,” he said softly as he closed his book. “You probably have more important things to do than listen to me rant. I’ll leave you to your studying.”

Pulling himself to his feet, Harry put his book away and turned to leave. He couldn’t imagine that someone like Viktor Krum was intimidated by him. Why would anyone be intimidated by him? He was just a short, skinny kid with glasses. He had grown and put on some muscle since he had been taken from the Dursleys but he still wasn’t anywhere near as tall as Ron or the other champions.

            “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Harry needs an injection of self-esteem urgently,” Remus said.

“Harry,” Viktor said quickly, making Harry turn around and look at the Bulgarian Quidditch player. He looked uncomfortable, almost like he was internally trying to make an important decision. “Vell, good luck on Tuesday.”

Harry let a soft smile break on his face and nodded. He knew that Viktor was debating whether to reveal what the first task was or not.

            “Aw, how cute,” Lily cooed.

“Thanks,” Harry said gratefully. “Good luck to you too, Viktor. I just hope it isn’t too dangerous.”

Viktor winced but Harry had already left before anything else could be said. Harry didn’t blame Viktor for keeping quiet. Hogwarts already had the advantage by having two champions. If Harry had been in Viktor’s shoes he didn’t know what he would have done. He had heard enough around the school to know that Viktor was the favorite. Everyone was expecting him to do well just as they were expecting Harry to fail. The pressure to live up to those expectations must be weighing heavily by now.

It had been lucky that Harry had left the library when he did. Returning to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry noticed that everyone was just starting to rise. For the remainder of the day Harry tried think of some way to get past a dragon. Ron and Hermione had noticed Harry’s subdued mood and tried to help but Harry just couldn’t take his mind off of what was coming. It wasn’t until Ron asked Harry if he wanted to go flying to relax that Harry started thinking. Flying? He could only have his wand with him when the task started so why couldn’t he summon his Firebolt to fly past the dragon? Would that be considered cheating?

            “YES!” James cried.

            “No!” Sirius said appalled, “James that wouldn’t be cheating!” and his glare was joined by Remus’ and Lily’s.

            “No, I mean, YES, he thought of flying!”

            “AH!” the other three said.

Harry suddenly remembered something Sirius had told him. “What can’t be broken can always be bent.” Sirius always used that as a defense after telling a story about the days the Marauders roamed the halls of Hogwarts. It seemed strange that Harry would be turning to Sirius for words of wisdom but he had to admit the phrase had merit.

            “No, Harry it’s not strange at all, we always turn to great minds for advice,” Sirius said.

            “Then he looked in the wrong place,” James sniggered and received a glare in return.

He wouldn’t be breaking the rules if he arrived at the first task without his broom only to summon it later. It could work.

Monday morning arrived quickly. Harry was in the Great Hall eating breakfast before the majority of the school had awoken. There was still one thing he had to do without anyone knowing about it. He needed to warn Cedric. He just didn’t know how to do it yet. Cedric was always surrounded by friends, most of which weren’t too happy about Harry’s involvement in the Tournament.

            “That’s very noble Harry. Mummy is proud of you,” Lily said pleased.

            “I am proud too, but I ain’t saying daddy is proud,” James said and Lily glared at him.

Deep in his own thoughts Harry didn’t even realize someone had sat down across from him until they cleared their throat which made Harry jump in surprise to see the very person he wanted to talk to looking at him curiously. Harry rubbed his tired eyes underneath his glasses. Once the task was over Harry knew he was well overdue for some rest.

“Are you all right Harry?” Cedric asked softly. “Don’t take this the wrong way but you look terrible.”

Harry had to smile at the blunt statement. It sounded like something Ron would say. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” he said with a shrug. “I sort of found out something I never should have…” He noticed Cedric leaning in. There’s no point in beating around the bush. “Cedric, the first task is dragons,” Harry whispered. “I’ve seen them. They are four of them. We have to get past them somehow.”

That was clearly the last thing Cedric expected Harry to say. “Er—what?” he asked, his eyes wide. “Are you sure Harry?”

            “No, he’s having you on,” Remus said annoyed, “Of course he’s sure. He just told you he saw them!”

            “Ok, Moony. Calm down. Cedric is just in shock. No need to bite his head off,” James tried to calm his friend.

Harry nodded. “I think Fleur and Viktor already know because Madam Maxime and Professor Karkaroff saw them,” he whispered. He noticed Cedric’s face changing from panic to skeptical. Cedric didn’t believe him. “Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. I just thought…well…you deserve to know. No one has an advantage now.”

Cedric looked at Harry for a few moments before he leaned back so he was sitting up straightly. “You’re too noble for your own good, do you know that?” he asked. “I appreciate the warning, Harry.” He looked over his shoulder at his friends who were waiting for him at the Hufflepuff table then bid farewell before he left.

Harry couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Now all he had to worry about was his classes and facing a dragon but it seemed that simply going through the motions was the only way to go for Harry. Most of his teachers were lenient on him since they all figured he was simply nervous. All Harry knew was that one moment he was heading to Herbology class and the next thing he knew it was the following morning…the day of the first task.

            Sirius was biting his nails, James was twisting a napkin from breakfast, Remus was rubbing his hands and Lily was shaking her leg.

Once again Harry was simply going through the motions as he mentally went over the summoning charm repeatedly. Before Harry knew it the morning was over and Professor McGonagall ushered him to where the champions were supposed to meet on the grounds. She gave him some words of advice but Harry didn’t even hear it. He noticed they were walking to where Hagrid had taken him only a few nights ago. This was it. Hopefully his plan would work. Hopefully he would survive.

They stopped in front of a tent. Professor McGonagall reached out and touched Harry’s shoulder gently but too trapped in his thoughts to notice. Professor McGonagall seemed to notice this and gently tilted Harry’s face so their eyes met. “Harry, you know we would never let anything happen to you,” McGonagall said gently. “There are wizards monitoring the task in case it gets out of control. Just do your best.”

            “Yes, see. I told you. Nothing will happen,” Remus said.

            “Then why are you nervous?” Sirius asked.

Harry nodded in response before entering the tent. That was really all he could do. He just wished he knew if it would be enough. Stepping into the tent, he noticed Fleur was sitting in the far corner looking more nervous than he had ever seen her which hadn’t been much. Viktor was just staring forward at nothing in particular. Cedric was the only one moving, pacing back and forth until he noticed Harry which he nodded a hello then resumed pacing.

At least Harry wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

            “Well, who wouldn’t be nervous at the prospect of facing a dragon?” James asked.

Ludo Bagman also noticed Harry’s arrival. “Oh good,” he said happily

            “What’s he happy about? They’re all about to face a gigantic lizard that spits fire and he’s all chirpy about it!” Sirius cried annoyed.

as he pulled a small purple sack into view. “Everyone’s here. Once everyone arrives, all of you will select a model of what you will be facing out of this bag. Each one is numbered to signify the order you will compete in. Your task is to collect the golden egg as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Harry closed his eyes as he let out a sigh as Bagman left. He tried to force his nervousness out of his mind and focus but found it difficult. What was it that Sirius taught me on calming the mind? Moving away from everyone in the tent, Harry knelt down on the ground and bowed his head. Sirius had told him never to face danger if you didn’t have your wits about you. Sirius had said so many things, most of which Harry couldn’t remember at the moment. Closing his eyes, Harry let out deep calming breaths as he tried to concentrate on the summer and his lessons with his godfather. He now understood why he always failed. He had no confidence. He had known he stood no chance against Sirius just like he stood no chance in winning this.

            “He does have a point,” Remus said, “Overconfidence is a fault because you get sloppy but under confidence hinders you too. If you convince yourself you’ll fail, chances are you will.”

            “That’s deep,” Sirius mocked. Remus glared at him.

“Winning the battle in your mind is half the fight. You can do this, Pronglet. I know you can. You just have to realize it too.”

            “That’s deep Padfoot,” Remus mocked back and this time Sirius was the one glaring at the laughing trio.

Harry remembered that day. It had been after a long dueling lesson when they started learning new curses. Harry just couldn’t seem to get it right and became overly frustrated. Sirius had sat Harry down and gave an important lesson on confidence and keeping a level head. After the talk Harry had managed to successfully cast all of the curses. Sirius had been right then and was right now.

            “A rare occasion Harry. You should cherish them,” James said with a straight face. Mud came flying out of Sirius vicinity and James ducked right in time.

“How can he just sleep?” Fleur asked in annoyance.

            “He’s meditating!” Lily cried annoyed.

            “She doesn’t know that,” James said calmly.

            “Oh, defending the Veela are you? Bet you love her accent,” Lily snapped.

            “I am not defending her and are you jealous?”

            “You wish!”

“I am not sleeping,” Harry said in a distant and calm voice, his eyes still closed and his head still bowed. “I am clearing my mind of unnecessary noise to focus on what lies ahead. ‘Only with a clear mind can one face the dangers and succeed without causing danger to themselves and others.’ I can’t bother myself in worrying about matters I can not control.”

The three older teenagers stared at Harry in amazement. Cedric was the first to move over to Harry and kneel down beside him, a move that startled both Fleur and Viktor. “Can you teach me?” he asked softly.

Harry nodded. “Close your eyes,” he said softly. “Take in deep breaths and let them out. The noise around you doesn’t matter. Whatever you pull out of that sack doesn’t matter. The crowd that will be watching you doesn’t matter. You can’t control them. Focus on what you know and only what you know. For me it is memories of lessons my godfather gave me this summer. Think of something pleasant or calming. Your body will do the rest.”

            “See, I am pleasant and calming,” Sirius said pleased.

            “I’ll give you pleasant, Padfoot, but calming?” James asked.

Silence filled the tent. Harry could hear Cedric’s deep breathing and knew that Cedric was relaxed. Returning to his own calming thoughts, Harry barely recognized the noise of students passing the tent to take their seats. It almost felt like there was a large sheet of glass separating them from everything else. It was surprising how much Harry had dreaded his lessons with Sirius during the summer only to find them a comfort now.

The next thing he knew Bagman had returned and opened the sack. “And now, ladies first,” Bagman said cheerfully.

Harry opened his eyes and looked up to see Fleur pulling out a model of a Welsh Green dragon with a number ‘two’ tied around its neck. Viktor was next and pulled out a red Chinese Fireball labeled with a ‘three’. Cedric was third, pulling out a bluish-grey Swedish Short-Snout with a number ‘one’ around the neck. Harry was last but it didn’t take a genius to know what it would be. Reaching in, Harry pulled out the remaining dragon model: the Hungarian Horntail with a number ‘four’ tied around the neck.

            “Of course!” James said annoyed, “He just had to get the most vicious one!”

“There now,” said Bagman. His happiness was really starting to get annoying. “Mr. Diggory, you are first. Just go out when you hear the whistle. I will be commentating so good luck to you all. Harry, may I have a word outside?”

            “What does he want with Harry?” Lily asked.

            “No idea,” Remus answered.

Harry looked up at Bagman. He really didn’t like that look on Bagman’s face. It was the same look Fudge had given him at the World Cup. Why did everyone feel the need to treat him like their son when he barely knew them? “Perhaps later, sir,” Harry said politely, allowing a little fear to enter his voice. “I really can’t afford to be distracted right now.”

            “Brilliant Harry, very sneaky,” Sirius said pleased.

Bagman looked a little disappointed but covered it quickly. “I understand,” he said then left.

Once again, Harry closed his eyes and let out calming breaths and could hear Cedric doing the same. A loud whistle broke the silence and Harry’s concentration. He heard Cedric slowly stand and move to leave the tent. “Good luck,” Harry said quietly.

“Thanks Harry,” Cedric replied in a shaky voice then left.

            “It’s so nice of Harry to be making friends with the other champions instead of being all competitive,” Lily said pleased.

            Sirius rolled his eyes and mouthed ‘girls’.

All to do now is wait. A moment later there was a loud roar from the crowd. Cedric’s task had begun. They could hear everything but without being able to see, all they could do was imagine what was happening. The screams, yells and gasps from the crowd certainly affected Fleur. She was now pacing back and forth as she nervously fidgeted. Harry was determined to keep his eyes closed so he wasn’t affected by her pacing. Her uneven breathing was aggravating enough as it was.

            “I wouldn’t be affected by her pacing,” James said. Remus raised an eyebrow toward him and he elaborated, “I’d be too busy being affected by the screams, yells and gasps from the crowd.” The other three nodded sympathetically.

Bagman’s commentary didn’t help either. No matter how hard Harry tried he couldn’t block out the comments that kept the audience in suspense. From the sounds of it Cedric was having a tough time which only added to nerves of those who yet needed to go. After fifteen minutes, there was another roar of the crowd then silence. There was only one possible conclusion: Cedric had reached his goal.

            “Or the dragon ate him,” Sirius said worried.

            “SIRIUS! The dragon did not eat him. McGonagall said they wouldn’t let anything bad happen,” Lily said but by the way she kept turning the tip of her hair with her fingers her statement wasn’t all that believable.

“And now the judges marks!” Bagman shouted. Nothing was said meaning they were being announced some other way. A moment later Bagman’s voice echoed once again. “Well done, Mr. Diggory!” he yelled. A whistle sounded signaling for the second champion to come out. “And now, our second champion, Miss Delacour!”

Harry kept his eyes closed but could feel her anxiety coming off in waves.

            “How can he feel her anxiety if his eyes are closed,” Lily asked.

            “Don’t know,” Remus asked frowning, “Weird.”

 She left the tent quickly to face her dragon. Once again Harry and Viktor had to listen to Bagman’s commentary and the noises the crowd made. It was only ten minutes before the crowd broke into applause meaning Fleur must have reached her egg too. Her marks were shown followed by a whistle for the third time. Viktor took that as his sign and left the tent.

“And now, Mr. Krum!” Bagman yelled.

Now alone in the tent, Harry tried to remain calm but the anticipation was getting to him. In a way, Cedric had gotten off easy. He didn’t have to hear this. He didn’t have to wait.

            “I know what he means, he didn’t have to keep imagining what was going to happen,” Sirius said, “It’s weird, when you know something bad is going to happen at the same time you want it to wait as long as possible and get it over with.”

            “Quite the dilemma, but I understand. Like the last Quidditch game with Slytherin last year when they were threatening to do horrible things to us on the field,” James said knowledgeably.

            “James! You did not just compare a dragon with Quidditch!” Lily scolded him.

Summoning Charm, Harry! Focus!

Bagman’s voice once again broke into his concentration. “I don’t believe it!” he yelled. There was a loud shriek coming from the Chinese Fireball. “Mr. Krum certainly has some nerve…aaand…yes! He’s got the egg!”

Applause silenced Bagman’s voice. Harry slowly opened his eyes. It would be his turn soon. Letting out a calming breath, Harry stood and suddenly noticed how tight his stomach felt. A loud whistle filled his ears. It was time. I can do this. I just have to believe. Leaving the tent, Harry focused on what he knew and what he had to do. He walked past the trees and continued until he saw the stands. He saw the Horntail at the opposite end huddled over her eggs. She looked directly at him wither her yellow eyes. Her spiked tail caught Harry’s attention. He would have to make an effort to avoid that.

            They were all silent. Lily was now chewing her hair, James kept running a hand through his. Sirius was practically taking off in flight from how much he was shaking his crossed legs and Remus kept rubbing his own cheeks.

Kneeling down, Harry grabbed a handful of cold dirt and stood back up. He slowly opened his hand and let the dirt fall. There was just the smallest of wind. He could use that. Closing his eyes, Harry focused as he flicked his right wrist and felt his wand in his hand. He slowly raised his wand. “Accio Firebolt!” he shouted.

For a few moments there was nothing than the sound of something approaching at high speed got everyone’s attention. Opening his eyes, Harry re-holstered his wand and looked over his shoulder to see his Firebolt flying towards him. The entire crowd was silent as it stopped at his side, hovering and waiting for him to mount it. The crowd erupted in cheers as Harry mounted the broom and took off.

All noise faded away as he flew upwards at an unbelievable speed. His fear and nervousness left him. This was where he belonged. He was in his element. Looking down at the dragon, Harry quickly ran though some diversionary tactics in his head. He remembered what he read about dragons and the only way to get the golden egg would be to pull the dragon away from her nest.

Without warning he dived sharply, picking up speed. The Horntail was watching his every move. He saw her opening her mouth and veered right to avoid the flash of fire that would have burned him to a crisp.

            They all closed their eyes. After a moment of silence Lily opened her eyes and gave a sheepish smile and kept reading.

He flew around the dragon pulling up just out of her reach. He needed to annoy her. He needed to be a pest.

            “I think Harry never heard the expression don’t tickle a sleeping dragon,” Sirius said worried.

            “Harry has a plan,” James stated firmly, or at least he hoped.

He needed to distract her from what she was trying to protect.

At first he flew slowly, gradually picking up speed and height. The Horntail let out a roar as she rose up with him. He was certainly annoying her. As soon as he was too high for her to reach with her neck stretched out, he increased his altitude just a bit more before lowering it again. He was teasing her. She bared her fangs at him in anger as he flew just a tad higher.

The Horntail took the bait and spread her wings to take off giving Harry the opening he needed. In the blink of an eye he dived, falling to the ground faster than he ever had before. He was fifty feet from hitting…twenty-five…ten…

            No one dared to breathe.

As abruptly as he dived, he pulled out just before he hit the ground and shot towards the eggs that were now unprotected. Repositioning his body, Harry held on to his broom with one arm and both legs as he turned his body in order to snatch the golden egg firmly before taking off at full speed again. He pulled himself back up so he was sitting comfortably on his broom and landed in the exact same spot as he had mounted with a relieved sigh. It was over.

            “YES!”

            “HE DID IT!”

            “GO HARRY!”

            “THANK GOD!”

            They were all said at the same time while the four were jumping up and down and you couldn’t tell who said what.

It was then that Harry finally realized the noise coming from all around him. It was loud and deafening. Harry had to smile. He had pulled it off. He had learned something this summer after all.

“A stunning display of flying from Mr. Potter!” Bagman yelled. “The youngest of the champions is the quickest to retrieve their egg!”

            “That’s my son,” James cried happily.

Harry was immediately encircled by Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and Professor Moody congratulating him on a job well done. He suddenly felt exhausted, not entirely hearing what his teachers were saying. Professor McGonagall seemed to notice this and ushered Harry to the first-aid tent. Entering, Harry allowed Professor McGonagall to pry his Firebolt and egg out of his hands and set them down in a nearby cubicle. Madam Pomfrey soon came into sight and ran a quick checkup.

“Mr. Potter, when was the last time you ate something?” Madam Pomfrey asked sternly. “I’m surprised you’re still awake let alone standing.”

            “Good for you Madam Pomfrey. Let Harry know he should take better care of himself,” Lily said in a motherly tone. The three boys tried, they really did, but they lost the fight and started laughing.

The question caught Harry completely off guard and had to think. This was all the information Madam Pomfrey needed and handed Harry a replenishing potion. Harry took the potion obediently and instantly felt his focus coming back. Satisfied in Harry’s reaction to the potion, Madam Pomfrey hurried back over to Cedric. Harry took that as his cue and walked out of the tent only to be pulled into a group hug by Hermione and Ron.

Pulling out of the embrace, Harry couldn’t help but notice that both of them looked rather pale. “Er—are you two all right?” he asked with a laugh.

            “Aw, they were worried,” Lily cooed.

Ron and Hermione smiled back although tentatively. “Harry, that…that was amazing,” Hermione said breathlessly. “When you dived…everyone thought you were going to crash. You should have seen Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black. They were nervous wreaks.”

            “Yes they were, “James said.

            “Like you were any better,” Remus said back.

Harry instantly looked out into the crowd for his guardians and found them after a few minutes waving at him. He waved back with a grin on his face. He knew he needed to talk to them and hoped they would stay around afterwards. Returning his attention to his friends, Harry noticed they had had calmed down a little, especially Ron.

Ron started talking quickly about what the other champions tried. Cedirc had tried to distract the dragon by turning a rock into a dog that worked to an extent since he got some pretty bad burns when the dragon turned away from the dog and focused on him. Fleur tried to put her dragon in a trance which worked but had some problems with her skirt catching on fire when flames came out of the snoring animal. Viktor apparently read the same book Harry did because he attacked the dragon’s eyes.

            “That’s what dad said!” James exclaimed apparently happy that this book was confirming his beliefs of his father knowing everything.

The only problem was the dragon crushed half of the real eggs in the process so he lost points for that.

            They all winced.

They returned to the open field to see that the Horntail had been taken away. Harry could now see the five judges sitting on the opposite end in their seats, raised above everyone else’s. They had obviously been waiting for him.

“Ten’s the highest you can score from each judge,” Ron noted.

Madam Maxime was first. She raised her wand up in the air and shot out a long silver ribbon that took the shape of the number nine. The crowd applauded.

            Followed by their extra audience.

 Mr. Crouch was next and shot out another number nine. Professor Dumbledore followed with Harry’s third nine. The cheering increased. Bagman shot out a ten and the crowd roared even louder. Karkaroff was last and shot out a six.

            “BOOOOOOOOOO!”

            “I bet he gave his champion a ten even with the crushed eggs!” Remus said annoyed.

The crowd let out several protests in the final score but Harry didn’t care. He had done better than he had ever hoped.

Charlie Weasley hurried to Harry’s side. “You’re in first place Harry!” he shouted happily as he shook Harry’s hand. “Mum will never believe this! I can barely believe it and I watched it happen! Oh! You’re needed in the champions’ tent for some final instructions.” As fast as he came he was gone.

Harry bid farewell to Ron and Hermione before hurrying back to the tent, stopping by the first-aid tent to grab his Firebolt and egg on the way. Entering the champions’ tent, Harry saw that Fleur, Cedric and Viktor were already waiting. Cedric’s face looked horrible, covered with an orange past but he smiled the moment he saw Harry and hurried over to him.

“That was excellent, Harry,” Cedric said happily.

“Thanks,” Harry responded with a smile. “Congratulations.” He looked at Cedric’s burned face, his smile faltering. He really didn’t know what else to “Er—are you all right? That burn looks pretty bad.”

Cedric reflexively reached up to touch the portion of his face covered in orange. “It’s better than what it was,” he said honestly. “Madam Pomfrey said it should be healed by tomorrow.”

“Congratulations everyone!” Ludo Bagman said happily as he entered the tent. “The second task will take place on the twenty-fourth of February at half past nine in the morning. In the meantime, your golden egg you rescued is the key to the next task. If you all take a look you’ll see it opens to reveal the clue. Good luck, everyone. Off you go!”

            “Well at least this time they’ll know what they’ll be facing,” Lily said.

            “Hum, Lily, they knew with the dragon,” Sirius said.

            “But they weren’t supposed to!” she exclaimed.

As he left the tent, Harry couldn’t help but smile when he saw two more people waiting in addition to Ron and Hermione. Standing behind his friends were Remus and Sirius. His godfather was the first to move, pulling Harry into a fierce hug followed by Remus a moment later. None of them cared of the looks the other champions were giving them as they passed. Cedric’s eyes widened at seeing his former teacher and Sirius Black so caring towards Harry. Viktor just glanced at the scene before moving on. Fleur, on the other hand, caught sight of Sirius and smiled. He, however, was too wrapped up in his godson to notice.

            “That’s a first,” Remus sniggered.

            “I can’t help it if I am extremely handsome,” Sirius said calmly.

            “And soooo modest,” Lily said. James, her and Remus where laughing freely.

“That was remarkable flying, Pronglet,” Sirius said with a grin and a wink in Harry’s direction. “But did you really have to scare us like that? I honestly thought old Moony here was going to have a stroke.”

            Remus glared at Sirius who was grinning.

Remus glared at Sirius. “You did not just call me old,” he shot back. “I was not the one clinging onto my seat like my life depended on it. The Padfoot I remember always took on stress with a laugh. Now, I think I may even see wrinkles. If anything it is you who is old.”

            “Yes,” Remus said, “Oldy!”

            “I don’t have grey hair,” Sirius retorted.

            “You have wrinkles!” Remus said back. James and Lily just watched the display as if watching an interesting movie.

Sirius’ eyes narrowed at his friend. “Mr. Padfoot would like to remind Mr. Moony that questioning his age in front of his godson is considered an act of war,” he said thought his teeth then grinned evilly as he turned his attention to Harry. “Perhaps we should leave the final decision up to Mr. Pronglet. Who do you think is old, Harry?”

            “A tricky question if I ever heard one,” James said.

Harry glanced from Sirius to Remus nervously. No matter what he answered he was bound to be ‘attacked’. He suddenly remembered Sirius’ answer to becoming an Animagus and smiled. Perhaps there was a way out of this. “Mr. Pronglet feels it would be smart to decline from answering since he values his sanity and his life,” Harry said confidently.

            James, Remus and Lily laughed.

            “Bitten with your own venom,” Lily said.

Remus started chuckling. “Outsmarted by a fourteen-year-old Padfoot,” he commented. “Smart move, Harry. Now, I believe I heard something about a party in the Gryffindor Common Room that you are currently missing. We just wanted to say congratulations. We’re proud of you, Harry. I don’t think either of us even considered flying as a way to get past the dragon.”

Harry smiled at the comment. “Thanks Remus,” he said then looked at Sirius. “I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off if it hadn’t been for what you taught me this summer, Sirius. Those calming techniques really helped. I probably would have been a nervous wreck waiting in the tent like I had to—”

Sirius once again pulled Harry into an embrace. “You’re welcome, kiddo,” he said sincerely. “Just remember if you ever need anything—anything at all, you know how to contact us. We are never too busy for you and I mean that, Harry. We know we can’t walk you through the Tournament but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn to us for advice.”

Harry looked up at Sirius and nodded. He knew what Sirius was saying. They couldn’t do everything for him but they had no problem in advising Harry on the right path to take. The offer was tempting but Harry knew he needed to do this on his own. Hagrid had helped him with the first task and Harry was determined to make it through the second task without cheating. Perhaps Cedric was right. Perhaps he was too noble.

            “Yes you are,” James  said rolling his eyes. Do you really think the other Champions aren’t getting any help? Cheating is part of the tournament!” For once, instead of scolding Lily was nodding with the other two.