Episode 10. Part 5

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Episode 10. Part 5

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- Nick? Sirius? Mother?! - Harold exclaimed dumbfoundedly, the morning before the first round, when he discovered that his "relatives" had arrived. Behind his surprise, he didn't even realize right away that he had called his godmother his mother. However, after seeing the happy smile on the face of a woman with an extremely unhappy life, he decided it was even better that way. It was easier to play along than to be repulsed every time, causing himself the torment of conscience.

And, of course, Bella wouldn't risk it, and no one would let her appear in public in her appearance, so she became a blonde with straight hair, completely unlike herself. But Potter was very familiar with the mad glint in her black eyes...

"Son, I'm so glad to see you! - Bellatrix, unashamed of the astonished crowd and ahead of her companions, embraced the Boy Who Could Survive Even a Maternal Instinct Crazy Eater.

- Why did you make me worry by running away? - she asked, still letting Harry and the men embrace. She was interested, of course, in the events of the summer, knowing that "son" would not answer anyway.

- Hush, Harry," Nicholas whispered, hugging his grandson. - Wizards are smarter than you think. Everyone knows that Lily is dead. And the other woman you might otherwise call mother, your godmother, is a fugitive criminal. It's not worth revealing her identity.

- Harold muttered something in agreement, before his grandfather let him go, switching to Dudley and allowing Sirius to hug his godson. Lord Black muttered about Harry giving him custody of his insane cousin, but the godson assuaged his complaints with just one remark about how he simply wouldn't trust her to anyone else. Those words were enough for Black (an animagus-dog who valued loyalty and trust highly) to accept his fate... After wriggling out of the embrace, Potter, not holding back a smile, looked at his family, whom he had missed after all.

- I wish Renee had come," he remarked with a slight sadness.

- I'm sorry, she has an important scientific conference which can't be missed or postponed, even using our name. She will visit you later," Flamel said, apologizing for his spouse, with a wave of his hands, nodding to Dumbledore, who was passing by and visibly graying before his eyes, and also astonished. Harold nodded:

- Still, I'm very glad to see you all, especially now. And I must say, Mom, blond doesn't suit you, but I admit it changes you beyond recognition. However, what are you doing here at the risk of revealing everything?

- Come to support you, of course, son! - Bella clutched her godson in her arms again. - We are very proud, dear. Grandma Walburga is, too.

- And where did you spend most of the summer vacations? - Sirius asked with interest. The cousins looked at each other and decided not to give away Granger's hiding place, so they excused themselves to Manor.

It was a day off, and so the brothers enjoyed dragging the family around the Hogwarts grounds, introducing them to friends and buddies, as well as other champions and people close to them. Flamel was especially popular with the public. The other was Sirius, mostly because of the not-so-longstanding media hype. Bella, on the other hand, was only looked at curiously, wondering why Lily Potter's son called the woman his mother.

It had been a fun day, and it ended with a trip to the Chamber of Secrets, where the cousins introduced the secret society of rat-catchers in a new way. An unpleasant incident happened with Neville when he first cursed Bella, trying to avenge his parents, and then broke the curse for giving them back to him. It seemed fine, but it wasn't pleasant for Potter, who, for healing his parents (because Bella wouldn't have found a way if he hadn't, and Frank and Alice wouldn't have drunk the potion if Harold hadn't suddenly asked his friend to take him to them) with their full consent, Neville had taken a vassal oath. Fortunately, it was a personal rather than an ancestral vassal, to which Zabini, Potter's only ancestral vassal among the rat-catchers, resented.

And good thing they didn't know it yet: Neville was only protecting himself...

***

- Don't you feel sick? - Fleur asked her rivals, lost in thought, when they were left alone in the champions' tent. As Dudley had predicted, Krum got the Chinese Fireball, and Harold got the Hungarian Tailstalker. The fiercest dragons went to the men. That was fair, but it didn't mean it wasn't fearsome.

Krum shrugged indefinitely at the veil's question. To him, a modest enough young man, a dragon was no scarier than a crowd of a hundred thousand wizard-fans. Harold, staring blankly at one point, answered as he felt he should: "A dragon is a sane creature, more so than most humans can be. - His two rivals snickered as they realized what Harold meant.

A cannon salvo was heard, signaling the start of the trial for the champion of the first order, and Krum headed for the exit of the tent. Good luck to us all, and may the best man win.

***

- Dudley, he'll make it," said the elder of the Greengrass sisters confidently, glancing at Dursle, who was trembling openly and not trying to hide it. As it happened, all the Pied Pipers were gathered in the same podium, all trying to reassure their leader's cousin. Especially after Krum was left without part of his bushy hair and equally gorgeous eyebrows when he used the conjutiquitus spell, and the blinded, and therefore more enraged, dragoness, shot flames at random. Especially after Delacour, after she'd tried to use Vail's charms on a dragon, had nearly lost an arm. Why couldn't he have seen the end of the first round, or the whole tournament, for that matter?

- I know, Daphne. Thank you," Dudley replied automatically, unaware that he was as pale as a moth and that his friends, surprised by his condition, were seriously worried that he would not faint. And Dursle was very close to it, watching as the extremely calm cousin, clutching his wand in his hand, not only stood within arm's reach of the Hungarian Tailgater, but looked her in the eye. The bleachers held their breath, waiting for the jet of fire at the hero. And he, Dudley, held his breath, too. That was probably why he heard the dragoness hiss softly and made out the familiar serpentine language in it and the words that had suddenly formed into a question addressed to Harry:

- You're not afraid of me, cub, like other bipeds. Why? - Dursle exhaled: if the dragon speaks serpentine, Harold can negotiate.

- I have to get back to my brother, and I'll do anything for it. I promised," Harold hissed back inaudibly to the audience. - But you stood in front of me! - The dragoness whipped her tail in indignation, shattering the rock face. One of the splinters brushed against Survivor Boy's cheek, making his eye twitch in a nervous reflex. Dudley noted mentally that the dragoness wasn't surprised by the snake-eating adversary.

- It's two-legged fun," Harry explained, taking a step toward Tailstalk. - A game. A competition. I didn't want to participate, but I would have been forced to. We must fight the dragon and retrieve the golden egg laid for you in the clutch.

- A strange egg in a clutch?! - The wings flapped open, knocking the Hogwarts champion off his feet in a torrent of wind, which saved him from the jet of fire the furious dragoness had spat at him. Lying on the cold stones, Potter remembered that in ancient times messengers who brought bad news were killed on the spot... The dragoness continued her rampage, crushing rocks with her tail and trying to douse the well-protected spectators with jets of fire. But, after letting out a little bit of tension and rage, or maybe fear, she looked at the masonry and sniffed, which allowed Harry to get to his feet.

- You're right, Kid," she hissed with hatred. But the hatred was not directed at the champion, and so Dudley exhaled again more freely.

- Let me take the egg..." his cousin approached the dragon again, this time within striking distance of his tail, which Tailstalker immediately took advantage of. Never! - But Potter dodged and asked:

- What do you want? - Tailstalker thought for a moment and then quickly decided:

- To stretch my wings. I would like to stretch my wings.

- How about a race? - smiled Boy-Who-Can-Produce-The-Necessary-Impression, knowing, sensing that his cousin was almost relieved, "I'm on a broom, and you're on wings? If you let me go ahead, I'll take the egg you planted, and I swear I won't touch yours. You'll have to fight for your freedom on your own, sorry.

- Don't deceive me, you two-legged creature," she snarled, spraying fireless smoke and red-hot air on the boy, which weathered every exposed part of his skin. - Otherwise, my whole clan will remember the smell of your blood and seek revenge for your kind! - she promised. Potter put his hand to his heart, pretending for people to feel bad. And with a non-verbal "Accio," summoning Sirius's gift for last Christmas, the broom Lightning. Moments later, he was already soaring over the arena that had been built. The draconess took off after him, but she was stopped by the massive and well enchanted chain around her throat. However, the simple "conjunctivitus," which Potter supposedly swept past the Tailstalker's eye but hit the chain, weakened the enchantment enough for the dragoness to tear it easily... - I'll be back soon..." the hero shouted to the audience and dashed off somewhere on his broom, guiding it into the mountains. The dragoness flew after him, only to vanish from sight shortly thereafter.

And Harold returned without her, not only to retrieve the golden hint egg, but also the other Tailor Eggs, replacing them nonverbally and without a wand with transfigured eggs made of stones. The entire Hogwarts celebrated a resounding victory, as their hero not only took the egg, but also defeated the dragoness, unlike his opponents, receiving only one scratch on the cheek and peeling skin on his face and hands...

***

- Harry, how did you know that dragons understand and speak snake language? - Dudley asked quietly as he helped his cousin return the eggs from Hungarian Tailor's clutch, now a free dragoness. The dragonfly had found for herself and her clutch a rocky island with a cave, which was not far from the island where Potter Manor had stood for centuries. In fact, in good weather it was visible from the gardens. And it belonged to the Potters and was magically hidden from Muggles. Unfortunately for the cousins, the dragoness hadn't explained her choice..."

"Sashi told me when I asked him about the weaknesses of dragons," Harold shrugged, carefully passing one of the rescued eggs into his forelegs with rather imposing claws. - Basilisks, as such, are not snakes, either..."

"A genius solution to the first problem, as usual, available only to you," Dursle snickered, contentedly. - I almost pissed myself watching you dodge her tail. And how do you have the courage to just..." He sighed, looking into indifferent-green eyes. - Okay, what are you going to do about the second challenge?

- Put on a show, like we always do...

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