The First Task

"Absolutely not!"

It was three days before the First Task and the dragons had finally arrived. Just as Harry had suspected, they were not happy to have been brought here away from their home, nor were they happy to be caged.

"The dragons are already in danger due to this tournament, but there is no way are you risking the eggs by placing them in the arena. They could be destroyed by accident and I'm not going to let so many unborn dragons be killed just because witches and wizards have such a poor sense of what is fun," he said to the Head Dragon Keeper of the Romanian Dragon Reserve. They were standing in a clearing in the Forbidden Forest and the dragons were putting up one hell of a fight several feet away.

"But Lord Potter, the tournament officials –"

"As far as I'm aware, I'm the owner of the reserve, Mr Dorian," Harry said coldly. "The tournament officials have no business ordering you about and neither does the International Confederation of Wizards. There will be no eggs placed in that arena, is that clear?"

"But Lord Potter, the eggs are part of the task," the Head Dragon Keeper argued nervously. "It has been specifically requested by the Triwizard Committee which has been commissioned by the I.C.W. We have a contract, sir, and we have to go through with it."

Harry folded his arms over his chest and looked at the dragons which were all stunned by several of the dragon handlers. The committee wanted eggs, but he wasn't willing to risk them. So the only option was –

"I'll contact my godfather and ensure that the British Ministry of Magic provides you with charmed duplicates," Harry said quietly. "Switch them with the real eggs and place them in the arena. Make sure that the mother dragons know that their eggs are safe; I don't want them to go on a rampage. How many are there in each clutch?"

"Ahem," the Head Keeper stammered, looking at his notes. "There are fifteen each, sir; that makes it sixty eggs in total."

Harry snorted. "There is no way am I risking the lives of sixty unborn dragons for this tournament. If the Triwizard Committee discovers the switch, just tell them that you were following orders and direct them to Minister Black. He'll handle them," he said flatly.

"Yes sir," the wizard nodded, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to deal with those people in case the worst happened. He was more than happy to shift the responsibility to someone else.

"And make sure you have Healers who specialise in dragon care nearby," Harry ordered. "I don't want the mother dragons fatally injured as well. Once the task is over, ensure that they are treated for their injuries. If Healers aren't here right now, ensure that they are present at the arena on the day of the task. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Potter."

Harry nodded to the man but before he left, he paused. "You'll find the substitute eggs by tomorrow evening. Also, ensure that none of the real eggs is misplaced. I will not have anyone misuse the situation to steal the real eggs. If I catch anyone doing that, trust me when I say they will be looking for a new job, along with a nice stay in prison. Ensure that your employees are clear on that matter as well. And remember, Minister Black and I will know if we're being deceived. Good day, Mr Dorian."

"Damn," whispered the Head Keeper, wiping his brow, watching Harry walk away. That was a wizard to watch out for.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

"Do you think the other champions know about the dragons?" asked Dylan quietly.

"Maxime and Karkaroff would have told their students," said Harry as he finished his breakfast. It was the twenty-first of November; the day of the First Task.

"What about Diggory?"

"What about Diggory? He's a champion of the Triwizard Tournament, Dylan. This tournament involves cheating and if he were smart, he should have realised that by now. Someone entered me into this tournament with the intention of killing me and I'll be damned if they succeed. I'm in this to win. If Diggory didn't figure it out, it is not my problem. His father is the Head of the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so trust me, he knows about the dragons being brought here. If he cares about his son, he would have told him about it. I'm not doing his work for him and to be fair, I've already saved Diggory from Lockhart once. Sirius told me that they have taken plenty of measures to ensure that there are no fatalities. If competition is eliminated, I'm not going to complain. It gives me a better chance to win."

"How were you not sorted into Slytherin?" asked Dylan curiously.

Harry snorted. "Just because I'm not in Slytherin doesn't mean I don't have to be cunning; just because I'm not in Gryffindor doesn't mean I should not be brave; just because I'm not a Hufflepuff doesn't mean I'm not loyal to my friends and family. They're all personality traits and the Hat chooses Houses based on the dominant traits. I'm hoping that people would realise that once Godric's journal is released to the public."

Once they finished breakfast, they went outside. Daphne was sitting by the lake – she had been unable to eat because of her nervousness. Harry went behind her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'll be fine, Daph," said Harry in her ear. "Don't worry."

"You can't stop me from worrying," said Daphne, clutching her stomach as it did somersaults. "I just want to get this task over with. Please be careful, Harry."

"I will," he whispered as he kissed her passionately. Sirius and Amelia were there too, looking very nervous.

"Harry, expect the unexpected," said Amelia quietly. "The I.C.W. knows that cheating is part of the tournament. They'll throw in a few surprises as well. Be careful."

"I will," said Harry as he gave her a hug.

Sirius hugged him too. "Be careful, son," he gruffly. "I know you can do this. Good luck."

Dylan just rammed into him, hugging him tight and not wanting to let go. Harry smiled and kissed the top of his head.

"Good luck," muttered Dylan.

Nodding to them all, Harry entered the tent while the rest moved over to the stadium. The stadium where the First Task was to take place had been erected, with many witches and wizards paying entrance fees to watch it. It was not as large as the stadium of the Quidditch World Cup, but it was huge nevertheless. Large mirrors were placed everywhere so that they could see the champions' progress up close. Millions of witches and wizards around the world were now watching on their E-Mirrors too, wanting to see how the task would proceed.

Harry entered the tent and saw that Cedric, Fleur and Victor were already present. Nodding to them in greeting, he sat in the corner and closed his eyes, slipping into his mind. When he heard people entering the tent, he opened his eyes and walked forward. He was wearing a blue shirt and over it, black leather duelling clothes. Ludo Bagman offered them a silk bag from which they had to retrieve a model of what they would be facing. Cedric got the Swedish Short-Snout; Fleur got the Welsh Green; Krum got the Chinese Fireball, while Harry got the Hungarian Horntail. Going by their expressions, Harry could see that none of them was surprised at seeing the dragons.

"These are what you will be facing after going through, ahem, a couple of steps," said Bagman, beaming at them. "Good luck to you all!"

Harry was the fourth selected. The tent blocked out all sound which came from the outside so he had no idea what was happening. Two hours later, he was called. He breathed deeply, flicked his wand to his hand as he exited the tent. He entered the arena for the First Task.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

Harry entered the arena and saw a hundred thousand faces looking back at him. He could see his face in the enormous mirrors placed all over the stadium. His face was a perfect emotionless mask as he walked forward. Tilting his head slightly, he wondered where the dragon was. He rotated the shaft of his wand, casting a detection spell. Encountering an enchantment, he began scanning for the ward trigger.

"Look at that, everyone," shouted Ludo Bagman. "Our fourth and youngest champion is doing something different as compared to the other three. He seems to be searching for something."

After two minutes of searching, Harry found it. Smirking slightly in triumph, Harry began breaking the trigger, just as he heard hissing sounds near him. Turning around, he found several Ashwinders slithering towards his position.

"Stop," hissed Harry in Parseltongue. "I mean you no harm. Go back to where you came from."

The Ashwinders hissed back, "Yes, speaker."

"Oh," said Bagman, though somewhat nervously. "That was certainly a unique way of dealing with the Ashwinders. Harry Potter was able to speak to them in Parseltongue and drove them away."

Harry searched for something in the air as if trying to grip something and after several seconds, he found the ward grip. He had studied this type of ward in Voldemort's memories, so he knew how to break them. Holding the grip in his right hand, he tapped it using the wand that was gripped in his left. Suddenly, the air around him seemed to shimmer.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

The ripple of magic instead of the flash of white light was a testament to the control Harry had over his magic. The ward was blasted apart while the crowd cheered. Harry went forward and frowned. Now how was he supposed to get past these?

"Harry Potter has broken past the concealment ward and is now about to face the Griffins," said Bagman. "What is he doing? Did he just bow to the Griffins?"

Harry knew that Griffins were powerful creatures and should not be underestimated. The Potters have always had high regard for the majestic creatures, which was why the family crest had two of them. He also knew the theory of getting past them. The Griffins were stationed around a pile of gold which contained a key which would be used to get past the next layer of wards. Instead of moving forward, Harry bowed to the creatures, maintaining eye contact. Griffins were very proud creatures, so he had to gain their trust first.

"Looks like Harry Potter is trying to befriend the Griffins instead of attacking them," said Bagman. "This is most unusual, but will his tactic work?"

Harry waited for a minute, not breaking eye contact at all. One of the Griffins, the alpha, bowed back slightly but looked suspicious. Harry straightened and slowly extended his hand, putting his wand back in its holster. He then took small, careful steps forward towards the alpha Griffin. When they saw him coming forward, the alpha shrieked angrily and raised its powerful wings threateningly, but Harry did not back down. He still maintained eye contact and slowly approached. People in the stadium were holding their breath. Some were shaking their heads at his foolishness but Dumbledore was smiling knowingly.

When he was just a few feet from the alpha, Harry stopped, his hand still extended outward. The Griffin made a soft noise but edged forward. Slowly, inch by inch, it crept forward and Harry smiled as his hand touched the soft feathers. The stadium exploded in cheers, but Harry did not hear them because of the silencing charms.

"Hello, o majestic one," whispered Harry. "It's an honour to meet you."

The Griffin made a sound as Harry scratched its feathers. Seeing the alpha accept him, the other two Griffins also approached him. Harry subtly flicked his wand as he summoned the ferrets which Hagrid kept near his hut to feed the Thestrals and Hippogriffs. When the dead food appeared, he fed it to the Griffins.

"Amazing!" shouted Bagman in awe. "I've never seen anything like it!"

As the crowd went berserk, Harry went and took the large key from the pile of Leprechaun gold. He opened the ward with the key and went forward, only to be met with weird looking creatures.

"What the hell are you?" asked Harry, frowning.

He was facing three giant scorpion-looking creatures. They were probably ten feet long and had stingers over their backs and also had what looked like shiny armour. Harry also realised that there was no reasoning with these creatures, whatever they were. They did not possess the superior intelligence of the Griffins.

"Stupefy!"

Ripples in the air with a pale red right marked the stunning spells which left Harry's wand as they impacted the Blast-Ended Skrewts, but the spells just reflected off the armour. Harry dived out of the way when he saw two more Skrewts approached him from behind. The end of the Skrewt exploded, but Harry had created a full body shield in place to help him; learning from the Dark Lord was certainly beneficial in giving Harry lots of new tricks and spells in his arsenal.

Harry realised now that conventional spells weren't going to work. He knew of spells that would kill the Skrewts, but he doubted that the judges would like that and Dumbledore would call him to his office again to ensure he was not going 'dark'. To avoid all that, Harry jumped out of the path of the Skrewts again and ran in the opposite direction. He turned around but was not able to avoid the blast. Harry was thrown back against a boulder, his shirt smoking as he winced in pain. Rising to his feet angrily, Harry slashed his wand at the ground.

A rumble could be heard as the ground in front of him cracked open. Harry levitated one of the Skrewts and used it to push the others bodily into the crack in the earth. Once done, he put the fifth one inside as well and fired a massive jet of water at them and fired a freezing charm to keep them in place. Once done, he moved on to disabling the next concealment ward.

"Brilliant!" shouted Bagman over the deafening roars of the crowd. "Such cool application of logic in the face of danger; Harry Potter is the only champion who managed to overcome the Blast-Ended Skrewts relatively unharmed!"

After disabling the ward, Harry's swallowed in fear as he saw the massive Hungarian Horntail in front of him. The dragon was huge! Harry may have faced a Basilisk, but a dragon was no less dangerous. He was just glad they hadn't thought of a Nundu.

Taking a deep breath, Harry tapped his wand on his head, disillusioning himself. The crowd watched curiously as being invisible would not work against the dragon because of the creature's sense of smell. Harry didn't attempt that, however. He raised his wand and mentally said, "Expecto Patronum!"

Three enormous silvery thunderbirds burst from the tip of Harry's wand, going towards the dragon. The Hungarian Horntail might be the most ferocious dragon in the world, but it could sense that the silvery creatures were not a threat to her or her eggs. The eggs, in fact, were chicken eggs enlarged and made to look like dragon eggs which Sirius had provided for the task. The real dragon eggs were safely stored in the forest for the mother dragons to come and claim them again once the tasks were done.

"Oh ho," asked Bagman excitedly. "It looks like Harry Potter has conjured a Patronus; a very unusual way to get past a nesting mother dragon."

As the Patroni danced around the dragon, making it happy as the positive emotions influenced it, Harry pointed his wand at the sky and said, "Accio Hagrid's roosters!"

Pretty soon, a dozen roosters flew into the arena due to the summoning charm. Harry cast an Enlargement Charm on them to make them bigger and then made sure they wouldn't escape. He purposely kept them a bit away from the nest so that he could approach it with safety. He then cast charms on the roosters that made them give out an aroma that would definitely excite the dragon.

He was right. With the Patroni dancing around it, the dragon was already very happy, and now it had a meal as well. It looked around, and after making sure there was nothing that could be a threat to its eggs, it went forward to roast the chickens and eat them. While it was happily feasting on them, Harry quickly went to the nest and removed the golden egg and carried it away from the dragon, and into a safe enclosure. He cancelled the disillusionment charm and the Patroni disappeared as well. The crowd roared loudly.

"Look at that!" yelled Bagman. "Just look at that! Our youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg, and he did it with the least amount of injuries! Is that amazing or what? Merlin, this is surely going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter! Congratulations to Harry James Potter on getting through the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament! Now, our judges have a few minutes to decide their scores."

Harry was pumping with adrenalin as he walked out of the arena. Just when he turned around a corner, he was assaulted by a blur hugging him tightly, her lips firmly attached to his. Harry smiled as he reciprocated, wrapping his free arm around her.

"You were brilliant," breathed Daphne. "Absolutely brilliant."

Harry grinned at her and was attacked by a blur from behind as well. Harry laughed as he put an arm around Dylan.

"That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" said Dylan excitedly. "You were awesome! Well, of course, you were. I knew you would be!"

"You did, huh?" asked Daphne, looking very amused. Dylan poked his tongue out at her as Harry laughed. Soon, they were joined by everyone else who congratulated Harry on his victory. The judges began giving their scores. Because of the nature of the tournament, Supreme Mugwump Albus Dumbledore had come up with a brilliant idea that made the judges sign a contract that ensured they would judge the champions as fairly as possible and going by the look on Karkaroff's face, Harry could see that the man hated having to sign the contract. Finally, Harry's score was 48 points; Victor was in second place with 41 points, Fleur was third with 38 points while Cedric was fourth with 37 points.

With an arm around Daphne's waist and Dylan holding the golden egg, Harry and his friends made their way to the castle. The First Task was complete and Harry had performed admirably.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

"Attention everyone," said Dumbledore as he got up from his throne. It was dinner time and people were chattering excitedly over the First Task which had taken place just several hours ago. "I would first like to congratulate all of our champions in getting past the various obstacles in the First Task and retrieving the Golden Egg. The champions already know this, but the Second Task would be held on the twenty-first of February and the clue to what the task is about is for the champions to figure out."

"We still have three months for that so let us put it out of our minds," said Dumbledore smiling. "For now, let us concentrate on something more joyful. The Yule Ball is a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament which gives us an opportunity to mingle and socialise with each other. Traditionally –"

He was interrupted when students, girls especially began squealing and giggling in earnest and Harry found it very difficult to ignore so many people staring at him. He tried to, though, as he fixed his gaze at the Headmaster as though ordering him to continue. Dumbledore's beard twitched in amusement, smiling at Harry's predicament as he said, "Traditionally, the ball would be open only to fourth years and above –"

There were loud groans and even Dylan looked upset. Dumbledore held up his hand. "As I was saying, traditionally, the ball would be open only to fourth years and above, but this time, we will be allowing students of all years to take part, but let me remind you that it is not mandatory. If the first to third-year students or even an older student feels that he or she does not want to attend, they may choose not to do so. Dress robes will be worn and the ball will begin at seven o'clock on the twenty-first of December, finishing at – well, that is up to you. I hope you all can enjoy yourselves. The Hogwarts Express will leave on the twenty-third of December this year in addition to the eighteenth, so those who want to go home for the Yule holidays may do so. That's all for tonight, so chop-chop!"

People began muttering excitedly but Dylan was suddenly looking nervous. He turned around and saw that Harry had an amused expression on his face.

"Aren't you happy that you can attend the ball?" asked Harry, a teasing smiling forming on his lips.

"I guess," said Dylan quietly. "But there is a problem. I – I don't know how to dance."

"Well," said Harry, putting an arm around Dylan's shoulders as the two of them made their way to Ravenclaw Tower. "Let me let you in on a little secret. I didn't know how to dance either until three years ago."

"You didn't know how to dance before that?" asked Dylan in confusion. "I thought you said the ghost of Alfred Potter and the rest of the portraits insisted you go for classes."

Harry chuckled. "I attended classes on martial arts, not dancing," said Harry softly. "It was a waste of time back then, but when I received an invitation to a ball at Greengrass Manor, I decided that I had to learn, so I asked Daphne to teach me. Not ask, actually. It was more like a business deal. We even shook hands when we made the deal."

Dylan laughed. "So what am I going to do?" he asked quietly.

"Not to worry, I'm here for you," said Harry. "By the time the ball arrives, I will have you dancing like a pro because there are some useful spells that can help you. You'll sweep Tori off her feet."

Dylan blushed, but a thought struck him. "What if Draco asks her before I do?" he asked, looking alarmed.

"If he asks her before you, then you have to respect her decision," said Harry. "Otherwise, you can ask her tomorrow. Daphne is not a girl who will accept a simple 'will you go to the ball with me' question. She demands to be treated like a queen and I have to ensure that I keep up with that. It's actually an annoying trait of hers, but no one is perfect; I know that I'm not. I honestly have no idea how she puts up with me. Anyway, we'll plan something for Tori too. Do you have something in mind for her?"

Dylan thought for a minute as they walked up the stairs. "Actually, I do. But I'm not sure if I can pull it off."

"Why fear when you have me?" asked Harry, with a confident smirk on his face.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

The next morning, Astoria slowly opened her eyes, listening to soft sounds coming from somewhere. Blinking, she got up and turned to her right only to gasp in shock. There was a beautiful bouquet of assorted flowers. Next to the flowers was a small puppy, looking at her expectantly as it let of soft sounds.

"A puppy?" whispered Astoria as she picked it up.

It was a baby Crup, a female she noticed. The forked tail had been cut off, leaving only a single tail so she knew that it must be about six weeks old. It resembled a Jack Russell Terrier and looked adorable. It also had a pink bowtie with a note attached.

Dear Astoria,

I wanted to give her to you as a present for Yule, but I decided now was a better time. Would you do me the honour of going to the Yule Ball with me?

Love,

Dylan

"Aww," Astoria cooed as she petted the puppy. She had told him a few months back that she would like a Crup as well after seeing the one that Dylan owned and she couldn't believe like he had bought her one! That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her! A large smile broke out on her face. To think he would go through all this just to ask her to the ball! Of course, she knew that Harry must have had a hand in it, but she didn't care about that. All that mattered was that she would have to accept the invitation and give Dylan the biggest hug of his life!

She summoned one of the Greengrass house-elves and asked it to create a bed for the puppy and give it some food. Once she was finished with her bath, she came down to the common room to wait for her sister. She couldn't wait to share this with her! As she was talking to one of her friends, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Turning around, she saw Draco Malfoy flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as always.

"Astoria, would you do me the honour of going to the Yule Ball with me?" asked Draco formally. He was smug with the knowledge that nobody else would have asked her this soon. After all, Dumbledore had announced the ball just last night. He didn't see how she would deny him.

"Draco, I'm flattered that you would ask me," said Astoria, smiling weakly, feeling guilty for declining him, "but I already have a date. I'm sorry."

"What?" Draco exclaimed in shock, finding it hard to keep the hurt from showing on his face. "But the ball was announced just last night! You didn't meet anyone after dinner. Who is it?" he demanded.

"Dylan. Dylan Lestrange."

"You're going with Lestrange?" asked Draco, looking disgusted. "Astoria, why would you want to go with him? He's a bastard child!"

Astoria's expression cooled slightly. "Maybe so, but he is also my best friend. He asked me to accompany him to the ball and I said yes. Please do not insult him in front of me, Draco. I don't like it."

Draco gritted his teeth. "If that's your decision, then I'll respect it," he said curtly as he left, looking furious and hurt at the same time.

"I think you handled that rather well," said Daphne quietly, emerging from the corner, frowning slightly at Draco Malfoy's retreating form.

Astoria nodded slowly, feeling bad for hurting Draco's feelings. Her eyes lit up when she remembered what had happened before this incident. "I have something important to tell you!" she gushed. Daphne smiled as they walked to the Great Hall. That was really sweet of Dylan and rather sweet of Harry to help him too. Oh, who was she kidding? She knew that Harry would probably scale the top of a mountain if Dylan asked him to do it. It was so adorable to see those two together. Anyone watching them would think they were actual siblings instead of people who had met just a year and a half ago. Of course, time didn't matter if people were able to gel well together; she and Harry were proof of that.

As they walked up to the entrance hall, they stopped, blinking their eyes in surprise. The place was filled with bouquets of red roses and white lilies. Daphne realised who was behind this immediately. Roses were her favourite flower while Harry's were lilies. When she heard someone clear their throat, she turned around, only to find Harry holding one of those bouquets.

"Daphne Greengrass, would you do me the honour of being my date to the Yule Ball?"

Daphne smiled brightly. "I would love to," she answered, pulling him closer for a kiss as several people clapped. Since it was still quite early in the morning, there weren't many present, but the news would spread like Fiendfyre soon enough.

"I can't believe you did this; is this all for me?" she whispered in awe, looking at the various bouquets in the entrance hall. She smelled the flowers in her hand; they were so beautiful.

Harry opened his mouth but closed it again. "Yes, of course," he said, signalling something behind him with his hand. From the corner of her eye, she could see Dylan pulling out his wand and casting spells on something

"Really?" asked Daphne, eyes narrowing.

She turned around before Harry could stop her and caught Dylan in the act. He was in the process of getting rid of price tags on the different bouquets.

"You were going to sell them to other students?" asked Daphne, aghast.

"What are you going to do with fifty bouquets?" Harry retorted, looking quite confused. "Sure, they look pretty, but once I asked you, what's the point in keeping them? At least this way it would be of some use to others, right?"

Daphne didn't know how to reply to that. She groaned. Leave it to Harry to ruin a special moment. She honestly hadn't expected anything like this; in fact, there wasn't a need for him to ask her at all! Of course, her mother, the relationship guru, would say the problem was due to lack of communication. Daphne honestly didn't understand what her mother meant by that and she knew that Harry didn't either.

Dylan was silently snickering in the background. He had warned Harry against doing this, but he hadn't listened. Harry might be a genius, but he was incredibly dense when it came to human emotions, but from what Aunt Amelia had told him, Harry had gotten a lot better with time.

Suddenly, someone crashed into him, giving him a big hug. "Thank you so much for the puppy," whispered Astoria in his ear. "She's adorable."

"You're welcome," said Dylan, blushing madly.

"I would love to go to the ball with you," said Astoria, pecking him on the cheek.

Dylan touched his cheek where Astoria had kissed him. A dopey grin formed on his face and he looked ready to faint.

It was worth all the effort.