Chapter 278: The Dropping Shoe

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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

I would like to thank my beta, Awdyr, for his help in this chapter.

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17 November 1994, Rome, Italy

Harry couldn't help but feel a headache coming on as he returned to the metallic dragon, where he and the rest of the Hogwarts delegation were staying. And he was having such a nice day and everything. Unfortunately, it seemed like fate itself didn't want him to relax even for a bit. He wasn't even really being lazy; he'd just wanted a day off before investigating whatever Dumbledore was planning. He expected another release of magic during or after the task, and he wanted to, at least, estimate where the source of the release would be.

Now, he had to deal with Isabella Zabini of all people.

Seriously, from her reputation alone, Harry wanted nothing to do with the woman. However, there was something that felt odd during the interaction. Something just didn't make sense… It was right there, at the tip of his tongue.

He could understand the fact that she wanted her son to keep his legacy in Italy, but she wouldn't have sent him to Britain without considering the realistic possibility that he might not have wanted to return. And the way she went about it, hoping that her rivals' children would lose and embarrass the school just felt a bit too chaotic, too unpredictable. Harry personally wouldn't have gone along with such a flimsy plan…

The main question was, did he trust Isabella Zabini?

The answer was a resounding no.

As much as she was Blaise's mother, the woman was a bitch. Now, the issue wasn't if she was telling the truth about being worried about Blaise's future… No, the bigger issue was whether or not she would go through with her threat of killing Tracy.

To be perfectly honest, ever since they became a couple, Blaise and Tracy had started to drift away from Harry and, to a lesser degree, Daphne. It wasn't really serious, just them growing up. To be fair, they had been scared shitless of the crap Harry kept pulling in Hogwarts. Spending an entire year away from them wouldn't really help matters.

Harry was also slightly at fault here. The way Tracy and Blaise acted was so… childish. They had such small goals, and so few ambitions. Tracy wanted power, not for what she could do with it, but for the respect it would give her. Blaise wanted nothing other than to stay as far away as possible from his mother and to keep dating Tracy…

They weren't willing to explore, to push the boundaries of magic. He and Daphne were different in that regard. The blonde was doing it out of desperation more than anything, hoping to save her dying sister. But Harry, it was what he lived for. He wanted to explore magic, to truly understand it, in a way that no one ever had before.

Speaking of Daphne, she came back exhausted from another lesson with Lily. She decided to sit down next to Harry and lean on him. He gave her a faint smirk, "So, how was your lesson?"

From what Harry could discern from Daphne's rambling, Blood Magic was similar to Alchemy in the fact that it sought to make its effects last for a very long time. Instead of using spells, Blood mages used their very life force, through their blood, to ensure that the world itself would bend to accommodate their desires. In a way, it was a taboo. Normal magic was using what was already there, but blood magic added something external into the environment, making it adapt in return, instead of manipulating it directly.

It was a very delicate and terrifying field of magic, but one that Harry didn't find the need to explore. The cost was high for every spell. Using blood magic wasn't something that should be casually done, and every spell had to be calculated so that its users wouldn't kill themselves. The life force used would be gone until reclaimed once more, and even then, barely half remained.

It was a bit too much for Harry's tastes, and to be perfectly honest, he was worried for Daphne since she chose to specialize in this field for the sake of her sister.

"Your mother is a ruthless taskmaster… But it's working. I'm learning a lot, more than I thought was possible. She even said that I should be able to cast my first blood curse after this task. It's not anything too fancy, but it's a step forward…"

Harry froze at the fact that Daphne had called Lily his mother. He supposed that it was true, biologically, Lily Potter, or Evans as she liked to be called, was his mother. But, it didn't feel like she was. Harry was fourteen years old, and he had lived most of his childhood alone, without anyone giving a shit about him. He would have loved to have a mother then… In fact, he had dreamed of someone just whisking him away and taking care of him. Now, he was used to being independent. Even his relationship with Arcturus wasn't parental in any way. The Black Patriarch had noticed this trend and respected Harry's unspoken boundaries.

He could respect Lily Evans as a witch and even come to trust her one day, but as tragic as it was, it was very unlikely that he would see her as a parent. It was a little too late for that. Lily wasn't to blame, and neither was Harry. The world was very rarely a fair place.

Harry chose not to comment on the matter. Instead, he gave her a small smile, "I'm happy you're progressing well."

"I am too. Speaking of progress, how was your little relaxation trip in Muggle Rome?"

"It was good at first. Until the whole ambush and meeting the Black Widow."

He could feel the blonde stiffening on his side. She quickly turned, her eyes looking fierce, "Explain!"

"Well, apparently someone doesn't want me to participate in the next task. I think they hoped that I would be taken off-guard and taken out of commission for a while."

"Even the greatest wizards could die because of a surprise spell," Daphne reiterated, "I'm guessing that they weren't successful."

Harry snorted, "Well, considering that they're probably still unconscious, with their bodies buried in the ground, I'd say that you're right. Although, I wonder if anyone is going to find them since I didn't bother removing the privacy wards they put on the warehouse."

"And the fact that you met Blaise's mother?"

"We talked later. She wants me to get Hogwarts to win but not participate… Apparently, she's under pressure and she's planning on using this to reinforce Blaise's future position in the Senate or something. She threatened to bring Blaise back to Italy if Hogwarts didn't win…"

Daphne snorted, "And you believed her?"

"Well, of course not. But considering that she also said that she would kill Tracy, I decided not to ignore her…"

"SHE DID WHAT?"

Harry shrugged, "I knew that she was a massive bitch and a serial killer, but that was slightly outlandish. She kept saying that it was for her son, and that was what was important."

"I'm pretty sure Blaise said that she didn't give two shits about him or his future. She only sent him to Hogwarts so that he wouldn't bother her anymore... She's also had two husbands die on her watch in the last three years, so you don't have to guess very hard to figure out what she's been doing."

Yeah, that was more in line with what he thought. An inkling of what was happening was starting to form in his mind, and he only needed to get the remaining details, "Tell me about her political stronghold here…"

"A lot stronger than you'd think. Most of her dead husbands were filthy rich and she invested all her gold to gain a mercantile foothold to make up for her lack of political power. Even on that side, the word is that she had most of the government either bribed or charmed… I still don't know how she pulled it off, but I wouldn't be joking if I said that she was most likely one of the most dangerous people in this country. The ICW even investigated her and found no use of love potions or anything similar."

"Yeah, they wouldn't. She has a weird subtle charm, similar to that of a Veela only a lot less powerful, but it would make people around her more pliable, and easier to manipulate."

The blonde smirked, "It didn't work on you, did it?"

"Yeah, she seemed a little unsettled when that happened… So, what you're saying is that she could have handled the mess with Blaise's seat without using something as flimsy as the tournament to do it…"

"Oh, without a doubt. Even if she did want to use that, she could charm the Italian champions into embarrassing themselves… She could even arrange for a couple of assassinations in the Senate to cow her opponents into submission."

Harry nodded, agreeing with her input. Isabella Zabini did not ask for the Italian Champions to lose, but for Hogwarts to win without him… Assuming that a political agenda was unlikely and that the woman barely had any nationalistic pride, the conclusion was very clear.

It was clever of her, to give an entirely different scenario to Harry, only for her objective to be something entirely different. He hummed, "I know what she's after…"

The blonde brightened up, "What is it?"

"It's not that important, but it has nothing to do with Blaise at all. What's important is that from my impression of her, she wasn't someone who wouldn't follow up on her threats, even if she had lied about her motivations."

"Yes… Do you want to warn Tracy and Blaise?"

"No. Considering that the woman has successfully killed without impunity, it's very unlikely that we'll be able to prevent her from killing anyone. No, I need to hold up my end of the bargain."

Daphne scoffed, "So, just like that, you're ready to let that bitch win?"

"Of course not. Believe me, no matter what happens, she is not coming out of this as a winner. Now, the question is how I'm going to pull off the win. I already have a plan in mind… Who did they decide are going to be the Champions this time?"

"Well, we technically had to give ten different champions since someone could defeat all of the beasts. I'm actually number seven on the list. I think the first three are Diggory, Chang, and Johnson. Then there's Granger, then the Weasley twins, me, Longbottom, Davies, and finally you."

"Me?" Harry asked, amused.

"Come on. If we somehow take down all seven beasts, I'll turn my hair green for a month."

"Challenge accepted."

Daphne groaned, "I didn't mean it as a challenge, you arse."

"Anyway, that's nice. I can deal with Diggory, Chang, and Johnson. According to what Isabella Zabini told me, the beasts aren't going to be particularly dangerous to fight. Well, it won't be easy, but the Champions won't have to fight dragons or anything that ridiculous. Those three, if I train them up properly, should be able to at least beat a couple of beasts… I'll need to speak to McGonagall."

Without even turning to Daphne, Harry walked off towards the headmistress' office. An hour later, a smiling McGonagall went out of her office with Harry walking beside her. She quickly went to the common compartment and spoke up, "Ms. Johnson, Mr. Diggory, and Ms. Chang, would you please follow me."

Harry suppressed a chuckle at the expressions of the champions. They gave him a hesitant look before following. The headmistress led them to an empty compartment that she had probably just created. She gave Harry a nod, "I leave them in your care, Mr. Potter."

"Of course, Professor."

"What the fuck is going on, Potter," Cedric exclaimed when the headmistress left.

Harry gave them a bright smile, "Oh Diggory, it seems like I'm going to be training you for the task."

"Seriously?" Johnson asked while looking strangely excited.

"Yes… If you think this is going to be fun, then you'll be very disappointed. When I'm done with you, you should at least not embarrass yourselves in front of the entire continent. As I said before, welcome to the Potter boot camp… I hope you survive the experience with your sanity intact, as unlikely as it may be."

Harry's grin widened when he saw the scared looks on their faces. Oh, this was going to be fun.

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AN: Not sure about this chapter tbh. Feels like a filler but there are a few key pieces of information that are important later. Kinda excited for the second task. As usual, let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.