ch 3

Harry looked around the Room of Requirement in wonder. It was the next day after we discovered the hidden study in the Chamber of Secrets. We were already done with classes and our assignments for the day.

"It turns into whatever you want?" He asked.

"Yes but it does have rules. For example, it has to follow Gamps laws, meaning it can't provide food for you. I'm not sure if the books it provides are from everywhere in Hogwarts or just ones left in the room of forgotten things. The same with the objects." I answered and then decided to continue before he could ask. "However, I'm pretty sure that it's linked to at least the Library. There is no way the selection is this diverse just from people losing stuff around the school."

I wonder if I could get the books from Dumbledore's office. I thought while making sure the room didn't act on the question.

"Wow. This is incredible." He said.

"Yea, we'll have to compare the rooms after you've gotten used to the chamber." I said making a few assumptions.

"If that really is the study of Salazar Slytherin, should I even learn anything from there? Wasn't he evil?" Harry said after a second.

"Those are the rumors, we don't know that for sure." I said and then quieted thinking about how to approach the subject. "One thing that I have learned since I started coming here and learning is that magic isn't black and white like everyone thinks. Sure there are some spells that are definitely dark but …you could easily lift someone in the air with the levitation spell and drop them, causing them harm or even killing them right?"

"Well yeah I guess."

"Then that means that it is up to the person casting the spell to determine what is right and wrong. Knowledge is only half the battle, intent is the other half." I finally finished trying to subtly change the way he thought about the chamber.

The knowledge in there is too valuable, it could give him insights to Tom. I'll stop him if he goes down the wrong path. I justified to myself.

His mind seemed to be working miles a minute. "We've all got light and dark in us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." He whispered finally.

I smiled as I recognized the quote from what Sirius told him in second year.

"What if you find something that helps you with the tasks? We need every advantage we can get." I continued pretending like I didn't hear him.

We continued to talk for a little while longer about nothing important, he still refused to let me help him with the tasks and if I'm being honest, I had no idea how to fight a dragon.

The two weeks leading up to the first task flew by and I was amazed at the progress I was moving with in my studies. I made it to the end of the year in transfiguration, and I was starting charms soon.

I expected the progress to be much slower but to be fair, it was mainly because there wasn't a lot of spells taught during transfiguration. Most of the information covered is theoretical and they spend almost the whole year perfecting cross-species switches and the vanishing charm. Both of which I could perform silently and with minimal wand movement. Not only have I gotten through the textbook but I have mastered the material.

I was making good progress and if I continued on this same pace then I would be half way through the next year by the time spring came around. In my mind, it wasn't enough, I was making good progress but not great, and that is why I sent out the owl to order my ingredients for the ritual.

If everything went well and the order came in soon enough then I would complete the ritual on Saturday, December 17th, about three weeks out. That was when the full moon would come out. That would give me the following Sunday to recover, supposedly it takes a lot out of you and it's best to sleep the effects off.

It set me back quite a bit with my funds and I still didn't know how to go about making anymore money. Harry hadn't been back down to the chamber to my knowledge and my subtle manipulation into having him harvest the basilisk and give me some of the funds hadn't gone anywhere. I had a plan for that, however, and it would be a better solution for all. I just had to get him to agree to it.

I broke out of my thoughts when Hermione plopped down beside me. We were sitting in the student section of the stands waiting on the first task to start. They haven't unveiled the dragons yet but I knew Cedric would be the first to go.

I hadn't talked to anyone since sitting down, all I could think about was how I let Harry prepare for the task alone and he might get killed. Under my robes I gripped my wand tight as the familiar warmth brought me some comfort. I tried to distract myself by looking around and saw multiple Auror's stationed around the stands, along with the dragon tamers. I could even see my brother closer to the gate where the dragons would be brought in.

Eventually the tamers brought in the eggs and placed them strategically in the nest. Next the massive beasts were brought in, stunned. Charlie was actually the one to cast the spell to awaken the swedish short-snout. It jumped up suddenly and looked around to all the people in the stands. The cannon took that moment to sound and it drew the attention of the dragon. Before it could act, Cedric walked out into the arena to the sound of the announcers call of his name.

As soon as it noticed him it placed it's body in between him and the eggs. Cedric wasted no time in transfiguring a rock into a dog that ran around the fields taking the attention of the beast. Cedric creeped up the rocks and had his wand trained on the dog, he must have had it charmed to wait until the right moment because all it was doing was buying time.

Soon enough he found his moment and the dog strayed very close to the dragon, it gave chase immediately, intent on eliminating the threat. Cedric moved immediately and sprinted the rest of the distance to the eggs.

He doesn't hesitate I'll give him that. There is a reason he was chosen I guess. I thought as I saw him go for it.

I knew what was happening and even I couldn't help but wince when the dragon noticed his mad dash, turned around, and sprayed magical fire in his direction. He dove to the ground dramatically but it helped him avoid most of the flames. The next thing the crowd saw was him racing towards the dragon tamers, one hand clutching a golden egg, and the other holding the right side of his face.

It wasn't on fire but you could definitely tell that some areas had second degree burns but no doubt they had the appropriate potions on hand to deal with the damage. His handsome face would live to see another day.

The tournament didn't delay at all as the short-snout was stunned by no less than 15 spells. It fell and was carried off immediately by magic. The other was already heading inside the arena and another egg was placed in the nest. Soon the dragon was woken by the handlers.

The announcer was on top of the game as he yelled out. "And the champion of Beauxbatons Fleur Delacour!" then a cannon ball.

The Veela walked out and just like Cedric her wand was in the air almost immediately. Don't give yourself a chance to freeze, good tactic.

To the average student it would look like she was waving her wand frantically but I could tell she was in complete control of the movements and even recognized most of them and their purpose. I couldn't hear what she was saying from where I was but immediately a haze settled over the dragon's eyes.

It seemed to understand what was happening and shook its head dramatically, trying to stay awake and protect its eggs. Fleur showed no outward reaction besides continuing the incantation.

I was looking on very interested as the wand movements restarted and eventually I could see the pattern, she was repeating it over and over. No doubt it was draining her magic like crazy, I knew I would have trouble casting at the pace she was going. She's powerful. My mind supplied. And absolutely gorgeous. The hormones added.

The dragon didn't do much more thrashing, instead it just slowly lowered its head to the ground and closed its eyes. She stopped casting after confirming that it was indeed asleep. It looked like it was just in time too because I could see a wobble in her legs as she started to the nest.

I looked away in amazement at the display in casting but snapped my head back when I heard a gasp from the crowd. The dragon apparently snorted in its sleep and singed her skirt. I laughed. I forgot about that. I thought with a smile.

"How can you laugh at something like that Ronald?"

Uh oh Hermione is mad. "Sorry, just remembered a joke."

"At a time like this." She huffed.

She must be nervous for Harry. I thought.

Our interaction distracted me long enough that I jumped when the cannon went off and Victor was announced. He used the same tactics that he did in the books and the first spell out of his wand was sent towards the eyes. He missed his first few casts but on the fifth try he hit, honestly it was more luck than anything, and the dragon flailed around roaring and blind.

The dragon started thrashing about as Krum approached and before he could get there all of the eggs were knocked around and destroyed. Except the golden egg of course, it must have had some strong enchantments on it because it still looked flawless when he picked it up and walked it out.

The dragon was stunned by the handlers and went down with a whining sound. I actually felt bad for the chinese fireball, a creature of the skies and magic didn't deserve blindness. No doubt she would have to be put down. So majestic, but I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley.

Eventually the Hungarian Horntail was brought out after her eggs were placed in the nest, immediately you could tell that this was a different breed.

Her eyes danced around the arena, a challenge to anyone who would dare try and touch her eggs. Dangerous. My mind supplied as I took in the sight of an apex predator.

My wand was now in my hand out in the open without me realizing it. I was actually prepared to cast at any moment even though my mind wasn't sure which spell it would be.

The cannon went off and in stepped the boy who lived. He instantly dove behind a rock as the horntail shot a jet of flame at him. Everyone could see him waving his wand toward the sky from behind the rock. Summoning his firebolt.

Almost immediately after that first spell he came around from behind the rock and cast a simple shield to absorb some of the fire as he moved around the arena. I forgot he knew the shield charm this early.

I hadn't gotten that far ahead yet. I have to start dueling, or at least practicing some chain combinations. I thought as I watched Harry dance around the arena.

I was starting to get worried that he didn't cast the summoning charm right but soon enough his firebolt came soaring through the skies and he jumped on it in mid air. It was surprisingly graceful too.

Soon enough he out flew the dragon and acquired the egg, a bit faster than the other champions did. Hermione and I got up and started making our way to the healers tent to congratulate Harry.

I was just happy that I hadn't changed the plot too much to get him killed. Barty must have given him some advice again.

The tent was a short distance away so it wasn't a far walk. We saw Harry outside the tent and walked right up to him. Hermione didn't even say anything, instead she hugged him.

"Brilliant display of flying." I said enthusiastically as I slapped him on the back.

"Thanks, play to your strengths yea?" He said in response.

I nodded in response and the two of them started talking about the spells he used. That was the first time Hermione had seen a shield charm apparently.

Right as we turned to walk back towards the castle to celebrate I saw a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye. Fleur.

She didn't seem shocked to see me, in fact she smirked slightly and walked over to us. I was about to speak when she broke into my personal space and whispered in my ear.

"Thank you."

I could only stare off into space as I was left with the tingling sensation of a hand on my arm from where she grabbed me and the smell of vanilla. She did that on purpose, payback from last time? The game has begun.

I broke my trance, turned back to find my friends staring at the interaction and said. "Time to celebrate."

And celebrate we did. I thought as I looked at the runic array at my feet. The ingredients for the ritual arrived a week ago, all I was waiting for was the perfect lunar cycle, which was today.

The ingredients consisted of a lot of the same plants that were found in potions that affected the mind. Everything from the wit-sharpening potion, a few from the memory potion, and even a key ingredient to veritaserum. The most important was a plant that only grew along the nile in Egypt, it was said to be the main dish of sphinx's, which made sense considering their rumored intelligence.

They were all laid out in a heptagon pattern with ritual chalk connecting them in completely straight lines, the type only possible with magic. Each ingredient was placed in the corners of the heptagon. The ritual book didn't have too much to go on with theory but I have figured out that arithmancy is a huge part of the equation. It was a big ritual so the number seven could be found throughout the equation, the heptagon being the most obvious.

Apparently every single ritual either had three or seven ingredients, with the book only theorizing on rituals of seven sevens, three threes, seven threes, or three sevens. No one was crazy enough to try it, there were too many things that could go wrong. At least I knew that this particular ritual was already successful with some of the most influential wizards and witches of all time.

I started to undress, any extra magical items inside the heptagon could possibly interfere with the ritual, so everything came off. Soon I was alone inside the circle with my clothes neatly folded up on the side of the room.

I was starting to shake I was so nervous. Gryffindor courage ...let's go ...you can do this.

I repeated the mantra over and over in my mind and eventually my eyes hardened and I channeled my magic into the heptagon. The chalk caught fire at the first ingredient and started to spread immediately and my mind focused on what I was trying to accomplish. The book never stated that it was necessary but intent was always the most important aspect of magic after all.

There was a slight tingling in my skull but it didn't hurt, that is until the fire reached the second ingredient. Then there was a dull pounding as a headache formed behind my eyes. The third ingredient didn't increase the pain, all it did was throw my equilibrium off and the room spun. Eventually that stopped and the world righted itself when the fire reached the fourth ingredient.

That is when the real pain started, it felt like a hot coal was dropped into the middle of the brain and it slowly started to spread to the other parts of my mind, matching the speed of the fire. The fifth ingredient did the opposite, the fire started at the outside of my brain and moved inwards.

The sixth ingredient spread that fire throughout the rest of my body, presumably to include the other neurons in the process, the fire moved agonizingly slowly between that and the last ingredient.

Is someone screaming?

Thankfully the final ingredient was almost instantaneous, it felt like a bolt of lightning ran through the entire length of my body. My muscles clenched like I just grabbed a powerline and then released a second later.

I couldn't move for what felt like hours, in reality it was only a couple of minutes. When I did, I realized that I was in the fetal position with my head in my hands when before I had been lying on my back. The screaming from earlier was most likely me.

I stood up and could barely control my limbs as I stumbled over to the bed and collapsed, falling asleep almost instantly.

I woke up to the sound of an alarm, the dull ache that ran through my nerves after the ritual was gone. I sat up and looked around, the room was exactly like it was when I went to sleep. The ritual chalk was black as night instead of white, signaling that the ritual was complete. My clothes sat neatly folded in a pile and my wand holster, with both my wands sheathed, rested on top.

I moved to get out of the bed and as I pulled up the covers to exit I noticed a change already. My limbs seemed to move exactly where I wanted them to. I never even realized I wasn't moving optimally until now.

Side effect of the ritual: improved hand-eye coordination, the book never mentioned this change but it isn't unwelcome.

I continued moving and discovered that it extended to the rest of my body also, a sense of grace that wasn't there before. Will it still be here after I finish growing? I couldn't help but wonder.

I got dressed swiftly and looked outside the window of the room that was always present when I made the rooms. The view is just too good. About noon? Hopefully I only slept through the night and not into the next week.

I continued out of the Room of Requirement and headed down to the great hall, my stomach growled on the way down signaling how hungry I am. I found Harry at the gryffindor table and sat down to join him.

"Where have you been?" He asked in between chews.

"At the room, I had an important project." I said deciding not to lie but not wanting to tell him either. My plate kept getting higher as I piled food on it.

"Is today Sunday?" I asked before he could continue.

"Yes. Are you alright mate?" He said looking at me like I was crazy.

We continued eating for a bit and after I finished I decided to tease him a bit. "Found a date to the ball yet?"

He only groaned in response, I laughed loudly. Ever since McGonagall told them about the ball he had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"I told you to ask Hermione. She'll say yes, if she doesn't already have a date." I said trying to get him a pity date. A part of me felt weird proposing it considering in another timeline, universe? Dimension?, we would have kids together. The other part wasn't attracted to her at all because of the age difference that didn't actually exist. This is all so confusing, but the heart wants what it wants.

"Excuse me." I heard from behind me. Is that why the hall got quiet?

I turned to face her as I wiped my mouth and hands with a napkin. The smell of vanilla wafted around her. Fleur.

She wasn't wearing her school uniform, instead some casual clothes that showed off her curves perfectly.

"Hello." I responded as I noticed who it was, trying to ignore the raging hormones in the back of my mind. Real smooth casanova.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment outside?" She asked.

Her accent has gotten better. I noted in the back of my mind.

"Sure." I said and stood up. I'm done eating anyway.

As we walked out of the hall I noted that I was slightly taller than her, my eyes came to the top of her forehead. And then they fell down to another place for a moment, my blush could probably be seen by everyone. Especially since they're still staring. It was true, most of the male population was still staring at Fleur as we walked out, even some girls.

She continued walking as we left the great hall and I increased my pace to catch up to her side.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Do you have a date for the Yule ball?" She asked in the same tone as someone who asked for you to pass the salt.

"No, I was planning on going alone." I answered quickly and honestly as my mind blanked at the question. Why is she asking me that? My mind supplied never even considering the most obvious answer.

She stopped at my answer and turned to me, we locked eyes as I did the same. "Good, you can take me then, I am in need of a date and I'm tired of waiting on you to ask me."

Her accent really has improved. I couldn't help but think, instead of actually processing what she was telling me. Wait, waiting on me to ask her. What?

I did the only thing any fourteen year old male could in the situation. "Ok."

She smiled then, obviously happy at my reaction.

"Good, I'll be wearing silver." And then she was gone.

My eyes were trained on the spot she previously occupied until my body caught up with my thoughts and I turned to her retreating figure.

Her perfect hips swayed slightly more than before.