Chapter 18 Playful Dragons and the Date Problem

November 24, 1994

The SMI's silver and blue streak-haired champion woke up the morning of the first task with a big grin on his face. He hopped out of bed, showered and donned a silver and blue striped jogging suit, his name blazing in silver on the back of his jacket, with similar colored running shoes. He shook Neville and Jordan to get them up and ready.

"Harry," Neville grumbled as he rolled over and glared at the boy with bleary eyes. "Why are you waking us up at 6 a.m.? We don't even have class today." He pulled the blanket back over his head and started to go back to sleep.

Jordan just shook his head and started to pull out his own jogging suit, only it was a green top with black pants. All of the kids were going to be wearing them. Unlike the other three schools, SMI never wore robes and it was too cold for the t-shirts, so they decided to support Harry and go with jogging clothes. "Yeah, Harry, I know you must be excited, but damn," the dark-haired boy said.

"Sorry, guys, but I need to talk to Aunt Gilly," Harry said as he poked his brother's shoulder. "Last time I left you guys behind you got bitchy, so get up and come with me."

"Right," Jordan said as he headed to the bathroom, leaving the bothers to argue.

"Alright, stop poking me," Neville complained as he too got out of bed.

"Well, if you weren't so slow," the youngest whined.

The elder brother mumbled and grumbled at having to get up so early, but pulled the same as clothes Jordan's. After Neville dressed the three boys went to get some coffee in the kitchen.

"Where do yous think yous are being going?" Kippy asked, brandishing a spoon at the teens.

"It's okay, Kippy, I have permission this time. I have to go and talk to Aunt Gilly," Harry explained quickly.

"Yous better have," Kippy harrumphed as she went back to cooking. She raised her boys better than to always get in trouble. "Drink yours coffee." She waved her hand and three mugs appeared.

"Don't worry about breakfast, we'll eat there," Harry said, though he did grab one of her muffins though. The boys grabbed a mug and a muffin and went to the living area to watch the morning news.

"At least the weather is going to cooperate," Jordan pointed out when the forecaster said it would be sunny, but cold.

"Yeah, that's something," Harry said, sipping his coffee and then a big bite out of the muffin. He moaned in pleasure. He loved Kippy's blueberry muffins.

After they finished, they put their mugs in the sink and went to the deck. They Jumped straight to Gilly's front yard. The little table was still sitting there and even they felt the compulsion to sit at it. They went to the front door and knocked, hoping the couple was up. Even though, Harry had told his aunt he would be there, she might not have told Sirius, she was playful like that.

A very grumpy Sirius answered. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked with a glare. He was still in his sleep attire of silk black pajamas. His hair was mussed and he did not look happy.

"Aunt Gilly knew I was going to be here," Harry said as he held his hands out in commiseration and smiled.

The dog Animagus just growled and let them in and then he wandered off to get ready for the day.

Gilly was in the kitchen making breakfast. She was barefoot, but otherwise dressed in a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt. "I'm making pancakes. You guys grab the fixings and set the table," she said from the stove as she flipped a cactus shaped pancake.

Gary had taught them that when he first met them, and the whole family had been doing it ever since. The youngest aunt still felt bad for trying to spell the man away, but he was there to investigate Jimmy's disappearance, and she hadn't wanted to go to jail. It was a good thing the girls got rid of the potioned syrup.

"Okay," the boys said, and then proceeded to do just that, laying out syrup, fresh fruit and butter.

Sirius appeared wearing an outfit similar to Gilly's, though he had shoes on, and sat at the table. He grabbed a cup of coffee and frowned at everyone. The boys just laughed at him and helped Gilly bring the pancakes to the table. They ate the wonderful meal and talked of unimportant things. After everyone was full, they proceeded to the living room and sat on the comfortable couches.

"So," the only woman started, "why did you want to meet so early?" she asked as she settled next to Sirius.

"Well, you know my plans, and I told you what the other champions will be doing, but I want to see them. So, I was wondering if you could take one of Sirius' mirrors to the stadium and show me how it goes," Harry said with a puppy dog look. "I mean, I have mine, but I want to see how the other guys do. I promised the dragons, and the champions, that none of them would be hurt."

Gilly just chuckled and nodded. It was a good idea.

"What happens if the sun catches it?" Neville asked. A worried frown marred his forehead as he pursed his lips in thought. He knew of his brother's promise and he didn't want something to trivial to break it. "It might blind the dragon or the champion, that would be bad," he added.

"Hmmm, I didn't think of that," the streak-haired boy said thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "You could put Aunt Jet's shade spell on it," he said suddenly, brightening up.

"That might work, sweetie," Gilly said, nodding her head. "My concern is how are you going to be able to see the arena? The seats we're assigned are pretty high up."

"Oh, yeah that's a problem." He slumped his shoulders.

"Ah, worry not, my dear, Remus and I put in a magnifying charm. We figured that it would be a good way to spy on people," Sirius said with a smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows, not having to tell just what they were spying on. He just smirked at their disapproving faces and showed them how to make that function of the mirrors work.

That decided, they turned the topic to their heritage and the Wizengamot. The two young Heirs expressed their opinion of how the government here had so far not impressed them. Sirius pointed out that maybe they could change it, but no matter what they decided on he would support them. The conversation went on for an hour, until the boys had to go back to the boat.

They met the rest of SMI in the living area. Mr. Scott greeted them from the chair he was sitting in and then asked, "Harry, are you ready for today?" He wanted to make sure the teen was prepared. He knew the plan, but it never hurt to be too careful.

"Yes, sir, I have everything planned out now," Harry said with a nod and smirk.

"I hope you know what you're doing," the Vice Principal said, then returned to reading his book.

"Don't worry, Teach, I got this," the young man said with confidence as he waved his hand lazily in the air.

Mr. Scott shot him a mild glare for the nickname and then once more returned to his book, a small smile played on his lips.

The rest of the students tried their best to get Harry to tell them what to expect, but the teen wasn't talking. So they finally gave up and some started in on their homework, while others watched a movie. They spent the day idly and soon it was lunch. Harry and Mr. Scott had to go to the Champions' tent, while the rest ate lunch. Harry grabbed a sandwich to eat on the way. They Jumped to the shore and decided to walk the rest of the way and enjoy the nice, albeit cold, day.

When the stadium came into view, Harry couldn't help but be impressed. It was a large, five stories high, wooden structure. The seats were all cushioned and there were stairs running up the sides and the middle of the rows. A large overhang shaded the seats, which made Harry think that the shade spell might not be needed for the mirror. He shook his head to clear that thought and look at the rest of the stadium. There was a large box for the judges and officials. Off to the side was a screened off area, where Harry knew the dragons were, he could hear them complaining from where he was standing and it was all he could do not to break out in laughter. He glance to the other side were there were two tents, one was where the contestants would wait and the other was the Hospital tent.

The two men made their way to the Champions' tent. They were the second ones there, beaten by Krum and Karkaroff. The two contenders nodded at each other and stayed on separate sides of the tent. Not that they didn't like one another, but they really never had a chance to get to know one another. Well, that and Karkaroff was glaring at Harry like he was trying to sabotage his champion just by nodding at him. Viktor was wearing nice Quidditch robes, red with brown fur trimming, with his name embroidered on the back.

Harry and his teacher held a quiet conversation in the corner, while they waited for the rest of the champions. Fleur was the next to join them, she shot a worrying look towards Harry, who just winked and smiled. The Beauxbatons' student was wearing what seemed to be a formal form of her uniform. It was a light blue pants suit, with a darker blue over robe. Her name was also sewn on the back. She was accompanied by her Headmistress, the very tall, Madam Maxime.

Cedric came next, escorted by his Head of House. He too was wearing Quidditch gear, only his was colored yellow and black. The seventh year boy lifted his eyebrow at the casual wear of the youngest contender. Harry just smirked and shrugged, nodding to his Vice Principal, who was dressed in a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt, like the rest of the adults from America.

Professor Sprout took her leave when the judges entered the tent. Ludo Bagman was also there, he gave an uninteresting speech trying to throw the champions off guard. He held out a bag and the four teens chose the dragon they had to get around.

"None of you are surprised," Bagman said, glaring at the Heads, like it was their fault.

"We already knew, it's not like the dragons were quiet," Harry explained with a shrug.

"Well, yes, that may be so, but…" the man sputtered, and then stopped not able to think of a rebuttal.

"Don't worry, we're still plenty worried," Cedric stated, trying to calm the flustered man.

"Yes, well, good luck to all of you," the ex-Quidditch star said as he moved off and waved Harry to the side. Mr. Scott joined them and when the man tried to drive him away, the vice principal didn't budge. They never knew what he wanted, since he left when he couldn't get Harry alone.

"I'd watch out for him," Mr. Scott warned as he watched the nervous man leave. "I hear he is a gambler, and he might have a lot at stack for this tournament." He turned to his student, who was simply smirking at that tidbit of information.

"His loss if he didn't bet on me," Harry all but laughed, a bit overconfident.

"Just be careful," the Vice Principal stated with a sigh, clapping his student on the back and joining the other adults.

The adults left and Harry went to the center of the tent and motioned for the others to join him. He pulled out his mirror and called, "Gilly Owens." His aunt's face filled the mirror and you could see the excitement and worry lining her eyes.

"Hi, sweetie, give me a minute to add the shade spell and get it to magnify," she said quietly. Suddenly the already shaded area dimmed more and then the only thing you could see was the hair of her left eyebrow. The mirror turned and the Swedish Short-snout could be seen in the arena.

Cedric let out a whistle and stated, "That is one big dragon." Looking at the beast that was filling up the entire little mirror, he couldn't get an accurate idea on just how big, but from the looks of it…

"Just remember the plan, and you should be okay," Harry said, clapping the older boy on the shoulder. They had gone over everything this last week, so if the others simply did what they said they were going to do, than no one should get hurt. "Guys, really don't worry. If you stick to the script you will be okay," he told the doubtful champions.

"Alright, Harry, I'm trusting you," Cedric said as he firmed his resolve and straightened his shoulders.

Bagman's voice could be heard explaining the task to the audience. Then the cannon went off and Cedric moved to the entrance, he glanced one more time at the streak-haired boy, who winked and waved, and then he left the tent. As he left the other three gathered around the mirror. They saw the Hufflepuff enter the ring and stop. The crowd was cheering for a good five minutes, and then they quieted when they noticed he wasn't doing anything. So they waited to see what the Hogwarts champion would do.

Cedric stood until the crowd stopped cheering and then shot a spell at one of the larger rocks that lined the arena. He changed it into a large cow then directed it to the dragon with a motioned of his wand. He spelled two more, and they too went to distract the large fire-breathing creature. He held his breath to see what the female lizard would do.

The Short-snout played its part well. First it sniffed at the constructs, and then it roared, which caused the fake cows to moo. Then the dragon started to play with them, batting them around and generally having a good time.

Cedric didn't let his guard down and kept to the outside of the arena. He darted from rock to rock, his eyes never leaving the mother. Soon he was at the nest; he crept over to it and grabbed the golden egg. He then hot-footed it back to the entrance and looked at the dragon. He looked back and was surprised that it all went off without a hitch.

The dragon was now corralling all three cows and cooing over them like they were part of her clutch. She was making them lay down near her nest and then curled up and went to sleep. The dragon tamers were shocked as they went into the arena to move her. they had to take the cows with them, to get the dragon to cooperate.

The Hufflepuff just shook his head at the sight and moved away. The audience was baffled, but the Hogwarts' students and staff gave a good cheer for their champion. Talk broke out when Cedric made his way to the Hospital tent, Harry and the other two could hear Gilly's neighbors gossip on how there was little action in the event, and they couldn't understand why the dragon was acting like that.

Unknown to the champion, the Short-snout had kept a very close eye on the contestant. If he for one moment deviated from the plan then she would have toasted him. But he only took the golden egg and left, so she decided to have some fun. The only reason she knew what to do is all the plans were laid out over the week. When the cows were formed then she knew which actions to take.

The other three champions watched and smiled. The two foreigners hadn't really trusted this American until that moment. They shared a look and a nod and confirmed they too would follow the plans. They watched as the dragon, the cows and the eggs were taken away and replaced with the Common Welsh Green and her nest.

The cannon roared and Fleur left the tent. As she entered the arena, she let out her Veela charm full-force, not that it would affect the dragon other than make it sleepy.

The Green lowered her head onto her feet and pretended to sleep. Just for fun she started to blow funny shaped smoke from her nose. For a few minutes the silent dragon tried to make a castle from the smoke, alas, even after all these years of practice that was something she could not do.

Fleur walked down the center of the ring and calmly took the golden egg. When she was returning a large cloud of smoke, shaped like a heart, enveloped her and made her cough. She batted it away and glared at the dragon, and then made her exit.

Beauxbatons stood and applauded their champion. The rest of the crowd gave a soft, confused applause as whispering started again.

When the dragon was replaced with the Chinese Fireball, Krum went to get ready. The cannon fired again and he went to the ring. As planned he didn't hurt the dragon or her nest. He simply summoned his broom and tried to fly over the dragon. He whizzed and whorled over the beast and teased her head.

The Fireball made as if to snap at an annoying pest, but otherwise let the Bulgarian Seeker appear to out fly her. She shot fireballs at him, but made sure they missed. Her roars were deafening, but Harry was laughing his ass off at the things she was calling the irritating man.

Krum performed a Wronski Feint and grabbed the egg and flew out of the ring. The Fireball continued to snap her jaws at him until he was out of reach.

This time the entire audience cheered at the daring move. The dragons were switched again and the Fireball was replaced with the Hungarian Horntail.

Harry turned off the mirror and waited for the cannon. When he heard it he jogged out of the tent and waved to the spectators. He winked at the dragon and fired a dome spell on the nest. He then added the sunlight spell to keep them warm. The Horntail glanced at her eggs and was satisfied that they were protected.

The streak-haired champion then raised his arm, making sure to pretend to use his wand, and called clouds to form. The air thickened as dark clouds amassed over the arena. The wind kicked up and the sky around the dragon darkened. Harry then caused the air to chill more than it already was, and soon snow was falling. The wind started to blow harder and the flurry became a blizzard, making the Horntail sleepy.

Harry then Jumped to the nest and spelled a hole in the bottom of the dome on one side, making sure the sunlight spell was still warming the eggs. He snuck his hand in and snatched the golden egg and closed the hole. Then the youngest champion Jumped to the hospital tent, leaving the storm to blow itself out, it should only last a few minutes.

Harry pulled out the mirror, while the Hogwarts nurse checked him, and called his aunt. She smiled that he was okay and showed the stadium once again. The audience was quiet, but for a few murmurings, waiting to see what was next.

As slowly as it appeared, the snow faded and the clouds dissipated. The Horntail had wrapped herself around her nest and appeared to be sleeping. Everyone looked around to see where the SMI champion was. Ludo could be heard asking someone to go and check on the boy. The dragon handlers milled around the ring, but couldn't find the youngest contestant.

Harry and Gilly just laughed at their confusion. Finally Madam Pomfrey sighed and told him to go and put them out of their misery. So Harry grabbed the golden egg and went to the entrance of the tent. He shot a look at Mr. Scott, who nudged Dumbledore and pointed to his student.

The crowd broke out in cheers, shouting and stomping their feet as they wildly clapped their hands.

The rest of the champions joined Harry to find out their scores. Every Judge, except Karkaroff, who grudgingly gave a six, gave Harry a ten for his great display of magic. The other champions glared at him, they were put out that the youngest of them didn't tell what his plan was. So it was with great frustration that they viewed him placing first, with Viktor next then Cedric and last Fleur.

When the others glared at him, the tri-color haired boy just shrugged and said it was family magic, which was the complete truth. However, unlike here there were no constraints on family magic in the US, so he could tell them if he wanted too. And he might just do that, later, after this contest was done.

He was in this to win. He may not have entered, but he was damned if he wasn't going to try his best. It wasn't his fault they chose lame maneuvers for their dragons. Well, except Krum, because flying was awesome. They should just be thankful he gave them a heads-up on what to expect. If they had trusted him, they could have pulled off something just as entertaining.

Finally the other contestants left to find their Heads and see what was next. After they had gone, one of the dragon handlers came up to Harry and waved him to the side. "Hey, Harry," the stocky redhead said, causing Harry's eyebrow to quirk at the familiarity, "we need you to undo the spell you put on the eggs."

"Oh, yeah, sure, not a problem," Harry said and followed the man to where the nest still laid. He took out his wand and circled the clutch and the sunlight spell vanished. He made a sweeping motion and the dome disappeared.

"Harry," the still unnamed redhead said, "do you think you can teach us that? We have a similar spell but it isn't quite as hot as this one, and we still seem to lose some eggs. This would be extremely helpful." His eyes pleaded for the young man to comply. It would be great if they could save more of the babies.

"Sure," Harry shrugged, "it really isn't my spell, but I can show you how it works." So they spent a few minutes going over the incantations and as soon as the smiling handler understood, he levitated the nest and moved off to show his coworkers.

Gilly, Sirius, Neville and Jordan, who had been standing to the side, joined Harry in the now empty arena. They clapped him on the back and congratulated him on his victory.

"So now what?" the black, blue and silver haired boy asked.

"Well, you know what the second task is, but you really should try and open the egg," Gilly pointed out. "Right now, I think Mr. Scott has something to tell you. He's on the boat with everyone else, setting up a party," she said gave him a huge hug. She was just so proud of him.

"Okay," came the reply and they all Jumped to the shore and Jumped to the boat.

As Harry entered the room, a round of cheering and applause exploded. Kippy had gone all out and decorated the living area with blue and silver banners and streamers. They drank butterbeer, pop (fizzy drinks) and juice and ate the finger food the house elf made. Halfway through the party Mr. Scott held up his hands for quiet. When the room fell silent he made a small speech.

"Congratulations to Mr. Harry Owens-Potter for a task well done. I commend your bout of fair play in letting the others know what to expect. The show you put on dazzled the judges. I would like to think it is because of your schooling, but I know it was a combination of your family's extraordinary teaching and SMI's wonderful education. So here is a toast to a great first task, may the next two be just as good." He lifted his glass and the rest joined him.

"To Harry," was the chorus that echoed around the room.

Harry just waved and smiled. Gilly and Sirius cheered and clapped the boy on the back.

Mr. Scott held his hands up again. "Next there will be a Yule Ball where the champions will have the first dance." He smirked at his youngest student, knowing the boy's girlfriend was still in the States.

The group cheered, but Harry panicked. No one told him he'd have to find a date. Now he was going to have to write Jessie and tell her that this was something that he couldn't avoid, and he just prayed she understood. He looked around at the females on the team, but they just grinned and shook their heads, pointing at the males in the room. The teen contender deflated; now he was going to have to go and ask a girl. He really hoped his girlfriend was forgiving.

"Cheer up, Harry," Sirius said from beside him, "all you have to do is make a friend. There are plenty of girls that don't think your some hero. Just find one of them and ask her."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry said, thinking that over. There were only a few Hogwarts' girls that he knew that didn't go all starry-eyed around him. He didn't know them that well though. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts, then turned to Neville and Jordan. "I'm going to go and say goodbye to the dragons tomorrow. Want to join?" he asked.

"Yeah, we can do that," Neville nodded.

Jordan smiled and nodded as well "It's about time you let us come," he said with a smile.

Harry had told them that they couldn't be in on the planning and they would be bored if they showed up. That and he had been still trying to gain the dragons trust, so appearing with more people might hinder that. Now though, they should be okay. The three made plans for the next day, and then partied with everyone else, until Mr. Scott finally called a halt to the festivities and sent everyone to bed.

After classes the next afternoon, the trio made their way through the forest. It wasn't until they could see the dragons that Harry pulled out his Cloak and they all got under.

"Cor, they are bigger up close," Jordan whispered as he stuck close to Harry, which he had to do anyway, since the Cloak was only so big. As it was they were stepping on each other's toes and grumbling about elbows. This would be the last time they tried this.

"Yeah, but they're cool," the streak-haired boy said as they made their way around the enclosure. The three boys were admiring the dragons as Harry pointed out and named each one. Soon enough it was time for them to go, so Harry made his way to the nearest one. "Sasha," he whispered in a hiss. "I'm over here," he added when she looked around. "I just came to let you know how thankful I am that you played my game with me. And to say goodbye, it was fun."

"We would do anything to protect our young. Had any of those in the task not followed along, we would have destroyed them," the Horntail said as quietly as she could.

"I understand, I would have expected as much. I did warn them," Harry said, and he had. After the second visit to the dragons, he had informed the others that they would be in danger if they didn't go along with him.

"I am thankful that you came to us and explained everything," the mother dragon said, lowering her head to the speaker.

"Great, well, give the others my thanks. We have to go now," the teen said as he patted her snout, and then the three boys Jumped back to the shore, not wanting to be under that Cloak any longer.

Harry went to the study room and sent off an email to his girlfriend. He explained what was going on and expressed his disappointment that she couldn't be there with him. He waited for a few minutes to see if there was a reply. When his mailbox dinged, he opened the email and smiled. Jessie said she understood, but he better send something really nice for Valentine's Day. They communicated back and forth for a few minutes, and then she had to go back to class.

Feeling much better, Harry said his goodnights and went to find Neville and Jordan. His brother was in the same boat as him and had to find a date. They talked about the girls they knew and tried to figure out who was single and who wasn't.

"Well, since we mainly sit with the Hufflepuffs, there is Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Sally Anne Perks. None of them come across as fangirls," Neville said thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

"There's that little blond third year in Ravenclaw," Jordan suggested. He was going with Nicole, who was the only girl their age on the SMI team.

"The strange one that sits next to me and tells me the nargles are infesting the people around her?" Harry questioned. He wasn't sure if that was someone he could spend the night dancing with, although the entertainment value was alluring. She came off as someone who would have fun no matter where she was.

Jordan just shrugged. "She seems harmless enough. Besides, she can't go unless someone asks her," he added thoughtfully. He really didn't see the need for age restriction, but then again this was a boarding school and they had rules that day schools didn't have. So maybe there was a reason the younger years couldn't go to the ball.

Neville smirked at Harry and said, "You could always ask that little redhead in Gryffindor." He just laughed when his brother threw a pillow at him.

"No thanks," Harry said with a shudder. That young lady followed him everywhere, whenever he was in the castle, and she completely creeped him out.

"Who said you had to limit yourself to Hogwarts, you could always ask one of the visitors," Nicole said as she joined them.

"That's true," Harry nodded and started thinking of the girls he knew in Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, which weren't many. They, however, might be in the same position he was and had boyfriends back home. The discussion went on till bedtime, but they came no closer to a conclusion. It did give Harry much to think about as he retired.

November 26, 1994

A few days after the first task, SMI went to breakfast in the Great Hall. They had eaten on the boat the last couple of days, to let any hard feelings blow over. As they entered the Hall, all noise stopped. They halted their entrance and waited. Then the whispers started and then the pointing. Harry and his team noted who looked unhappy or threatening. Most were okay with how the first event turned out, others were glaring at them. It was decided to split once again and see what everyone was thinking.

"Ah, yes, let us give a nice round of applause to our youngest champion, Harry Potter," Dumbledore said, rising from his throne. The staff complied and most of the student body followed. The Hufflepuffs, bar Cedric and his friends, didn't.

The Beauxbatons' students gave a soft applause, whereas the Durmstrang confused everyone by giving a hearty one.

Harry, Neville and Jordan sat at the least hostile table, which was Ravenclaw. It was sad that the Hufflepuffs seem to take it as a personal insult that Harry was in first place. You would think they were more about fair play.

Fleur was sitting next to Cedric's girlfriend, Cho Chang, or something. The Chinese girl glared at Harry and his friends, and then pointedly turned away.

"Hey, Fleur, how are you today?" Harry asked politely as he ignored the other girl and her rudeness. He was beginning to understand that Hogwarts didn't teach etiquette to its students.

"I am well, 'arry. Zank you for asking," the French champion said, she nodded to the space in front of her that opened up as the boys approached.

The trio filled their plates with fluffy scrambled eggs and toast. Jordan grabbed some sausage, while the other two forwent meat. They ate their meal in silence and when the post came they pushed away their plates.

"'arry, I wanted to zank you for making zings easier for us," Fleur said softly as she twisted a lock of her hair, seeming a bit nervous.

"I only wanted to make it fair to everyone," the tri-color haired boy shrugged. "I'm just glad you didn't deviate from the plans."

"I am as well," she said firmly. "Ze Yule Ball is next, do you know who you will be asking?"

"Well, I was hoping to get to know some people before I asked anyone. I don't want to have to make some poor girl's night miserable if me and my date don't have anything to talk about. Do you know who you're going with?" Harry was glad that the Veela got over herself and was no longer snubbing the other champions.

"I have not decided yet. Et is 'ard to find someone who does not fall for my charms," she said delicately. "I have no wish to spend my night wiping ze chin of my date." She seemed to sigh as if Harry wasn't getting the hint.

Harry chuckled, "I am much in the same boat, without the benefit of Veela charms."

"Yes, I imagine you are," she nodded her understanding.

"So, Harry," a seventh year boy interrupted, making Fleur glare at him, "how did you create that snowstorm? Did you learn it from your school? Is it something we can learn?" he leaned forward with the rest of his studious Housemates.

"It's family magic so I can't tell you much, but it's actually pretty easy once you understand weather charms. The problem most people have is they want an instant storm and that makes it harder. All you really have to do is gather moisture from the air and consolidate it in one area, lower the temperature, and presto, a small snowstorm," the SMI student explained casually. There was a bit more than that, but it was the root of the spell. If they were smart they'd figure it out for themselves.

"Our brother," said one of the redhead twins from behind him.

"was drooling over," the second one said, making Harry and his friends bounce their heads to him and then back to the first one when he continued,

"the spell you gave him,"

"for the eggs. You would,"

"think that you were,"

"Merlin incarnate from the,"

"way he talked about you," finished the one who started.

"Fred, George," Harry nodded to the correct twin. They had corralled him a few weeks ago and tried to give him the old map. He told them to keep it, since he didn't attend this school. It wasn't hard to tell them apart, Fred had more freckles on his nose than George. "So that was your brother, huh? He was so excited he didn't introduce himself."

"Yup, that's our Charlie, he" Fred said,

"misplaces his mind if dragons are involved," George finished fondly.

"Well, when you write to him or see him, tell him it was my pleasure," the streak-haired boy nodded. He was glad to help the dragons.

"Will do, Harry," they intoned together, and then returned to their table.

"Just how large is that family?" Neville said, after the twins left. "There are four of them at the Gryffindor table, and if I am not mistaken there's one sitting at that the Staff Table." He nodded his head to the redhead sitting next to Mr. Bagman. That one showed up right after the task, he said something about Mr. Crouch not feeling well.

"From what I understand," said a dark-haired fourth year girl, "there is a dragon-tamer, the one the twins were talking about, and a curse-breaker. The one with the teachers is Percy, he graduated last year. Counting the four in Gryffindor, that's seven kids in all. They're quite poor, but very nice people. Well, if you don't include Mrs. Weasley's howlers." The nearest students cringed a bit.

"That woman could strip paint off a wall with her yelling," agreed a fourth year blonde. The rest nodded in agreement.

"Does she send them often?" Jordan asked. They were against the rules in SMI; the school felt they were abusive. If you wanted to yell at your kids you just waited until they got home that evening, though he could see that since Hogwarts was a boarding school that would be a little more difficult.

"Oh, yeah, every time the twins get caught she sends one. Not that it has any effect on them," the brunette offered. "I'm Mandy Brocklehurst, by the way." She held out her hand to Jordan.

"Miss Brocklehurst, I am Jordan Hilton. This is my friend, Neville Longbottom, and this is Harry Potter," Jordan said as he shook her hand and indicated each of his friends.

"Nice to meet you all," Mandy said causally. "These are my friends, Sue Li, Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin," she added, nodding to each girl.

"Thanks for not introducing us, Mandy," one of the boys sniped. "I'm Terry Boot, that's Michael Corner and the other guy is Anthony Goldstein."

The trio shook everyone's hand and nodded their heads to those they couldn't reach. Soon enough the whole of the Ravenclaw table introduced themselves, except that little blonde third year. The SMI boys exchanged looks and Neville, who was closest to her, asked her name.

"Hello, Neville Longbottom, my name is Luna Lovegood," she said in an airy voice. "I see the nargles leave your school alone," Luna said with a tilt of her head, like she was looking for something by his ear. "Stay away from the mistletoe, they breed there."

With a confused look, Neville agreed to stay away from that plant. He had no idea what a nargle was, but he was sure he didn't want one.

"You don't want to talk to her," the Chinese girl who shunned them earlier said snidely. "That's Looney, she's crazy and weird," the girl sneered. "She should have never been sorted into Ravenclaw; I don't even think someone like her should be in Hogwarts at all. She is just too insane, and her father isn't much better. All she ever talks about is imaginary animals, she blames everything on them."

"And you're a bully and a bitch," Harry snapped, making the Ravenclaws start at his language. He had been so polite up until that moment, so they had to wonder what happened. "You'd think that as someone older you'd help a younger student who is obviously in need, but from what I've seen of you since I sat here you are a complete and total bully."

"Luna," Neville said softly while Harry dressed down the girl and her friends, "does your Head of House know what they say about you?"

"Oh, it is alright," the little blonde said with a wave of her hand, "it is just the wrackspurts infesting them. Professor Flitwick can't see them, you see. So he can't uninfest them." She nodded her head as if stating a sad fact.

"Be that as it may, you should either tell him how to help them or he should take them aside and try to make them understand what they are doing is wrong," Neville tried to argue.

Fleur came around the table and draped her arm over the small girl, "I understand some people are 'urtful," she said. "Being a Veela, I too was bullied. So believe me when I say, you must tell an adult or zey will not stop."

Harry was still chastising the students of Ravenclaw, making most of them hang their heads for not stopping the harassment of Luna. Others were arguing back that it was their right to treat their Housemate that way.

"Your right? Who the fuck told you that? I'll bet if I talk to your Head of House, who looks to me like someone who was picked on as a child, he wouldn't agree. As a matter of fact, I think I'll do just that," the SMI champion said, slamming his hands down on the table and getting off the bench. Jordan, Neville, Fleur and a reluctant Luna joined him. Many of the offenders protested, but they were ignored. The other House tables had stopped their conversation to find out what was upsetting the Boy Who Lived now.

The group headed straight towards Professor Flitwick. Mr. Scott, upon seeing their angry faces, sighed and moved forward to see what trouble his youngest student was causing this time. He stopped behind Harry and placed a restraining hand on the teen's shoulder. He was beginning to think that someone was spelling the boy to act out. There was no other explanation for his volatile attitude. He was going to have to check the child.

The students came to a halt in front of the diminutive professor. "Professor Flitwick," Harry said with a polite nod of his head, "I seem to be having a disagreement with your House. They appear to be under the impression that it is okay to steal from and intimidate Miss Lovegood just because she is different. I would think someone of your caliber would stop such nonsense."

"Miss Lovegood, is this true?" the tiny teacher asked. When she merely nodded her head, he let out an irritated sigh. "I will address my House accordingly. Thank you, Mr. Potter, for bringing it to my attention."

"Of course Potter would be the one causing trouble. I am sure he is exaggerating it, Filius. We do not even know this upstart. All he has done since he arrived is cause one scene after another," the greasy-haired man sneered, looking down his hooked nose at the boy, which seemed to be his permeant expression when it came to Harry and his crew.

"Now, now, Severus, if there is bullying going on it is only right that we know about it. Though, I am sure you are correct and it is not to the extent he is stating it is. After all, if it were then Filius would have caught on to such happenings sooner," The Headmaster said compliantly.

"Nevertheless, I will look into these accusations," the Charms teacher said. "Miss Lovegood, if you will see me in my office after breakfast. We will go over what has happened so far." He nodded to his quirky third year, berating himself for not seeing anything sooner.

The blonde smiled a dreamy smile, nodded her head at her Head of House and skipped away, causing the rest of the group to gaze wonderingly at her.

"Mr. Snape, I have warned you time and time again, to leave your hateful comments to yourself," Mr. Scott said sharply with a warning glare. He kept his hand firmly on Harry's shoulder to keep him from exploding at the Potions Master.

"That is Professor Snape," Dumbledore said with a disappointed look over his spectacles.

"Whatever," Mr. Scott waved away that argument, "It is clear to me why you cannot catch your students mistreating each other when you have such a man on your staff." He then turned to the Great Hall, dismissing the protesting Hogwarts Professors, and said, "SMI students, it is time for class. Say your goodbyes and we will head out."

The students said their farewells and made their way back to the boat. Fleur was in deep conversation with Madame Maxime, so Harry and his friends just waved and joined the rest of SMI for class. As a group they decided to walk to the boat so they could converse along the way.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, can't you have one breakfast with Hogwarts without getting angry?" Cathy Montgomery said, causing everyone to chuckle, not even recognizing the fact that they had spent almost a month without incident.

"It's not my fault they're all pigheaded jerks," the young man said as he pouted. "Besides, we sat at the Hufflepuff table for weeks and I didn't explode," he whined.

"Well, that's one House I don't think you're going to find a date with," Neville said to his cousin as he playfully shoved him.

"Dammit," Harry said, "I got so caught up in Luna, I forgot all about that." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I would say ask Luna, but I already did, while you were yelling at her bullies, and she said yes. I don't know about you guys, but I like her weirdness," Neville added, ruffling his brother's hair. Harry nodded his understanding; he didn't think he was patient enough to attend the girl properly, so he was glad Neville stepped up.

"You can probably forget most of the Slytherins as well. That Snape guy all but threatened them with expulsion if they even think about it," said Matthew Sarris with a grimace. "Though some of them are willing to take that chance to hook up with a rich man like you," he finished with a wink and a nudge.

"That man has been a pain in my ass since day one," Harry complained, "I mean, I know my dad and his friends were jerks to him, but he really should have been over it by now."

"Some people just don't know when to let things go," offered Mr. Scott. He had already told Dumbledore to keep his pet Death Eater on a leash, but it seemed not even the mighty Headmaster could tame that overgrown child.

"I'm just glad Aunt Gilly and Padfoot weren't there," the youngest teen said. "If you think I'm bad, you should see them when someone insults me like that. Thanks for holding me back, Mr. Scott," he nodded his head to the man.

"Try and have an easier time tomorrow, huh?" he discreetly wave his hand to check for charms and saw the remnants of one, but he couldn't tell how long ago it had been there. There was also the leash charm that was attached to his aunt. He would have to do a more in-depth look later.

"I'll try," came the reluctant response, making everyone snicker.

"Gryffindor might have a few prospects," Mary Knowles said thoughtfully. "Their chasers all seem to think you're a cute kid."

"As long as it isn't that stalker," Jordan said with a shudder. "I wonder if her parents know just how intense their little girl is. Her brothers seem to find it funny," he said with a shake of his head, knowing that if Maize acted like that their mother would take her to task.

Mary nodded in agreement. "They seemed to be egging her on. Doesn't seem right to me to encourage a thirteen year old girl to chase a boy she doesn't even know. Though that Granger girl kept trying to dissuade her," she added thoughtfully.

"If Granger wasn't so inquisitive I'd ask her, but I don't see spending the night answering questions about my life."

"Well you can count most of Hufflepuff out; they are sticking by their champion. It isn't called the house of loyalty for nothing," Steven Diaz said.

"Yeah, I figured that out for myself," Harry shrugged, a bit miffed by that. He actually liked the girls there.

"Give them some time. I'm sure they'll get over it soon," Neville said, clapping him on the back.

"Yeah, maybe."

They got to the shore of the lake and Jumped to the boat. Everyone went to their studies for the day. It was later that night that Harry sent off an email to his girlfriend complaining about how breakfast went. She sent back a reply that maybe he could save himself some frustration and ask his aunt, or even bring one of the older aunts over to accompany him. That lifted his spirits a bit and he said he'd talk to her Saturday.

The next day was spent getting to know the Beauxbatons' girls, but they mostly giggled and batted their eyelashes at the charming young man. So he turned his sights to the Durmstrang girls, there were only three in that group, but they all had dates with their schoolmates. Harry got to know them better anyway. They were pretty down to earth, and it seemed that Krum had put in a good word for him.

Saturday came and the trio went to visit Gilly and Sirius. After they greeted each other they sat in the homey living room.

"So, Harry, how goes the date hunting," Sirius asked with a wink.

The tri-color haired boy ran his hands through his hair in complete defeat. "Not well at all. It seems all the sensible girls are already taken."

"Poor baby," Gilly deadpanned, and then grabbed her nephew in a one armed hug. "Are they really that bad?" she asked.

"No, not all of them, but most of the Hufflepuffs don't want to have anything to do with me, and I didn't make any friends with the Ravenclaws. There were a few Slytherins that approached me, but they seemed to want a contract out of me and not a date. Which could actually be beneficial, but I was hoping to make friends," he said leaning into his aunt's hug.

"What about you guys?" Sirius asked the other two.

"I'm going with Nicole, we came to an understanding before we left Salem, that if there was a social function we'd go with each other," Jordan said.

"I'm taking Luna Lovegood," Neville said with a shrug. "She seems like a decent girl."

"Yeah, we heard about what happened the other day," Gilly said with a lifting of her eyebrow. She and Sirius decided to spend some time together, hadn't gone to the castle all week. But after hearing about that day, well they might just have to have breakfast there more often.

"It's not my fault," Harry complained.

"I know, sweetie, and I'm proud of you for standing up for her," she said, ruffling his hair.

"Me too," Sirius added with a small smile.

"Jessie suggested that if I can't find a date, that I could go with you," Harry said, leaning his head back on Gilly's shoulder, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. "Or we could bring one of the aunts over for the night."

"If it's really that hard to find yourself a date, let me talk to the aunts and we'll see what we can do," Gilly complied. Plans were already circulating in her mind. "If worse comes to worse, then I will be more than happy to be your date."

"Oi, what about me?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"Do you really want to spend the night at a table with Snape?" Gilly inquired with a wink, which everyone but Harry caught.

"Maybe," the dog Animagus said slowly as he saw the wink and noted the mischief dancing in her eyes. He smirked internally, man he loved this woman.

"I'll give it one more week, if I don't find a nice girl that I think will not go all serious on me then I'll let you know. If not then hopefully you or one of the aunts will accompany me to the Ball."

"How goes the gossip of Hogsmeade?" Neville asked, changing the subject since he too could see the mischievous look in his aunt's eyes.

"My little table is always full," Gilly said with a smirk. "Everyone wants to know all about the Boy Who Lived. Not that I tell them much, just enough that they know you're a good kid."

"Well, that's good news. What are they saying about the first task?" Harry asked, wondering if the adults of Britain held the same grudges as the children.

"Most of them were damn impressed by your display of magic. I had to tell them how easy the spells were to get them to see that you aren't some overpowered mage, or something. I also let them know it was Owens' family magic, and that there was only so much we could tell them," Gilly answered, remembering all the downplaying she had been doing the last few days. She even had to pretend to use a wand and show them smaller, but similar, spells to the ones Harry had used. Most went away satisfied that Harry wasn't someone who was going to try and show up their kids, but with the knowledge that Hogwarts didn't teach that kind of magic.

"I had to do the same with some of the members of the Wizengamot," Sirius added, miffed that those old codgers were so damn spoiled.

They weren't as easily distracted. They all but demanded that Harry show all of the Hogwarts' students the spells he used. Those old men didn't like the fact that some young Yank could do spell work their children didn't know. Mr. Roberts argued them to a standstill, stating that it was family magic and they had no right to demand anything. Not wanting to set a precedent they backed down.

"I did tell the Ravenclaws the basis of the spells, if they look hard enough, they'll figure it out. Then they won't be as impressed as they first were, which will be a relief, I tell ya," Harry said. Dealing with the other students was hard. He was glad the students of SMI didn't view him as anything other than a kid, and treated him the same way they did Neville and Jordan.

"Let's go into the village and get some candy for the Aunts," Gilly said, getting up and grabbing her coat.

"That sounds like a plan; maybe we can do some shopping as well. I really haven't had the chance to check out the stores here," Harry said as he put on his winter jacket.

"That is because you keep getting detention," Sirius said with a proud smile.

"Not my fault," the steak-haired boy pouted yet again.

"You seem to be saying that a lot," Neville pointed out.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Don't even start," Gilly said with a laugh. "What are you guys, two?"

They bantered back and forth as they made their way in to the village for a day of shopping and relaxing. Now that Harry had asked his aunt about the Ball he was less inclined to be searching out a date. His aunt was still a beautiful woman, and he wouldn't mind at all escorting her.