Before the Tournament Begins
Something interesting happened at Hogwarts just two days before the first trial was set to begin; part of the Forbidden Forest had been fenced off. And no, the trees hadn’t been moved or altered in any way; simple fences now surrounded a section of the forest. From a distance, magical workers could be seen starting to assemble floating platforms, which would clearly serve as stands. So, obviously, all of this was meant for the first trial.
That let Harry breathe a sigh of relief. For a brief moment, he had thought that Red and the others had caused far too much chaos in the forest, something that could have easily ended in a full lockdown.
But that didn’t seem to be the case.
Still, at one point, Harry was called to go deal with Red, who was causing trouble for the workers after deciding they had intruded into his territory. So, for the time being, Harry had to keep him close.
And right now, the red dragon was genuinely happy, acting like some sort of royal guard following his king with absolute arrogance. In fact, that was also the reason Harry hadn’t been able to go to Hogsmeade with his friends; he had to keep an eye on him.
“You’d better behave, Red,” Harry said, looking at him seriously.
The dragon watched him for a moment and seemed to understand what he was saying, before dramatically falling onto his back in an exaggerated show of submission. But Harry, who knew him far too well, was certain that he hadn’t understood a single word. He let out a tired sigh.
“I don’t know if I should lock you up somewhere, but knowing you, you’d cause even more chaos locked up than free,” he said, crouching slightly and poking the dragon in the stomach.
“What are you doing?” a voice asked from behind him, making Harry turn around.
Billy was standing there, Terra perched on top of his head, watching the scene with clear interest.
For a moment, Harry’s gaze shifted from Terra to Red, and then to his younger brother.
“Alright… let’s switch,” Harry said, tilting his head with a smile far too calm to be innocent.
Billy looked at him, confused. And before he could even react, he was suddenly alone, with Red now standing at his side, tall and proud like a royal guard. The dragon puffed out his chest, looking at him as if to say: leave it to me. I’ll eat anyone who dares to attack you.
Meanwhile, Harry quickly walked away with Terra.
“Perfect,” he murmured to himself, clearly pleased with the exchange. “Now he’s your problem.”
…
Harry walked on calmly, satisfied that he had gotten rid of a troublesome presence, at least for a while. Terra sat happily on his shoulder, swinging her tiny feet back and forth.
“Since we’re at it, why don’t we go to Hogsmeade with the others?” Harry asked, turning his head to look at her.
Terra nodded rapidly, immediately approving the idea.
In the end, Harry simply left the castle with a smile on his lips, without overthinking it.
Harry stepped into the magical village, the only place that proudly claimed to be entirely made up of witches and wizards, without a single Muggle in sight. He noticed that a lot of people were wandering around. Not just students enjoying their day off or the locals, but also plenty of outsiders, most likely having come to watch the competition live. It forced him to constantly weave through the crowd, while Terra held onto his shoulder to avoid falling, even though she could fly perfectly well.
It crossed his mind that Hermione had mentioned going to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, so that’s where he ended up heading.
The moment he stepped into the tavern, he noticed how crowded it was. He scanned the room until he spotted Neville, Hermione, Draco, Luciel, Fleur, and Katerina.
“So this is where you all are, fraternizing with the enemy,” Harry said, appearing in front of their table and looking at Luciel and Fleur with an amused smile.
Luciel returned the smile and raised a hand in a simple greeting. Katerina nodded in his direction, while Fleur rolled her eyes briefly before looking back at him.
“Hello, Mr. Villain. So you don’t even let your friends have fun with other people? Very typical of an obsessive control freak, isn’t it?” she said, watching him with a teasing smile.
“Oh yes. I can be quite controlling,” Harry replied, his smile turning slightly diabolical.
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Just before Hermione’s book connected with his head.
“Enough of that for now. You can flirt with women later,” Hermione said, looking at him seriously.
That made Fleur blush slightly.
“Ahem,” Harry cleared his throat. “I’m not flirting,” he defended himself, looking mildly annoyed, since it seemed that every time he spoke to a girl, his friends immediately assumed he was flirting.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s why they call you a playboy,” Draco said with a sour look, before taking a sip of his butterbeer.
“Being handsome, rich, and amazing is hard sometimes, isn’t it, Harry?” Luciel commented, as if he himself suffered from the same curse, while his fiancée stared at him for a moment before taking a drink to avoid saying something that might embarrass him.
“I have to go. Harry, take my seat,” Neville said with a smile as he stood up.
Harry noticed that Samus seemed to be calling for him; it looked like they were heading off to buy a few things at Honeydukes.
Harry gave him a thankful pat and easily took his place between Draco and Luciel. Across from them sat Katerina, Fleur, and Hermione. Meanwhile, Terra gently floated toward Fleur, observing her with mild interest, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Fleur looked at the small fairy in the red dress, unsure of what to say, feeling unexpectedly nervous under her attentive gaze.
Fortunately for her, Terra soon shifted her attention to the fruit on the table and flew over without looking back, happily starting to eat a few grapes.
“Then I’ll continue with what I was saying before being interrupted by Harry,” Hermione said, giving him a mildly annoyed look as she placed the very same book she had used to hit him onto the table and opened it at once.
Harry noticed several names written inside. For some reason, his own name, along with Draco’s, Daphne’s, and Hermione’s, were right at the top. Below them came Astoria, Luna, Billy, Tommy, and further down, a list of aunts, uncles, and other relatives. Even Nicolas and Perenelle’s names were there. And above the entire list sat the acronym C.A.R.E.
“That’s it?” Harry asked, looking at her with mild confusion.
Hermione studied him for a moment, caught somewhere between puzzled and serious.
“It’s the list of members for Care, Assistance, and Respect for Magical Species,” she said. “My plan. You remember it, right?” she added, eyeing him with faint suspicion.
“Oh, right. That plan. Yeah, I remember,” Harry replied quickly, while Draco watched him with subtle amusement, though he said nothing.
Hermione gave him a suspicious look for a moment before turning her attention to the three Beauxbatons students.
“Care, Assistance, and Respect for Magical Species. Owls shouldn’t be collapsing from carrying messages halfway across the country without rest. Magical pets aren’t disposable tools. And house-elves shouldn’t be treated as property, but as collaborators with basic rights, even if we know that forcing their freedom can harm them,” Hermione explained, making the purpose of the group clear.
There was something in particular that made Katerina stare intently when Hermione mentioned the liberation of house-elves, fully capturing her attention.
“CARE only asks for three things; care, assistance, and respect. Rest, reasonable limits, and consent. Nothing more… it’s really not that complicated. If you use magic, if you rely on magical creatures, then you’re already part of the problem… or you can be part of the solution. There isn’t much middle ground. With Professor Flamel’s help, we’ve been able to create mechanical owls and animal golems capable of carrying heavy loads without any trouble. That way, the burden doesn’t fall on the poor owls anymore. They stop being treated as mere tools and become what they truly are; our companions. And reducing the way house-elves are treated like slaves is something that needs to change. I want every creature that’s part of our lives to receive what they deserve; respect,” she said, lifting her head firmly, as if she had no intention of backing down.
“Mmm,” Luciel murmured with interest, nodding along. Fleur also seemed somewhat convinced, and Katerina accepted the idea immediately. “But… why do you need more members?” Luciel asked.
Hermione blinked, clearly confused by the question.
“I mean,” Luciel continued, pointing at the names. “Sirius, Edward, Alice, Narcissa, Nicolas Flamel, and Perenelle. Those are some very influential names. You don’t even need to create a group; just push a law through the Ministry with their support. And with Flamel backing your cause, there isn’t a single wizard who would dare oppose it. Well, at least that’s how it usually works in France. That’s why he never seems to openly support anything,” he added with a smile.
Hermione blinked a couple of times, processing what she had just heard. She lowered her gaze to the book, her fingers gripping the cover more tightly than necessary.
“That…,” she murmured, frowning. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
She seemed to realize something and glanced at her two friends for a moment.
“Well… he’s right. Uncle Edward leads the neutral faction. He could draft a bill that everyone would accept without hesitation,” Harry said at last, looking at her.
Hermione slowly raised her eyes to Harry, her expression shifting from concentration to a very familiar irritation.
“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier? Before I had to put in all this effort?” she asked sharply. Then she seemed to realize something else; she glared at him. “You… you didn’t actually know my plan at all, did you?” she demanded.
Harry froze. Instinctively, he looked to Draco for help, but all he got in return was a smug grin.
“Fine,” Hermione said angrily, staring at both of them. “Fine. Fine, fine,” she repeated as she stood up. “Fleur, come on. I’ll show you every single one of Harry’s weaknesses for the tournament and how to counter all his spells. I hope you give him a proper beating, if possible,” she said before storming out of the Three Broomsticks.
Fleur stood up, still a bit confused, but she glanced at Harry with a hint of amusement in her eyes and a smile before hurrying after Hermione.
“Well… it’s kind of funny how your conversation detours always come back to explode in your face later,” Draco said, holding back his laughter, while Harry wore a mildly annoyed expression. “And just like I predicted, Hermione picked Fleur. Which means Daphne goes with Luciel,” he added.
“Hm? Daphne… I haven’t seen her in a while, and she hasn’t picked me at all,” Luciel said calmly. “By the way, where is she now?” he asked, lifting his glass for a sip.
For a second, both Harry and Draco stared at him, clearly not expecting that question.
…
Two days later, the atmosphere at Hogwarts changed completely.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Were you not eagerly awaiting this day? Because I certainly was. More than excited, I am filled with joy to officially begin what will be the start of the Inter-School Magical Tournament!” Ludo shouted, as the crowd sat upon the floating stands prepared above the Forbidden Forest.
