Chapter 48. Scorpion and Frog
"So, zey are not going to tell us anything, wanting to test our courage, wanting to see 'ow we will act in ze face of the unknown, in ze face of fear. And we are also forbidden from asking for 'elp from ze professors." Fleur summarised briefly.
Team A: Elitsa, Fleur, and Harry had decided to take a stroll outside the castle after the adults had told them about the first task which would take place on 24th November. This sudden outing wasn't because of some fear that other teams might try to pry and listen in to their strategy. No, they just wanted to give them some space. And to escape from the competitive glares of Stefan and Juliette.
'Those poor fools don't even know that they are the weakest among the three teams. Team C is made up of above-average students. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem. But when you're the only normal team in this tournament, it does start to matter. I'm eager to see their reactions once they begin losing spectacularly and realise their worth.' Harry thought with wry amusement.
"You need to read between the lines, Fleur. They vill not tell us anything, but ve are not forbidden from trying to know more. They vill not allow any help from the teachers, but ve are not prohibited from getting help from somewhere else." Elitsa said softly, her head tilted up, her narrowed eyes directed at the night sky.
"But wouldn't zat be cheating?" The Veela questioned curiously, not looking particularly scandalised by her teammate's suggestion.
"It is only cheating if ve get caught. And ve can simply pretend ve misunderstood if it really is against the rules." Elitsa said with a nonchalant shrug, prompting Fleur to break into abrupt giggles. Even Harry joined in and chuckled at the daring advice. One would think she would be an honest straight-laced girl from her simple appearance. But in reality, there was cunning and sharp intelligence hidden behind those hard grey eyes.
"So, what do you think we should do?" He asked, stopping in the middle of the path that was far away from everywhere to safely discuss 'cheating'.
Fleur stifled a yawn as she saw the glimpse of the Beauxbatons carriage a little distance ahead of them and focussed on the thoughtful expression of Elitsa Koleva who was proving to be quite an enigma. At first, she had written away Elitsa as a mere beautiful honourable older girl who would rather lose than do something questionable. But this conversation had shattered that image and shown her in a new light. It was certainly an enlightening experience for her.
The Durmstrang girl paused before answering. "Give me a day and I vill tell you vat ve should do."
"Okay. We'll meet the day after tomorrow to discuss how we should proceed." Harry nodded, offering her a small smile.
"Oui." Fleur too smiled at the older black-haired girl.
"Good. It is time for me to go then. Goodnight, Harry. Goodnight, Fleur. It vas pleasure meeting you two." Elitsa looked pleased as she parted from them and hurried towards the lake where the Durmstrang ship was moored.
Once she was gone and the two were alone, an uncomfortable silence descended upon them.
Harry frowned at the way Fleur stood ramrod straight and looked at him. There was a conflict in her gaze as if she wanted to do both: get close to him and run far away from him.
"What is it? If you've something to say then say it." Harry enquired, giving her a little metaphorical push to open up and reveal what the problem was.
"My teacher says zat you are dangerous and I should not associate wiz you. Zat you are even more powerful zan 'er."
It took Harry a second to realise who her teacher was. And once it did, the pieces fell into the place and he understood the odd dirty looks that were shot at him by Eos Blanc. Apparently, she didn't want Fleur to befriend him. Although he didn't know why. It wasn't as if they were enemies anymore, but then again, they weren't in an amicable relationship either. Maybe she was letting her dislike for him colour her decisions and didn't want her pupil mixing up with him.
He was going to just shrug and say something deeply offensive about the former mistress of the Dark Lord when the silver-haired girl surprised him with her next statement.
"I also know zat you were ze reason for ze blackout a few days ago."
He clammed up. Did Eos tell her so? If yes, then they were going to have big problems. This promise of non-aggression wouldn't survive if that woman was so easily spouting his secrets like she was spreading her legs.
As if reading his angry thoughts, she quickly clarified. "No, she did not tell me. She was very adamant about not revealing your secrets. I know about ze blackout incident by myself. I am a Veela. And I am sensitive to magic. I was looking at you when ze magic flared and filled the Great 'all."
He pressed his lips in a thin line and remained silent. Then he sighed at last, again cursing himself for that impulsive action. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Nozzing. I don't care about your secrets. Everyone 'as their own. What I want to know is if you plan to 'urt Madam Blanc?" Fleur asked with an astounding amount of protectiveness.
He had been clearly amiss in not realising how close these two were.
He stared at her with a scowl, making her fidget anxiously. After all, she knew she was in no way strong enough to threaten him, the one person even mightier than her mentor, but somehow she also knew that he wasn't the monster her teacher made him out to be. And that gave her confidence to confront the younger boy who was strangely as tall as her even when they were three years apart in age. It was easy to forget that he was just thirteen with the way he acted and carried himself.
"No, Eos is not my enemy anymore. I mean her no harm. But that can change if she acts against me." Harry announced after a moment of contemplation.
The big smile that crossed over her face was kind of cute, he thought idly. And he was expectedly taken aback when she grabbed his shoulders and pecked his cheeks twice. "Thank you! Thank you so much! It relieves me zat I don't need to worry about my teacher."
If Harry wasn't so used to getting kissed by girls he might have stammered and blushed as her tantalising scent clogged his nostrils, as her soft pink lips brushed against his face. But at that moment it was only the shock of getting kissed by a practical stranger that stopped him from returning the kiss with a flirty comment. "Right. Tell her that she doesn't have to be afraid of me. I'm not some psycho who'll hurt her just because I can."
"I will, 'Arry, I will. Goodnight, I 'ave to go back now."
He nodded distractedly. "Goodnight, Fleur."
As she smiled softly and began walking away, Harry couldn't help but speak up. "Fleur, do you know your teacher's true identity? I recommend you ask her about that. It might change the way you look at her."
Fleur shot him a dubious look and nodded unsurely before she went away.
He gazed at her retreating back until she disappeared into the Beauxbatons carriage. Then he exhaled audibly, relieved that they cleared the air and there would be no animosity between them. Although he wasn't quite sure if Eos would take the olive branch that he so graciously had proffered. But that doubt was for another day. Now he had a party to attend.
Turning invisible, he teleported to a secluded spot in Gryffindor tower. But it wasn't secluded enough it seemed. He kept his invisibility until the couple of Gryffs that were wandering whimsically went past him. Only when he was alone that he dispelled the charm and marched towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. Grinning as she boisterously congratulated him, he gave the password and stepped into the common room which apparently was in full swing.
Someone somehow had procured a radio from which loud rock music was booming. Most of his housemates were dancing humorously and goofing around, shoving and jumping on each other. The Weasley twins were doing a slow duet surrounded by their cheering group. Astoria was giggling and patting Ginny's back whose face was bright red from embarrassment. And Iris, Neville, and Hermione were sitting on a sofa, a little away from the rowdy crowd, clinking their mugs and gulping down Butterbeer.
But it seemed he wouldn't get the chance to join them anytime soon.
"Harry is here! Our boy is here!" Lee shrieked over the music, putting him under the spotlight.
A moment of silence ensued and then he was quickly engulfed in the mass of sweaty bodies that jostled him from all sides.
He just surrendered himself to their ear-splitting congratulations and bone-breaking hugs.
"Oi, Lavender! I know what you did just now." He yelled at the blonde over his shoulder. But his voice was lost in the din of off-tune singing and guitar riff. The said girl just smiled innocently, further pressing her large breasts onto his back, slipping her hand from his arse to between his legs and cupping his crotch. To say he was stupefied by the shameless pervert would be an understatement. But instead of slapping her into a coma as he should have done, he just discreetly snaked his palm under her skirt and grabbed her pussy.
After all, he was a pervert too. And he could sort of respect her suicidal bravery.
She gasped and closed her legs, trapping his hand between her plump thighs. Burying her face between his shoulder blades, she gently massaged his growing bulge.
And he returned the favour, their fondling going unnoticed as they swayed and jumped to the music.
Her knickers were soft silk, warm from the heat of her cunt, and felt good in his grasp. He suddenly gave it a tight squeeze. A squeeze that was enhanced by his perk, skyrocketing her pleasure in an instant. There was no slow build-up. It was a straight lance of stimuli that pierced her gut. Her gushing orgasm would be intermixed with pain and pleasure. But then again, he wasn't in the mood to reward her with the way she had taken advantage of the situation. So, a little pain was rather well deserved.
Lavender moaned hoarsely and dropped her hand as a wave of pleasure surged through her veins and drowned her in an overpowering ecstasy. She was barely able to slip away from the screaming crowd and run up to the girls' dormitory before her knees gave in and she collapsed on her bed, trembling in delight as her body quivered from aftershocks. She didn't have to see under her skirt to notice her juices leaking down her legs, and her underwear was thoroughly soaked. She became catatonic for a few minutes and just breathed in and out.
In the common room, Harry smirked as he finally escaped from the clutches of his over-enthusiastic peers and didn't see Lavender anywhere near. She would be quite indisposed for a while if his guess was correct.
'Heh, she better remembers this 'hand of god' and understands that there are consequences of groping me. The next time I might not be this merciful and just slap her into oblivion.'
Shaking his head at the audacity of his classmate, he approached his friends and plopped down beside his sister. Iris didn't protest when he draped his arms around her shoulders and dug his face into her neck.
Chuckling, she combed his hair with her fingers and said mirthfully. "There there, Harry. You must be so tired from all the socialising. Come on, big sister Iris will take you to bed and tuck you in."
"Will I get a goodnight kiss, bwig sister Iris?" He asked in an exaggerated childish voice.
"Why not? I might even give you two kisses if you behave and be a good boy." Iris played along, cupping his face and smiling benevolently.
"Is it Christmas already, bwig sister Iris?"
"Enough, you two! I fear I'll lose my brain cells if you keep talking like that." Hermione interrupted, looking at them with twitching eyebrows.
"Sorry, Hermioninny." The Potter twins chorused together, eliciting a laugh from Neville. Even Hermione couldn't help but sigh fondly. But before she could reprimand the twins, Astoria walked up to them with Ginny in tow and looked at Harry with puppy eyes.
He resisted the urge to squeal obnoxiously and pull her in his lap, and instead asked her in a reasonably calm voice, "What do you desire, Tori?"
"I want you to go fetch Daph and Tracey from the Slytherin house. I want my sister to participate in the celebration too. I hardly think their housemates would have arranged a party as we did for you." Astoria replied softly.
Harry swiftly dropped the joking tone and got on his feet.
"You are a good girl, Tori." He placed a proud kiss on her cheek and jogged away to get his other best friends.
"But it's against the rules. And I don't think everyone would agree to let Slytherin students into our common room." Hermione questioned with a frown after Harry went away, aware that there were still some Gryffindors who looked down on Tracey and Daphne.
"It doesn't matter. Daphne and Tracey are honorary Gryffindors at this point. And if someone does get their knickers in a twist, we can just hex them away."
"Language, Ginny!" Hermione sighed again while Astoria looked on proudly at her friend.
~xXxXx~
Daphne ambled past the other Slytherins who were giving her jealous looks. It was the house of ambition after all, and a mere third-year getting selected instead of the older, more capable students didn't sit right with them. But they hadn't forgotten the butchered bodies that the Red Grim had left behind him last year when some of them had tried to sheer off Greengrass' wings of arrogance. So, they kept their dangerous thoughts to themselves and just ignored her. Although the majority was like this, some few students did offer her smiles and silent congratulations.
Opening the door to her room, she allowed Tracey entry first before stepping in herself. Locking it behind her, she dropped the cold confident look and slumped beside her friend on the edge of the bed.
"What is it, Tracey? Why are you so gloomy?" Daphne queried, curious why the usually talkative brunette was so silent.
"I guess I'm angry at myself for not setting up a celebration party for you. Honestly, I didn't really expect you to get selected. I thought you were too young for that. So, I didn't give much thought to what will happen if you do get selected. And now I'm feeling like an idiot for doubting you." Tracey groaned, flopping on her front and burying her face in the pillow.
Daphne smiled, laying her hand on her back. "It's fine, Tracey. I don't like loud, crowded parties anyway."
"I know. But I still should have done something to celebrate your selection." Tracey muttered, shifting on her back and looking up at her morosely.
"Stop being melodramatic. It's still not too late to visit the kitchen and snag ourselves some cake or ice cream." The blonde rolled her eyes and offered an alternative.
Instantly, Tracey sat up, and grabbed Daphne by her shoulders, grinning like a clown and shaking her happily. "You're bloody brilliant, Daph. Let's go. I want to eat chocolate ice cream."
The newly selected champion smiled affectionately as her friend dragged her away from the bed. But just as soon as Tracey snapped open the door, they came face to face with Harry whose hand was raised, presumably to knock.
"Harry!" Tracey exclaimed in befuddlement.
"Tracey!" He mimicked her tone before sweeping her into his arms and planting his lips on her cheek loudly. "How many years has it been since we last met?"
"Uhm, half an hour if I remember correctly." She blushed, shoving him away as he snickered at her flustered face. Daphne, who was looking at them amusedly, received a kiss on the mouth in the form of a greeting before he linked their elbows and marched them out of the snake pit.
The bewildered look on the Slytherins' faces was certainly entertaining as they got rooted to their spots, not knowing how a Gryffindor entered their common room without any of them noticing. Before they could explode and shower the trio with spells, the three were already out.
"How did you enter our common room?" Tracey couldn't help but ask.
"It's a secret." He winked, squeezing her hand.
"Oh come on! Tell me, please, please. I'll literally do anything for you. Just tell me." She pleaded, jumping before them and hindering their walk.
"Nope. It's a very big secret. You have to sell your body and soul to me before I'll be comfortable enough sharing it with you." He told her semi-jokingly. And Tracey must have noticed it too because she lost her carefree look and got silent, allowing them to proceed.
Trying to break the charged silence, Daphne asked the important question. "Where are we going?"
"To Gryffindor common room. Astoria was yearning for your presence and assumed correctly that your housemates wouldn't be in a celebratory mood. So, she decided to attack me with her puppy eyes and commanded me to whisk you away from the grumpy Slytherins. And as her humble servant, I couldn't unheed her order and charged forth blindly to save you." He recited, swinging their arms at his sides.
Tracey was chuckling at his dramatic retelling while Daphne wore a rare loving smile, deeply affected by her little sister's thoughtfulness. She vowed to give Astoria a big hug to show her that her thought was appreciated.
"Well, I guess we can cancel our plan to drown in ice cream. We were going to the kitchen before you kidnapped us." The blonde revealed their prior arrangement.
"I don't see why we can't do both. We can surely take a detour to have some ice cream. It's not like the party would end anytime soon." Tracey licked her lips, her sweet tooth taking over her mind.
Daphne couldn't resist an eye roll but acceded to her friend's request anyway. "Fine. We'll do both."
"Okay, if that's what you want." Harry added, tugging them towards the direction of the kitchen once they left the dungeons, waving at the euphoric Hufflepuffs who were carrying trays upon trays of food and drinks towards their common room.
~xXxXx~
Harry found a brief note pinned on his bed when he returned to the dorms from the Room of requirement. As always, he hadn't slept in his own bed and had lied with Iris in the Room instead. Even when the party that was arranged in his name had continued well past midnight, the twins didn't let it change their special routine and slipped away to enjoy the night with each other.
Shaking off the images of his sister's nude body from his mind, he picked up the note and read it.
Mister Potter,
I request your presence in my office before you break your fast with your friends.
Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster of Hogwarts
He was decidedly spooked by the sudden summons. For a moment, he feared that the headmaster had finally found out that he was the Red Grim. Or maybe he had realised that Harry was the reason for the demolition of the wards. Trying to assuage his fear, he hoped that the purpose for this meeting was related to him being chosen as a champion and not for the previously mentioned reasons. But the strange timing for it did make him question the authenticity of that hope. Knowing that his mind would keep torturing him with fears, he resolved to get this over with.
'Whatever happens happens.'
Taking a quick shower, he donned a white shirt and jeans. Then he left the Gryffindor dormitory after returning the Fat Lady's smile. Quickening his pace, he brisk-walked, thankful that he knew where the Headmaster's Office was. He didn't find many students while he was on his way. It was understandable seeing how it was currently just 6:40 in the morning. Even the early risers would sleep in after the parties of last night.
Climbing down to the third floor, he went into the Gargoyle Corridor. After a little walk, he stopped before the stone gargoyle that stood imperiously, hiding an alcove behind. It stepped aside and Harry moved towards the small spiral staircase. Before he could begin ascending the stairs, they moved on their own and rose upwards, and halted before an innocuous door. He stepped from the staircase and knocked on the door.
"Come in." The headmaster's voice came through as he pushed open the door and stared at the beautiful office. It was a large circular room with many windows and many portraits. He moved towards the quirky claw-footed desk which was laden with all sorts of random things. There were books, papers, bowls of candies, and even a decorative box.
Sitting behind the desk was Dumbledore, clad in grey-silver robes.
"Good morning, Professor." He greeted him before taking a seat in front of him.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter. I hope you didn't lose too much sleep last night." The old man smiled kindly, pushing away the book that he was reading.
"I didn't."
"That's good to hear. Would you like a lemon drop?"
"No."
Silence followed after the small talk since Harry wasn't participating in the charade. Which then was broken by him getting right to the point. "What did you want to talk about, Professor? You didn't specify why you called me here."
"Why don't you tell me that, Mr. Potter?"
"What?"
"Tell me what could you have done that would require me to personally seek you."
Harry put on a dubious look and stared at the headmaster quizzically. "I don't think I have done anything to find myself in the Headmaster's Office."
Dumbledore glanced at him with disappointed eyes and stood up, walking to the window on his right and peering out at the grounds. "You are not really a good liar, Harry."
He remained seated and stared at the old wizard who wasn't looking at him. Calming his beating heart he resisted the urge to take out the Black Sword and prepare for battle. Now was not the time to start a fight. If Dumbledore really wanted to duel him, he wouldn't have called him into the office. And the man wasn't the type of person to trap someone, to harm anyone. He was passive, too passive as his mother liked to call him. Harry was safe unless he himself instigated a fight. And while he was ninety-nine percent sure that he could insta-kill the old man, he didn't really want to. Dumbledore hadn't done anything wrong yet, as far as he was aware.
"What do you mean, Professor?"
"I know you were the one who broke the wards. And I confess I don't know why." Dumbledore said, glancing at him briefly before fixing his gaze once again on the morning sky.
"That's a very bold claim, Headmaster. Do you think I am strong enough to destroy the ancient wards of the castle?" Harry questioned with a wry smile, knowing that there was no use in hiding anymore. Dumbledore was already aware, and no matter how hard Harry tried, he couldn't change that.
"I know that you are even more powerful than you displayed in breaking the wards. Will you tell me the reason for this sudden urge to annihilate the wards?"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. It's not my secret to share." Harry replied. "Though you can rest peacefully that that stunt didn't harm anyone."
Dumbledore turned around and faced him. And Harry was surprised to see an angry look in his eyes. "If only that was the problem then I wouldn't have called you, Harry. I would have just kept an eye on you from afar. But alas, it's not just that. You see, once I realised that you were extraordinarily powerful, I started to think and went through my memories again. And then I suddenly realised that maybe you're the Red Grim too. Your ages match. The colour of your eyes match. It can hardly be a coincidence that the two most powerful people are similar looking."
Harry concealed his apprehension and laughed. "That's just conjecture, Professor. You're just guessing. It's not impossible that there might be another thirteen-year-old special boy with green eyes running rampant in the muggle world. The world is infinitely bigger and we are mere inconsequential specs in its ever-growing plane of existence."
"True. That's why I'm going to ask you the question directly. Are you Red Grim, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned in an intense voice, taking his place again across the desk and directing a glare at him.
Instead of answering in yes and no, Harry said, "Have you heard the story of the frog and the scorpion?"
Dumbledore glowered at him. "You didn't answer my question."
"I will. And I promise I'll be truthful. But just humour me for now. Have you heard that tale?" Harry smiled, unafraid.
"I don't think I have." The headmaster responded.
"Then let me enlighten you. Once upon a time, a scorpion came before a river and wanted to cross it. But a scorpion can't really swim, so he asked the frog at the riverbank for help. Now, everyone was aware of how deadly a scorpion's sting was, so the frog was obviously wary and didn't want to risk his life. But the scorpion was able to convince him, saying that he too would drown if he stings the frog. And that it would be counterproductive to his goal. Logically, it made sense. So, the frog agreed and let the scorpion climb up on his back. Then the helpful frog went into the river and started swimming towards the other bank. Alas, halfway into the river, the scorpion couldn't control his baser instinct and stung the frog. The good helpful frog died beside his killer. And that was the end."
Dumbledore pondered at the tale and looked at him with intrigue. "What was the moral of the story, Harry?"
"Hmm, it is open-ended and could be interpreted in many ways. But I like to think the moral is that some people don't deserve help. That some are truly evil and would just take down the good people with them, even when those good people risk their lives to save them." Harry thought out loud.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "That's a very bleak worldview. I think the moral of the story is that there are two types of people. One, like the good frog who'd always provide help when asked. And two, like the weak scorpion who is driven by instincts and often uses its power for harm even when knowing that it's self-destructive. I'd rather be the helpful frog than the weak scorpion. What about you?"
"I think I'll be the God that's watching over all the frogs and the scorpions, who will save the good people and punish the wicked before they could drown any more helpful frogs with them." Harry smirked, getting on his feet and staring down at the old headmaster.
"I see. So, that's it. You are playing God because you think you are the most powerful wizard in existence. You like using your power to feel superior so much that you seem to forget you have killed Hogwarts children." Dumbledore rose too, taking out his Elder Wand.
"They were going to rape Daphne. My Daphne. Believe me, I was merciful that time. I could have done so much worse." He spat, still not equipping his Black Sword.
The old man sighed. "You could have just incapacitated them. The Ministry would have punished them properly."
"The very same Ministry that let Death Eaters go free? Don't be naive, Dumbledore. They would have gotten away with merely a slap on the hand. And you wouldn't have helped with this passive attitude. Better to just kill them and be done with it." Harry smiled mirthlessly.
"That very same mindset had led you to become the person whose body count is even greater than Grindelwald's and Voldemort's combined. Harry, you have killed more than tens of thousands of people in the last couple of years. The muggle world fears your name. People are scared of even uttering your made-up name. They have started calling you Death." Dumbledore said softly, beseechingly.
He shrugged nonchalantly in response. "They were bad people. This is the real world, Dumbledore. Here people don't survive with the power of love and friendship. You have to kill before the good people are killed."
"And who are you to judge who's wrong and who's not." Dumbledore asked sadly, raising his wand.
Harry scowled, ignoring his question. "Don't do this, Dumbledore. If you fight me, I'll be obliged to consider you my enemy. And that means I may have to kill you. Will you kill me before I kill you?"
"I don't think I'll kill you, Harry. I spared even Grindalwald's life. And you are a mere child who is on the wrong path because of your cruel mother's upbringing. After all, she too was needlessly cruel and merciless during the last war. I wish you were raised in a better household. Maybe then you'd have learnt that empathy is not only reserved for your friends and family. It should be applied everywhere. To strangers. Even to your enemies. After all, if you can just switch between empathy and apathy so easily, then are you even human?"
"You are quite confident for someone who is nowhere near strong enough to fight me. And I'm really tempted to just kill you off for spouting nonsense about my mum. I'll give you a chance to turn back. Because once you do this, there's no turning back." Harry snarled, raising his arm as the sword materialised in his hand. He was a little surprised to see that the old man hadn't lost his consciousness and seemed unaffected by the sudden flare of the mana.
"This will be the end of your murdering spree, Harry!" Dumbledore yelled and tried to cast a flaming whip at the boy. Tried the keyword here. As the Elder Wand refused to obey his command. It suddenly turned fiery hot and the old man was forced to drop the wand.
Harry was just going to bonk the old man on his head when he saw the glowing wand and stopped. Teleporting right in front of him, he caught the wand as it fell from the old wizard's grasp. And as soon as the wand squirmed out of his hand, Dumbledore crumpled to the floor, unable to weather the intensity of the mana now that he didn't have the protection of the Death Stick.
Leaving the old man lying on the floor, he used [Observe] on the wand.
Elder Wand
— Made by Lady Death herself, it Gives a 5x boost to overall strength. It also grants the user any amount of power to become equal to their opponent when they are faced with a stronger opponent.
"Mine." Harry's lips curved up in triumph as he stored his Sword and the new Elder Wand in his Inventory and thanked Lady Death for the 'Death's Favoured' Perk.