Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy Chapter 39 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy! The time has come! Let’s see how the Champions deal with Dragons to complete their First Task!

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Chapter 39 – The First Task

The bright sparks of magical discharge lit up the hidden workshop as Harry tried his hand -yet again- at the advanced Alchemy he was still attempting to get right. His materials fused together into a solid mass before his eyes. He felt a slight push back from the Transmutation Circle and adjusted his mana flow until the pushback disappeared. The electric-like magical discharge decreased and focused more on his materials. The ingot in the center of the circle became more uniform in shape under the refined control. When Harry felt stronger kickback from the circle and the sparks of magical discharge started leaping from the drawn lines on the floor he slowly pulled his mana back from the circle. As the light died down, Harry removed his hands from where they’d been touching the very edge of the three meter transmutation circle.

“Let’s hope this one worked.” Harry sighed as he wiped sweat from his brow with a hand towel that was off to his side. He carefully stepped into the circle, making sure not to mess up any of the lines or symbols. When he reached the center he picked up his transmuted ingot. “Bloody hell!” Harry cursed as a quick glance over the material showed it was a failure. It was a solid mass, but each individual material that made it up was striated cleanly throughout. It was layers of his base materials stacked on top of each other, nothing even close to a proper transmutation into the material he wanted.

With a sigh Harry walked out of the circle, uncaring about the lines and symbols he was messing up now. It was obvious this circle wasn’t properly made either. He’d have to draw a new one and try to get it right this time. That was another thing he’d be working on over the many days of classes that he was skipping with his Champion Privileges. Every line he made was done with a straight edge, every angle measured with a protractor, every circle made with a taunt string to ensure uniformity, each symbol meticulously copied from the pages of the book. Yet there was obviously still something wrong if he couldn’t get a proper transmutation with the circle. He placed the striated ingot into a chest with other failed, striated ingots just like it. Harry was amassing quite the collection of them now days.

Ever since he’d seen the three Dragons, he’d taken to splitting his time between looking into weaknesses of the great beasts, attempting Alchemy, and practicing with Fleur. He’d told her first thing in the morning the night after he’d learned about them, only to find that she’d been heavily suggested by Madame Maxime to research Dragons as part of her studies. It didn’t take more than a second for the intelligent young woman to put two and two together.

Fleur had suggested not meeting force with force and coming at the Dragons from a different angle. This path had led the couple down the rabbit hole that was Song Magic. Harry would instantly admit that Fleur had a beautiful singing voice, so this approach may very well work for her. Dragon Scales might be almost spell-proof, but their auditory receptors were not. Harry, as he well knew, couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket if he tried to sing. Not to mention, he’d very much like to get his hands on the mountain of materials that a Dragon represented to an Artificer. Hey, if the Tournament Organizers were going to throw a Dragon at him, he was going to take advantage!

-November 21st ~ Weighing of the Wands-

“I’m here…” Harry sighed as he walked into the room designated for the Weighing of the Wands Ceremony. He was technically over twenty minutes late, but he was busy in his hidden workshop at the time. Fleur had been the one to come get him and she entered the room behind him with an amused smile on her lips.

“We were starting to wonder, Mr. Potter.” Dumbledore smiled genially at the teen Artificer. “No one could find you until Miss Delacour offered to collect you.”

“I get caught up in my work sometimes, Headmaster, my apologies.” Harry gave a short bow, barely bending his waist.

“Sometimes?” Fleur had a grin as she ribbed him playfully.

“Sometimes.” Harry replied with a nod.

They were all in a fairly small classroom with most of the desks pushed to the back so as to leave a large space in the middle of the room. Three of the desks, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long velvet cloth. Five chairs were set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch wearing magenta robes that Harry had never met before, but he knew whom she was.

Viktor Krum was standing in a corner with Karkaroff and neither of them was talking to anybody. There was a paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly. He was clearly watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye now that she had returned to the room. Fleur was ignoring the man entirely, well-versed in doing so thanks to the countless males that got caught up in even the tiniest amount of her natural Allure.

Bagman suddenly spotted Harry. The slightly portly man got up quickly, and nearly bounded forward to speak with him.

“Ah, here he is! Champion number three! In you come, Harry, in you come! Nothing to worry about, it's just the Wand Weighing Ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment!” Ludo informed Harry of what he already knew. Honestly, the former Professional Beater was a bit much with how strongly he came on.

“I am aware, Mr. Bagman, thank you.” Harry replied as politely as he could. He’d much rather be back in his workshop right now. Even more so if he could convince Fleur to come with him.

“After the ceremony there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter,” Bagman added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes that was walking up to the three of them. “She’s doing a small piece on the Tournament for the Daily Prophet....”

“Maybe not that small, Ludo,” Rita Skeeter cut him off with a smile, her eyes on Harry. Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson.

“I’m very aware of who she is.” Harry responded as he gave Rita a flat look. He’d rejected every request for an interview that had been sent his way over the last couple of years. That didn’t stop Rita Skeeter from sending more though. The vile ‘reporter’ -though calling her that seemed like an insult to genuine Journalists- wasn’t one to give up on getting her scoop and then twisting it into a story of half-truths and speculations that painted the subject in a negative light.

“I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?” Rita asked of Bagman, her gaze still fixed on Harry. “The youngest Champion, you know...to add a bit of color?”

“Certainly!” Bagman agreed with a quick nod before blinking. “That is, if Harry has no objection?”

“No.” Harry replied instantly, his tone both flat and final. He noticed Fleur giving the older woman an unimpressed look out of the corner of his eye.

“If everyone could take their seats, we can begin the Weighing of the Wands.” Mr. Crouch spoke up strongly, though the man appeared tired. Harry noted the slight bags under the man’s eyes. Maybe he wasn’t sleeping well with the Tournament and the legal action that Sirius was taking against him. Harry couldn’t find it in him to be overly concerned for the man.

Very glad to get away from Rita Skeeter, Harry and Fleur went to sit next to Viktor as the Champions faced the Organizers. The other Champion was already sitting in his own chair along the opposite wall from the velvet-covered desks. Harry sat next to Viktor, looking over at the Organizers, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman were already sitting down. Rita Skeeter had settled herself down in a corner; Harry saw her slip a parchment out of her ugly, crocodile skin handbag, spread it on her knee, suck the end of an acid-green quill, and place it on the parchment. The magical writing instrument stood upright by itself, poised and ready to write down everything that Rita wanted it to.

“May I introduce Mr. Garrick Ollivander?” Dumbledore introduced the Wand Maker while taking his place at the Organizers’ table. “He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the Tournament.”

Harry gave Ollivander a smile and a nod as the old Wizard with large, pale eyes entered the room. It had been quite a while since the two had last met. The old Wizard still gave off that odd feeling of mystery that Harry remembered from his first visit to Diagon Alley over three years ago. Ollivander returned the smile before coming to a stop in the middle of the room.

“Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?” Ollivander requested with a polite smile.

Fleur stood up after giving Harry’s hand a gentle squeeze. She walked over to Ollivander and handed him her wand gently. Harry saw the instant the Wand Maker’s eyes lit up with interest and curiosity. Maybe it was an Artisan thing?

“Hmm...” Ollivander hummed as he looked the wand over. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it up to his eyes and examined the Focus more closely. “Yes,” he murmured quietly, “nine and a half inches...inflexible...rosewood...and containing...dear me...”

“A hair from the head of a Veela,” Fleur nodded to the old Wizard with a smile. “One of my grandmother’s.”

“Yes,” Ollivander nodded in understanding. “Yes, I've never successfully used Veela hair myself, unfortunately. I find they make for rather temperamental wands on the few occasions I’ve tried. However, this suits you remarkably well, Miss Delacour. It’s an excellent match.” He ran his fingers along the length of the wand, checking for any small scratches or bumps and then he held it properly. “Orchideous!” The old Wizard cast and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.

“Excellent, it's in fine working order.” Ollivander nodded as he scooped up the small bouquet and handed it to Fleur along with her wand.

“Thank you, Mr. Ollivander.” Fleur gave him a smile and nod as she returned to her seat next to Harry.

“Mr. Krum, if you please.” Ollivander nodded to the Professional Quidditch player.

Viktor got up and half-slouched as he walked over to Ollivander. He held out his wand for Ollivander to take and stood with his hands in the pockets of his robes. The teen didn’t seem at all perturbed by the inspection of his wand.

“Hmm,” Ollivander hummed as a small smile came to his face. “This is a Gregorovitch creation, a fine Wand Maker, though the styling is never quite what I would do…” He trailed off as he began to examine the wand. He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes. “Yes...Hornbeam and Dragon Heartstring?” He looked at Krum, who nodded in confirmation. “Rather thicker than one usually sees...quite rigid...ten and a quarter inches…. He does love to give his creations a bit of extra strength. But no one is here to hear about our little rivalry. Avis!”

The wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the sunlight. Harry watched them get a good distance away before they all poofed back into non-existence. The Conjuration didn’t have a very large range before it failed.

“Very good,” Ollivander smiled as he returned Viktor’s wand. The teen nodded to the old Wand Maker before heading back to his seat. “Which leaves…Artificer Potter.”

Harry gave Fleur’s hand a gentle squeeze just as she had done before. He got to his feet and walked past Viktor to get to Ollivander. He smiled at the old Wizard before bringing out his wand and handing it to the man sideways, the tip not pointing in anyone’s direction for safety.

“Ah, yes,” Ollivander nodded, his pale eyes lighting up as he held Harry’s wand. “Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember this one.” The old wizard looked over his own creation with a careful eye. “Holly and Phoenix Feather…eleven inches…nice and supple.” He ran his fingers over the wand to check for any tiny chips, cracks, or bumps that may have developed in the time Harry had possessed it. “Well taken care of, as expected of an Artificer and his tools.”

“Of course.” Harry nodded to the Wand Maker. He wasn’t one to let his wand suffer from lack of care. It was the tool by which he first learned his new spells before mastering them wandlessly.

“Poculum,” Ollivander cast with Harry’s wand and a simple glass cup appeared in his free hand. “Vinum Rubrum.” From the tip of Harry’s wand a red liquid -wine- poured into the conjured glass. Ollivander cancelled the spell before taking a sip of the wine. “It’s in perfect working order.” He handed Harry back his wand.

“Thank you, sir.” Harry gave a nod to the Wand Maker as he holstered his wand and made to return to his seat next to Fleur.

“Thank you all for your time,” Dumbledore spoke as he stood up at the Organizers’ table. “You may go back to your lessons now, or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end.”

Being a bit hungry, Harry was more than fine with heading straight to dinner with Fleur. The couple stood up and prepared to leave. Unfortunately, someone had to ruin those plans. The camera man standing next to Rita cleared his throat, none to quietly, and Bagman opened his mouth.

“Photos, Dumbledore, photos!” Bagman called excitedly. “All the Organizers and Champions, what do you think, Rita?”

Harry really wanted to hex Bagman for this.

-November 24th ~ First Task-

“You alright, Harry?” Sirius questioned his godson as they sat in the antechamber just off the Great Hall.

The families of the Champions were allowed to attend every event of the Triwizard Tournament without restriction. Harry and Fleur were both sat next to each other and surrounded by their families. Sirius, Tonks, Penny, Marius, Appoline, Gabrielle, and Remus were gathered around the two Champions.

“I’ll be fine, Sirius.” Harry reassured his godfather with a slight grin. He was slightly nervous, who wouldn’t be going up against a Dragon all alone? Harry was determined not to worry anyone else though.

“I swear I’m going to find a way to make Bagman and Crouch pay for this.” Tonks muttered as she pulled Harry into her side.

“That’s what the Black Family Lawyer is already doing.” Sirius cracked a vindictive grin. “Ludo is going to be lucky to keep anything and Crouch won’t be much better off. Fudge is using his position as Minister to stall out the legal proceedings against him, but we’ll get him eventually. There are only so many laws he can protect himself from before we find a loophole.”

“I just want Harry and Fleur to be safe.” Penny mentioned as she hugged both of the Champions. This led to her also hugging little Gabrielle who was sitting on Fleur’s lap. The adorable girl didn’t mind though as she hugged her big sister.

“You’re sure you’ll be okay, ma petite fleur?” Marius asked his daughter, slipping into their native French every now and then out of worry for his eldest child.

“Yes, Papa, I have a plan that has proven very effective against Dragons in the past.” Fleur smiled at her father to ease his worry.

“Worry about yourself, more than this Tournament.” Appoline reminded her daughter with a smile as she leaned forward to place a gentle kiss against her forehead.

“I will, Maman.” Fleur agreed instantly as she hugged Gabrielle gently.

“Remember that you don’t have to defeat the Dragon, Harry.” Remus reminded his surrogate nephew. “You just have to complete the Task.”

“I know, Remus,” Harry nodded to the werewolf Professor. “But the materials make it very tempting.” Remus sighed at Harry’s desire to collect new materials.

Thirty minutes before the Task, the Champions had to head down to the arena that had been built for the Tournament. They would be waiting in a special tent just for Champions and be given the last details just before the First Task was underway. As Fleur and Harry waited, holding each other’s hand, the three Champions were intruded upon by none other than Rita Skeeter. Harry frowned at the annoying woman -dressed in green robes today- as she walked into the tent as if she belonged there. Following behind the woman was the same camera man from the Wand Weighing that immediately zeroed in on Fleur.

“Champions!” Rita’s smile couldn’t have been more sinister in Harry’s eyes. The woman’s look absolutely oozed smugness and a desire to cause trouble. “If I could have a moment of your time before the First Task.”

“You have no business here.” Viktor glared at the woman, his surly look compounded by his nerves. Harry knew he was already aware of the Dragons. He’d seen the Durmstrang Champion with multiple books on Dragons over the last several days. Most likely he’d been encouraged by Karkaroff to look into them.

“I don’t believe any of us has anything to say to you.” Fleur shook her head while giving the older woman a pointed look to leave.

“Get out.” Harry stated plainly and clearly to the reporter.

“Now, now, I only want to ask a few questions.” Rita smiled at the three of them.

“Miss Skeeter, might I inquire as to what you’re doing in the Champion’s Tent?” Dumbledore’s voice spoke up from behind Rita and her cameraman. The smile left Rita’s face so quickly Harry would have missed it if he blinked.

“I was just leaving, Dumbledore.” Rita gave him a fake smile as she and the cameraman left the tent in a hurry, passing by Bagman and Crouch on their way out.

“Well, now we're all here it’s time to fill you in!” Bagman informed with a bright smile. “When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag,” He held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it slightly. “From which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different, uh, varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too...ah, yes! Your task is to collect the golden egg!”

‘They want us to collect a golden egg from a Dragon? So, that whole spiel about this Tournament being safer than previous ones was a bloody lie!’ Harry snarked to himself. Truly, Wizards and Witches didn’t know the difference between danger and entertainment.

“Ladies first.” Bagman offered the purple silk bag to Fleur.

She put her hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a Dragon, the Swedish Short-Snout. It had the number two around its neck.

“Mr. Krum?” Bagman held the bag out to Viktor next. The teen reached in and seemed to grimace as he pulled out a red Dragon that appeared to be trying to breathe fire on him, the Chinese Fireball. It had the number one around its neck to match Fleur’s model.

“Finally, Mr. Potter.” Bagman even looked sympathetically toward the teen Artificer.

Knowing what was left in the bag; Harry put his hand into it and pulled out the model of the Hungarian Horntail. The tiny model of the vicious Dragon was trying to dig its miniscule fangs into Harry’s thumb. The model had the number three around the neck.

“Well, there you are!” Bagman nodded to the three Champions. “You have each pulled out the Dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the Dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Krum, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear the whistle, all right?” Viktor only gave him a short nod in response.

“Do remember, that the rules state you are only permitted your wands.” Crouch spoke up as he turned his gaze onto the three Champions. “If you have anything else on you besides your robes, please remove it before you enter the enclosure or you’ll be breaking your contract with the Goblet.” Seeing that none of the teens were moving to take off any hidden items, Crouch gave them a nod. The three Organizers left to head up to the Judges’ booth so that they could score the attempts.

Viktor headed over to the tunnel that led into the enclosure as the murmurs of the crowd began to grow louder as the time neared for the First Task to begin. A series of shrieks let Fleur and Harry know when the Chinese Fireball had been revealed to the crowd. Both took each other’s hand for comfort just as the whistle blew loudly and the crowd roared as Viktor entered the enclosure to face the Dragon.

In only a short time -about ten minutes- the announcement of Viktor’s success was made and Fleur exhaled to steady her nerves. Harry leaned over and pecked her cheek. She turned her warm gaze on him and then their lips were meeting for a kiss. The two pushed their love into their lip lock for several long moments until the exclamations of the crowd alerted them to the Swedish Short-Snout being revealed. The two separated as Fleur stood up and made her way through the tunnel. Harry sat alone in the tent, worried for Fleur, and with a rising agitation knowing that he couldn’t interfere without upsetting that shoddy, piece of shit Artifact that they were both bound to.

Fleur waited for the whistle to sound before she stepped out into the enclosure. She instantly saw the silver and blue scales of the Swedish Short-Snout as it crouched between her and a large pile of what looked to be gold and silver. On top of the pile was a large golden egg. It would seem that the Tournament Organizers were playing to the Western Dragon’s love of precious metals. She was essentially being tasked to steal from a Dragon’s Hoard and live.

“Sûre mon cul parfait.” Fleur huffed as she looked at the snarling Dragon. She stepped forward and simply blocked out Bagman’s annoying commentary along with the crowd. The Swedish Short-Snout exhaled a blast of its incredibly hot, blue fire in her general direction as a warning.

Fleur inhaled, then exhaled as she centered her mana and began to shape it into the spell she wanted. The Dragon had no intention of leaving its spot between her and its small hoard. Its’ sharp reptilian eyes were locked onto the Veela Witch. Feeling the spell take form she directed her mana into her throat and vocal cords. With one last inhale, Fleur opened her mouth and began to sing a French lullaby that her mother had sung to her as a little girl. Her very voice carried her spell to the Dragon and began its work on the great beast.

“What in the world is Miss Delacour doing?” Bagman questioned and the crowd fell into hushed whispers until they were quiet enough to actually hear Fleur’s singing.

Harry smiled as he heard the crowd quiet. The powerful magic that Fleur was weaving into her voice itself amplified her song and carried it far and wide without her having to strain herself at all. The Artificer chuckled as he felt the spell brush against his Occlumency. He’d be getting rather drowsy if his mind wasn’t naturally protected.

On the third repeat of her lullaby the Swedish Short-Snout was lying on the ground. The Dragon looked like it was barely keeping its eyes open as it exhaled a stream of white smoke from its mouth. Fleur restarted the lullaby for a fourth round to be absolutely sure the Dragon was asleep. Had she not blocked out the crowd, she’d have heard the calls of many Witches and Wizards as they fell victim to her Spell Song. Many people in the crowd were already asleep and Fleur watched as the Dragon finally gave up its resistance as its eyes closed and its wings relaxed. The smoke stopped wafting out of the Dragon’s mouth and Fleur ended her song.

With deft steps, Fleur moved in a wide arc around the Dragon to collect the golden egg. Once she had it in her hand she heard Bagman announce her completion of the Task. She noted that a few Dragon Keepers were waving her over to them and she jogged towards the group. Once she was out of the arena, the Dragon Keepers moved in to keep the Swedish Short-Snout asleep so that they could transport it back to its travel cage.

“That was very impressive, Miss Delacour!” A redheaded man smiled at Fleur as he watched over the team dealing with the blue and silver-scaled Dragon in case anything went wrong. “Have you ever considered a career in Dragon Keeping? We could certainly use someone with your skills to keep them calm at the Reserve.”

“Non,” Fleur shook her head. “My interest lies in unravelling the secrets of Magic.”

“Ah, a Scholar then? Well good on you!” The redhead chuckled as Fleur made her way over to the stands to see her score.

Madame Maxime gave her a perfect ‘10’ with a small flourish of her wand, as Fleur expected. Dumbledore also gave her a perfect ‘10’ from his wand. Karkaroff gave her an ‘8’, the petty man. Bagman gave her a brightly glowing ‘10’ from the tip of his wand. Finally Mr. Crouch held his wand aloft and the number ‘10’ appeared above him as well. Forty-eight out of Fifty was nothing to scoff at, she was fairly certain she was in the lead right now.

“Looks like it’s my turn.” Harry heard the announcement of Fleur’s perfect takedown of her Dragon. His shoulders lost most of their tension at that announcement. Now it was his time to face a Dragon alone. When the crowd shrieked and several screams rang out, Harry steeled his nerves with a deep breath and a slow exhale. The Hungarian Horntail was apparently on the field now. The whistle went off and Harry stepped out to face the Dragon.

There was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over its small hoard of silver and gold, its wings half-furled, the baleful, yellow eyes locked onto him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing its spiked tail, leaving meter-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care as he’d already blocked them out. He was given no time to think about anything as the Horntail lunged forward a bit and a blast of fire was launched at Harry.

“Up!” Harry grabbed at the air with his hands and then threw his arms above his head. The rocky ground cracked and a rumble was felt throughout the stadium as the stone and dirt in front of Harry was upheaved into a massive wall of earth. The Horntail’s flames scorched across the earth, blackening it, but did nothing to Harry behind the large wall. “Damn, it really is a vicious species.” He muttered to himself before breathing out thick black smoke.

The smoke formed eight individual trails that billowed over and around the earthen wall. Harry only gave them enough mana to fly around and distract the Dragon for a bit. He didn’t have the mana to waste on spells that wouldn’t help him deal with the Dragon. Thankfully, his plan seemed to work. The Dragon was blasting gouts of flame at the smoke trails as they flew in front of it in multiple directions to keep it occupied. Harry levitated a large chunk of dirt that had been kicked up by his first spell. He stood on the levitating earth and lifted himself to the top of the wall he’d formed. Seeing the Horntail too preoccupied with incinerating his smoke trails, he took aim at the stationary Dragon.

“Here we go, one shot each time.” Harry focused, sharpening his concentration as he placed his hands on the earth wall he’d torn from the ground. He weaved his mana into the stone, clay, and dirt then down through it. When he felt his mana in the right spot, he activated the transfiguration he’d constructed. The rocky ground under the Horntail’s front limbs suddenly warped as the ground became like mud. The Horntail roared in confusion as it sank almost two meters instantly. The ground then re-solidified, locking the great beast into the ground. With a roar that made Harry cover his ears, the Horntail started thrashing around. The stone that entrapped its front legs began to crack from the strength of the Dragon.

Harry used this time to begin weaving another spell. Focusing on the need he had he exerted his mana, filling the space of the arena with his Magic. He surrounded the thrashing Horntail and then finalized his spell. Everyone in attendance stared in confusion as a dome formed over the still trapped Horntail. The dome was almost like a thin mist at first, but it continued to grow thicker and more opaque as the seconds ticked by. The Horntail finally broke free of its stone entrapment just as the dome around it became truly hard to see through.

“Do it.” Harry looked the confused Dragon right in the eyes. The terrifying, baleful yellow reptilian eyes glared into Harry’s green. “You’re mine, Body and Magic upon your death.” The Horntail reared up, as if it understood Harry’s quiet words. Harry felt the Rite take hold when the Dragon locked eyes with him again. He felt the Horntail’s claim on his own Flesh and Magic as a bright orange light could be seen in the Dragon’s maw.

A bright flash of orange fire burst to life as the Horntail launched its flames towards where Harry stood atop his earth wall. Even through the almost fully opaque dome, the spectators could see the bright orange light. Only something happened a split second later, the flames were snuffed out near instantly and the Horntail was thrashing around as it fell to the rough ground. Harry continued to hold his spell even as sweat poured down his face and into his eyes. Rivulets dropped from his chin as he held the spell together. His mana was taking a massive nosedive just to maintain this spell.

After several moments, there was no sound in the arena anymore. All of the audience was confused as to the sudden silence. Harry only gave off a small smirk as he felt the Rite complete itself. He dropped the spell. The white, opaque dome let off a loud bang and a strong breeze rushed through the stands blowing off more than a few hats in the process. Harry sat on the earth wall and let the blast of air hit him and cool him off slightly. He needed to be much, much stronger before he ever attempted that large of a spell again.

“Oh right, I still need to get the egg.” Harry groaned as he used some of his low mana to make a simple transfiguration on the part of the wall he sat on. The area below Harry turned smooth and lost most of its friction. The teen slid down the impromptu slide until he reached the bottom. He walked over to the downed Horntail without fear, even patting its snout as he passed it. He took the golden egg in hand and heard Bagman announce his completion of the Task.

As the Dragon keepers moved in to check the Horntail, Harry looked towards the Judges’ Table for his score. He might as well see what they thought. Fleur deserved proper competition after all. He wasn’t expecting the cry that rose up from behind him first.

“It’s dead!” One of the Dragon Keepers cried out as they checked on the Dragon.

“He killed it!” Another Keeper exclaimed in shock, staring at the teen that had somehow slayed a Dragon single-handedly.

“It’s mine; I have a Rite of Conquest on the Horntail.” Harry spoke up to the Dragon Keeper that looked to be in-charge, a somewhat tall redhead. “Every part of it belongs to me now.”

“B-But…Y-you, how?” The redhead couldn’t seem to get his words in order.

“Even Dragons have to breathe.” Harry shrugged at the redhead. “I just took away the oxygen and prevented any other gases from entering a certain space. It’s exhausting doing it on such a large scale though.”

“Holy shit…” The redhead blinked at the teen in a mixture of shock and respect.

Harry’s attention was refocused on the Judges’ Table when he saw Madame Maxime raise her wand. A winding ribbon shaped itself into the number ‘9’. Karkaroff went next with a flaming ‘8’ appearing above his own wand. Dumbledore had a number ‘8’ appear in a blue light over his head. Harry was fairly certain the Headmaster had docked points for taking the Horntail’s life. Sirius and Remus both said the old Wizard was very much against killing. Bagman had a bright green ‘10’ over his wand tip. Finally Mr. Crouch raised his wand, a moment later and a large black number ‘10’ appeared over him.

“Forty-five, good enough.” Harry shrugged as he honestly didn’t much care. He was tired, but an excitement was building up in him as he took in the massive Dragon that he would soon have rendered down into parts. So much material to work with! “You guys work at the Dragon Reserve, so you know how to render Dragons for parts, right?”

“Yes.” The redhead confirmed as the rest of the Dragon Keepers came to stand next to him.

“How’d you like a job before you leave?” Harry asked with a tired smile. “We can work out payment as soon as my godfather gets down here.”

“Um, alright then.” The redhead looked to his colleagues who all seemed stunned. After a few moments though, they all nodded in agreement to the extra work. It would be some money to compensate for the loss of one of the three Dragons. With the Fireball and the Short-Snout both already asleep and locked up for transport, they had the time.

“Brilliant.” Harry smiled right before an airborne Tonks flying glomped him from behind.

-End Chapter-

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First Task complete!

A mountain of Dragon parts acquired! Bonus!

How’d you all like Harry and Fleur’s methods of dealing with their Dragons?

Harry is going to be a busy young man soon! So many materials to sort through and learn about! New things to try! Oh it’s a good day to be an Artificer!

Harry even acquired a new Title, Dragon Slayer.

But he doesn’t know about that just yet!

You can eat Dragon meat, right?

What will happen next?

Keep reading to find out!

Current Mana Levels

Harry – 9,440

Tonks – 10,484

Penelope – 9,026

Fleur – 9,362

Until I get your reviews, later!