The Lie I've Lived
Out of Africa
By JBern
Disclaimer — Just another fanfic.
Acknowledgements — As always, the help from the gang at Alpha Fight Club is worth noting. Beta work by ZanyMuggle, Aaran St. Vines and Sparky40sw.
Chapter 19 — Out of Africa
"Enough of this angry introspection, Potter! It's beginning to wear on my nerves. Quit moping about whether you did the right thing with Flamel's elixir. You need a good shag to get you back into the swing of things. You should go see if the Head Girl has reconsidered her position and is up for another session of tutoring. After Hogwarts losing their knowledge bowl round to Beauxbatons while you were in France, she might be a bit more receptive."
I lower the book I'm reading and regard the Sorting Hat. I hadn't really given Melinda Turpin much thought since our one night stand. I mull over the idea of using my cloak to catch up to her on her evening patrol.
"No thanks. I probably could use a shag, but tracking her down and then convincing her is more trouble than it is worth. Anyway, most of the birds around here wouldn't understand the concept of recreational sex. They'd want to date and have a relationship and I'm not really interested in that."
"Except when it comes to Delacour," Hat chides. "You'd be willing to play stuff the sausage with that."
I don't bother denying it. "She's here until June. It's only just turned February. If she asks again, I'll date her and the chips will fall where they may. I want to see if she's really warmed up to the idea of dating me, or if it was a knee jerk reaction after what happened to Aimee. Besides, I remember how James made a fool of himself chasing Lily and let's just say that I'm not going to let history repeat itself. You know something? For a magical object over a thousand years old, you don't really have much patience, do you?"
"That depends on your perspective, HJ. I sit around watching all these worthless losers doing the same idiotic things the losers three centuries ago did. You have the opportunity to rise out of it and break the mold, but like a spineless maggot, you fall right back into your same patterns."
"Bee in your bonnet, Hat?" I mock it using the words it once said to me.
"I'm bored. France was a breath of fresh air, both figuratively and literally. Cooped up, back in this dank Scottish castle irritates me."
"Well, what can I say, Hat? No one's tried to kill me this week, but if you give it time I'm sure something will come along to make things more enjoyable for you. I could ask Dobby to take you to see Oliver, if you feel the need to get out and about?"
"Only if the elf cleans his flat first. If Wood ever develops an Animagus form, my guess is that it will be a pig."
I shrug indifferently, set down my copy of Unfathomable Magic: Spells Guaranteed to Work under all Seven Seas, and say, "With this task coming up in just over a day, I don't have time to take you on a walkabout. You could always ask Fawkes to take you somewhere."
"It'd likely drop me in a live volcano!" Hat scoffs.
Spending a moment enjoying that image, I start to answer when the aforementioned bird appears out of nowhere. It drops a note and disappears, leaving both of us stunned.
"What does it say?"
I scan the writing and reply, "Dumbledore's invited me as a guest to a party he's holding tonight. It looks like he's getting together the Order. See, you thought tonight was going to be dull. Maybe we'll pickup something interesting."
Picking it up, I climb out of my bed and head down to the common room.
"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" Angelina Johnson growls as I reach the portrait. "Curfew is in five minutes."
Others in the room look up from their conversations to see if anything comes of this little exchange. I search the room for Fred and George and don't see them. I shoot Hermione a quick smile and swing open the Fat Lady's painting.
"The Headmaster requests my presence, but you can feel free to verify that with our Head of House when you see her next. Do have a wonderful patrol, Prefect Johnson."
Somehow my sarcastic tone doesn't sit well with her, but I couldn’t give a shit.
------
The gargoyle looks at me and then glares at the Sorting Hat before slowly moving aside. I get a familiar sinking feeling in my gut.
"Alright, what did you do to it?"
"You were the one who gave me a powerful golem body, HJ. Did you expect me not to use it?"
"Do I even want to know? Is that where all those claw marks came from?"
"Minor cosmetic damage at best. We do still need to discuss upgrades to the golem."
"Spill it! What did you do?"
"I stopped by to visit Dumbledore, there was a minor disagreement, and I might have spackled the gargoyle's ass shut. Like it's functional anyway!"
I sigh wondering what kind of monster I've unleashed on society. "And what did it do to you to bring this about? Should I even ask why you had a bucket of spackle on hand?"
"It was something long overdue. Leave it at that. Now, if I can only figure out a way to get my revenge on the damn bird."
Wisely deciding to let the matter drop, I climb the stairs and actually hear the gargoyle growl.
------
"Albus! He's just a child! He doesn't belong here!"
"Dear, I'm sure the Headmaster knows what he's doing. Hello, Harry."
I reach out and firmly grasp Arthur's hand, remember to not address him by his first name, and try not to react to Molly's "all too predictable" outburst. From the last time around, she did it when the Marauders joined, when Marlene McKinnon joined, and when anyone under the age of twenty-five joined. Then again, considering how many of those whose membership she opposed are now dead, maybe — just maybe, Molly had a point.
"It's good to see you, Mr. Weasley." I scan the room and already feel Moody's eye on me. There he is, next to Kingsley Shacklebolt and Andromeda's daughter. He looks like death that no one bothered to warm over, but I suppose spending a month or two under the Imperius curse can do that to someone. No Snape? For that I'm both surprised and delighted.
"Harry is here in an observational position. I assure you, I have no interest in exposing him to any further harm, but at the same time I also know that Harry is quite capable of taking care of himself." Dumbledore answers in a gentle, but commanding tone. I'm guessing he'll get an earful later. Then again, that's why he's the leader. I'm content to just be the chosen one at this time, thank you very much.
Both Bill and Charlie Weasley are in attendance as well. It's probably got Molly on edge knowing her oldest are already caught up in this. With Fred and George spending all their time trying to be the reincarnations of Fabian and Gideon, I'm sure that has nothing to do with her anxiety level. She's probably assuming that Ron and Ginny are coming through the door next.
I recognize most of the other members of the old crowd. They look nervous and unready. That's not a good sign. I don't spot Lupin either. He must still be in France.
"I still think reactivating the Order might just be a tad premature," Sturgis Podmore says. "Sure, there was the incident at the Quidditch World Cup, but I haven't heard of anything since then."
Some murmured in agreement.
Dumbledore gestured for silence. "But there has been activity, dear friends. I would not be asking you to meet me here if there were not a reason. Most of you know that Harry was entered in the Triwizard Tournament by a renegade Death Eater impersonating Alastor. What you do not know is that that Death Eater was Barty Crouch, Junior."
"But he died in Azkaban!" Diggle protests.
"So we were led to believe, but I saw the body." Dumbledore explains as I wonder how much he is going to reveal.
"Thank Merlin you stopped him, Alastor." Molly adds.
Moody's eye rolled in his socket, "I wouldn't mind taking credit, but it wasn't me that did the deed. The papers just printed the story the way they were told it. They played it up that Potter and I teamed up to stop him when the truth is that it was a solo act all along."
Arthur's hand squeezes my shoulder in support as Molly utters a small gasp. I do my best to remain impassive.
Dumbledore speaks, "Indeed, Harry is a gifted wizard and most unfortunately, a target of the remaining Death Eaters, and their Master, who I assure you, is seeking a return from his quasi-life."
I read the faces and don't like the denial I see. Dumbledore explains the possession of Quirrel three years ago and glosses over the Chamber of Secrets incident — focusing on how quickly Lucius acted to remove him as Headmaster. The revelation that Sirius Black is innocent and Pettigrew alive doesn't sit well either. Minerva looks as if she just ate something foul when Dumbledore mentions Trewlaney's prophecy that the rat would return to his master.
"This is the second prophecy that we know of that she has successfully made. I will tell you all a portion of the first which I am certain is known to Lord Voldemort and many in his Inner Circle."
He repeats the first two lines and one by one, all the eyes turn towards me. Over my shoulder, I hear Molly sniffle. It's kind of touching — albeit in an awkward way.
"If you want awkward, I can give you a few disturbing mental images," Hat threatens.
"It is my hope that Harry will not have to face Lord Voldemort anytime soon, but we must be prepared for that inevitability. What we do know is that Peter Pettigrew is alive and we have every reason to believe that he is now aiding his master. Since Pettigrew is knowledgeable of the last incarnation of the Order of the Phoenix, I need all of you to begin gathering information. From my interview with the still recovering Barty Crouch, Senior, I know that his son was working with others and in a worst case scenario, it is Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort. A slightly less damning possibility is that it would be Lucius Malfoy or other former Death Eaters."
"What do you want us to do, Albus?" Arthur speaks up. Again, I know he's not much with a wand, but the true measure of a man is not the power of his spells, but how he responds to adversity.
"Arthur, I need you and everyone else who is employed in the Ministry to keep abreast of things. I need to know the comings and goings of former Death Eaters and those we previously suspected. I need the names of at least two people that we can approach in the Department of Magical Transportation. The ability to monitor movements of our enemies may yield rewards down the line. Kingsley and Miss Tonks, I would ask you to keep tabs on the Auror force for both possible recruits and potential threats. Minister Fudge is most certainly not Minister Bagnold. He is a dangerous politician and is known for his sense of self-preservation. He will act in his best interest first before considering what is right for society. When push comes to shove, so to speak, we cannot count on the Ministry to act accordingly. That said, he has increased next year's budget for the Aurors and authorized larger class sizes, which can be seen as his way of playing both sides of the fence."
Moody agrees in his own fashion, "Of course, it'll be three full years before any of them will be actual graduates and any failures in the meantime will be put at the foot of Bones, since she got sacked."
"Quite right," Dumbledore states. "I will be trying to make inroads with Cornelius as time goes on, but there is no reason to believe that we will receive any help beyond what occurred during the last war. Now, moving to those outside the Ministry, many of you may not know William Weasley, other than as Arthur and Molly's oldest, but he is a Cursebreaker at Gringotts and he will be doing liaison work for me to monitor the mood of the Goblin nation. It is no secret that I will soon be the heir to the Flamel estate, which will significantly enhance my monetary holdings. I intend to use that status to arrange several one-on-one meetings with the Gringotts manager. Despite this forthcoming windfall, I am quite certain that it pales in comparison to the amassed fortunes of Lord Voldemort's Inner Circle."
People digest the news. Some are probably wondering if we're going to get paid this time.
"Next to William are Charlie Weasley and Elvira Podmore who are Dragon Tamers on the continent. They will help with foreign recruitment. As for the other magical races, I have a pair of emissaries in France already that I will use to make contact with the Giant clans there. I suspect a good portion of my inheritance will go towards buying their neutrality. As for the Merfolk and the Centaurs, their neutrality is virtually assured, but I am working diligently to bring them under our banner. I do know that they will, at the very least, keep the forest and lake surrounding this castle relatively free of Death Eater activity."
"Remus and Sirius are going to see the Giants? I would have thought he'd send Hagrid along."
The Hat spares a mental laugh, "The idea of Hagrid conducting any kind of negotiations should send a chill down your spine. I'm not entirely certain he can order a beverage correctly. Lupin being a dark creature and Black's outlaw status would actually improve their stature with the Giant clans. They'd treat Hagrid like a half-breed runt."
Dumbledore continues and introduces a few notable business owners from Diagon Alley, who will keep an ear to the ground there. One is an intern at the major potion's supply warehouse and he has a list of specialty items to be on the watch for should they start being ordered in large quantities. For a cold start, Dumbledore's network is much better than I anticipated.
Another face steps forward out of the shadows and I'm somewhat gobsmacked. "This young lady may not be familiar to you, but you've likely read her byline. Miss Penelope Clearwater's status as a journalist should allow her to travel in high society social circles and quite literally report what she sees. I caution you that if war does break out, the ability to tell our side of the story will be quite useful. Public opinion is dominated by the Daily Prophet, but Miss Clearwater has gained considerable notoriety in her own right."
She smiles at me and I wonder if Ollie's going to be recruited as well. Dumbledore gestures to me, "Finally, there is Harry. I am asking him and some others to carefully monitor the mood of the school along with my Heads of Houses. Children are marvelously perceptive individuals. After receiving correspondence from family members or a visit during a Hogsmeade weekend, they are barometers of what the outside influences on the student body might possibly be. With so many others in the castle this year, it is especially important to measure the pulse of the student body as it were."
Hat whispers in my mind, "Long winded, doesn't begin to describe him, eh HJ? No wonder he's always sucking those lemon drops. Do you want to know what else I think he sucks?"
"Not particularly. I didn't need that image, thank you very much. Still, at least he's treating me as a member and not just any kid off the streets. It should help them accept me."
"Do you actually believe that, HJ?"
"I guess not, but one can always hope."
Unfortunately, the Order was never a smooth running machine and the meeting starts to degenerate from there — much like every other Order gathering that involves more than six people. There are far too many people in the room that enjoy the sound of their own voice. After Diggle's third comment on the importance of Floo security, I'm about to throttle him. Three hours later, I finally head back to my room for some well deserved rest.
------
"So what was last night all about?" Hermione pounces on me the moment I come downstairs into the common room.
"Can't really talk about it here — let's just call it news from afar."
She mouths "Sirius" and I nod. Technically he was mentioned, so I'm not lying to her. It probably wouldn't hurt a bit to tell her what's really going on. I have no doubt that Dumbledore will recruit her at some point or ask me to do it, but honestly, she already puts enough pressure on herself and I'm not ready to add to her burden. She should go snog Roger and have some fun … while there's still time.
Come to think of it, I should do that as well. The have fun part that is. Davies does nothing for me.
"It's nothing to be worried about right now, so don't." Another almost truth as we grab Ron, Parvati, and Lavender to complete our breakfast party. In the last war, Riddle didn't really try to disrupt the student body, but last time his target wasn't a student. I suspect this time will be much different.
Funny, I hadn't pictured Ron and Parvati lasting, but they're going on six weeks now since the Yule Ball. I caught him asking her for help with his Divination homework the other night. It was downright humorous to watch young love in all its awkwardness.
I guess miracles can happen. The five of us start out into the passageway when a voice catches up to us. "Can I have a word, Harry?"
"Hey, Cedric. I'll catch up with the lot of you later."
We wait until they've moved on before I look at him. "What can I do for you today?"
"Have you figured out the egg clue?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Finally broke it a few nights ago. Drat, I was hoping to repay you for the tip about the dragons. So, you know what you're going to do?"
"I've got a general idea, but I’m still working it out."
Cedric nods and says, "I caught wind that some of the third years were planting tangle vines in the forbidden forest. My guess is that going down to the Merfolk village is only the start."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Just going and getting something from the lake seems a bit simplistic. They need to muck it up and add two or three different ways the challenge can go wrong."
He searches for a proper answer to my sarcasm, but can only come up with a shrug. I motion for him to follow and we trade small talk. I ask him how he and Cho are getting along and he makes a polite inquiry on the behalf of one of Cho's friends about my dating status. Edgecombe's not exactly my type, plus she loses points for sending Cedric to do the dirty work.
------
Diggory's theory that there is more to it proves to be true as the champions are summoned to Dumbledore's office thirty minutes before the task begins. It seems strange not seeing Aimee or her advisor here. Fleur looks intent and slightly lonely. I know she's been making trips to visit her injured friend. The other foreign champions have also been away. I'd heard Krum got back last night. He'd gone to some kind of family function on the continent, so the repayment of that bet is delayed yet again. Athena also was allowed to leave and she looks well-tanned. Beaucourt's injury has had a far reaching effect, forcing everyone to reevaluate how seriously they take the competition. There is a certain tension in the air. I'm almost tempted to see what bawdy joke the Hat has on its mind.
Almost.
"This is a trial of speed, wit, and precision. In the center of the Merfolk village, you will find five pillars. Tied to each one, is a bag containing potion ingredients and instructions on what to do with them. How you retrieve it is up to you, but you may only take one bag and may not tamper with the others. Next, you must reach the shoreline here." Dumbledore gestures to a map of the surrounding area and continues, "Once there, you will need to use those ingredients to craft a potion. It is an Egyptian brew, fairly rudimentary, but not on the curriculum of any of our schools."
Okay, so far get some ingredients and make a potion quicker than the others. Dumbledore's smile tells me that there is much more to it.
"You have only enough ingredients to make one attempt at brewing the antidote to the sleeping potion that has been given to a person who has volunteered to be your hostage. If your potion fails to wake your hostage, you will be at a decided disadvantage as you must then navigate one the five trails with a sleeping person slowing you instead of helping you. There is no flying in this section of the competition. You must travel by land. The shortest and most direct path is a trail through the forest. All the routes are roughly the same distance and have been ensnared. These traps will seek to delay you. The hostages do not have their wands, but are allowed to use yours. The finish line is at the front gates of this castle. First one to reach it will be declared the winner."
He goes on to say that safety monitors will be stationed in the Merfolk village and others will be following along with the broom riding crowd and I learn that my hostage is none other than Miss Hermione Granger. That little fact causes a slight alteration in my plans, assuming that I don't bugger up the potion.
They dismiss us and we have twenty minutes to get down to the lake. I don the Hat and update it on what I plan to do. It mocks and derides me, as expected, but agrees that the approach is good.
It's apparently "Bring Your Own Broom Day" at Hogwarts as the skies are filled with riders. I can't be certain if the crowd was bigger for the broom race, because so many were in the stadium. Suffice it to say that a good portion of Magical Europe is in the skies overhead. We each touch these floating balls that will ride on the surface of the water and mark our positions for the crowd. Mine happens to be the Gryffindor red and Diggory's is Badger Black.
I toss the Hat to the Headmaster and move into position next to Fleur. She spares me a brief smile and I return it along with a question. "How's Aimee?"
"She's doing well and in good spirits. The first surgical ritual was a success. She will have another in a few days. I hope to be able to attend that one as well."
"Good. Send her my best."
Her pretty face acquires a look of mock seriousness. "I should also mention that she laughs whenever your name comes up, but does not explain why."
"Well, it's good to see that she's retained her sense of humor. So what are two French witches saying about me?" I ask, answering her look with my own mock innocence.
"It is what you call, 'the girl talk.' I am afraid you would not understand, much like you will not understand how I am about to beat you."
It's good to see Fleur's competitive streak is still intact. "If that's what you tell yourself, Fleur. Cling to that knowledge and follow in my wake. I'd offer another wager, but every time we try this something goes wrong. So, I'll just settle for beating you fair and square."
"Perhaps that is not the only thing you will be settling for, Harry Potter?" She says. I also notice that she's not getting undressed.
It makes me wonder what her strategy is, while pouting that I won't be seeing her in a bikini. From the corner of my eye Manos seems to fill hers out nicely. The ladies in the crowd cheer when Krum vanishes his robes and Cedric takes his off and hands them to that Summerby bloke. I stay in my robes and curse my fourteen year old body.
Bagman signals and we step to our marks. The cheering builds. He raises his wand into the air and my own anticipation builds. As the burst of fireworks departs his wand, I slap my wand on the platform and start changing it to suit my needs. Krum dives into the water and begins a transformation into a shark. I wonder if he's an Animagus, if he's going for a partial transfiguration, or he's risking losing himself in a foreign mind.
Athena gives herself a mermaid tail and looks every bit like what a Muggle might think one would look like. Cedric has already changed a pair of rocks into some large fish, either pikes or gar, and is going to use a compulsion charm to make them pull him.
"Watch out for the shark infested water, mate?" I holler to him as I finish changing my platform into a windsailing rig like I've seen on the telly. A sticking charm keeps me from falling, as I use a wandless banisher to shove off. My wand conjures a strong wind and I start heading across the surface. Looking back, I see Fleur has summoned a broom and is coating it with what must be a bubble head charm.
Damn, I should have thought of that! I put more energy into my wind as Delacour mounts her broom and gives chase. I'm skipping along at a good clip and quickly approaching where I need to dive down and get my bag, but Fleur blows right by me and goes momentarily vertical before going into the water. I'm about thirty seconds behind.
I slap on a bubblehead and release the sticking charm. Hopping in the water, I turn my shoes to lead and start sinking rapidly. A smiling French witch passes me on her way back up. Unless they encounter resistance, or get lost, the others will be here shortly.
Safety monitors using Gillyweed float amongst the Merfolk, who watch with amused interest. It's tough to say what they think of all this — more stupid human games probably. I'm a bit off with my dive, but my cutter slices through the rope tethering the bag and I reverse the enchantment on my trainers. One quick summoning spell and I'm back on my way to the surface. My other three competitors can be seen making their way just over the giant rows of seaweed, but my thoughts are only on how far behind Fleur I am. Hopefully, she stinks at brewing potions.
I climb back onto my windsailing board and start for the point on the shoreline. A twinge of competitive anger urges me on. Being outsmarted is not a feeling that I particularly enjoy.
Fleur already has a cauldron boiling on a small fire pit when I run aground and splash the last few feet onto dry land. I sprint over to the area in front of the sleeping Hermione Granger and make several quick swish and flick maneuvers. A rock becomes a cutting knife. Firewood arranges itself in an orderly fashion and the summoned cauldron lands on top.
"Nice move with the broom, Fleur." I say while slicing off the rope and opening the pouch.
"I'm busy right now, Harry."
Pulling out the instructions I start filling the cauldron with the first ingredient, which happens to be lake water, and start a fire. An evil, little smile crosses my face, "Oh come on, Fleur. That was absolutely brilliant how you used the bubblehead charm to cover your broom as well. You probably didn't even get wet did you?"
She shoots me a glare for interrupting her, again. "You would do well to concentrate on the task at hand."
"Why Miss Delacour, how about some witty banter to entertain the crowd above us? C'mon live a little."
Her answer is a frustrated grunt and she casts a cone of silence over herself. Let's call that mission "partly" accomplished. I slice and dice the herbs in front of me and start shoveling them in the prescribed order into the boiling pot. A quick glance tells me that she's on the seventh step out of nine. I've got nothing to do but stir and wait. I use the time to cast a drying charm and scan the area to pick what path I'll take.
A tired looking Athena emerges from the water. She's probably regretting that fast swim right now. She shakes her arms and gets to work. Krum is right behind her. He crouches and vomits at the shoreline. Even partial animal transfigurations have a tendency to give a person a pounding headache. It sucks to be him. No wait. There's a bloody mass on left on the ground.
"What's Krum been up to," I ask Athena.
"He ate one of Diggory's Transfigured fish and probably wanted to get rid of it before it turned back into rock." She's as far behind me as I am behind Fleur.
The cheater will probably blame "animal instinct." He was probably hoping to interfere with either Fleur or me, but had to settle for Cedric.
Fleur deftly scoops up a bowl full and scrambles over to her sleeping hostage. She presses it to the male's lips. She scoops a second bowl and, unfortunately for me, I see movement. Fleur looks visibly relieved.
I keep stirring and look at Krum. He dumps his bag out on the ground and vanishes the contents. Pointing his wand at his hostage, he changes the student into a sleeping cat and drops it into the now empty bag. With a haughty look of superiority, he starts off down one of the trails.
Delacour and her awakened hostage pick the second trail as I weigh my options. Athena abandons her efforts and emulates Krum's strategy. Hell, I think about it, but since I'm almost done with the potion anyway, I'll finish it.
Besides, do they really think some non-lethal wards and tangle vines can slow me down?
Cedric comes out of the water as I tilt Hermione's head open and pour a dose down her gullet. She gag's a bit and spits all over me. She gets the second dose down and starts to come to.
"Where's that git, Krum?" Cedric asks.
"He didn't even bother with the potion, just took his sleeping hostage and left. If you're making the brew, I'd use Athena's spot and save some time. Her water's already boiling."
"Good call, but I'll take my chance with Cho sleeping." He casts a mobilicorpus spell and floats her off. I shake my head and know that he won't catch up at that speed.
I pull a groggy Hermione Granger to her feet and look at the dozen remaining broom riders — so much for my loyal fans. Too bad — everyone else is about to miss my epic come from behind victory.
"Harry, we're in last place."
"Well spotted."
"We need to get going!"
I give her an "I know what I'm doing" look and point my wand at a shrub. It turns into a large saddle.
"Harry, you're not going to turn me into something are you?" She sounds slightly panicked.
I walk over to a heavy boulder and smirk at her. "Tempting. Imagine tomorrow's headline — Potter mounts Granger and rides her to victory! But I think this will do nicely."
Focusing, I draw the shape in my mind. Originally, I wanted to conjure an elephant to do a riff on Hannibal crossing the Alps, but the path left to me runs along the shoreline. An elephant would be too slow and too big. A horse, even a Clydesdale, would be too vulnerable. I need something heavy enough to plow right on through the traps, and I'm loving the "Africa" theme. The boulder trembles and begins to take shape.
Hermione gasps as I start layering compulsion charms on the nearly two ton monstrosity, "Harry, that's a rhinoceros."
"Again, well spotted. Can't slip much by you, can I? Be a sport and grab the saddle. We'll be leaving shortly and it's going to be a bumpy ride. You'll need to concentrate and focus. We're probably going to hit some wards along the way and I don't know about you, but I don't plan on stopping. So no matter what, just keep those arms wrapped around me."
She struggles with the leather and tosses it on back. A flick of my wand secures it.
"You really want me to ride that thing?" She asks incredulously
I reply by thumping the side of the rhino and proclaiming, "This African rhino is Harry Potter's living, breathing, ward ignoring, trap breaking tank. Just like good old Monty himself, we're going to ride to victory over these heavily accented foreigners. Are you with me soldier?"
"Aye, Aye, sir." She gives me a mock salute and we climb up into the saddle.
------
Yes, I've flown faster on a broom. I was going quicker on a transfigured windsailing rig just a few minutes ago. Hell, I could even hop off and run circles around it in my Pronghorn form. Still, there is something to be said about the thundering power of riding a charging rhinoceros.
Our path is along the shoreline. We power by a group of Merfolk, waist deep in the water and hurling nets at us. They're not prepared for our speed and we sweep past them. Only one net gets close and my banisher prevents it from being a threat.
Almost immediately, a feeling of dread starts to build. Hermione's arms tighten around me and "Mini-Tantor" starts to falter.
I hiss, "Focus Hermione, it's just a terror ward. There is no threat."
The rhino's animal instincts fight against my mental control, which also happens to be fighting the repulsion ward. It's difficult, but a drop in the bucket compared to a group of Dementors. I win, handily in fact. All it costs us is a bit of forward momentum. These trails are roughly five miles long. Krum and the others had at most a five minute lead on me. A glance to the sky shows that more broom riders are moving over our position.
That's as good an indication as any that we're catching up quickly.
"Harry, look! Tangle vines!"
"On Tantor!" I scream and do my best Lord of the Apes impression complete with the yell.
The sinewy vegetable matter lashes out trying to slow the rhino down. If it were a ten or fifteen stone human, they might be a formidable foe. To a creature weighing well over a hundred stone, they don't even register as a nuisance. The vines make a pleasant snapping sound seconds after wrapping around the powerful legs.
The crowd following us above continues to grow. We round a corner and head into the forest and away from the shore. A pair of red-caps scream and leap out of the way. Apparently, they don't know the answer to the old joke about how you stop a rhino from charging.
Floating in the middle of the path and approaching fast is a boggart. This ought to be interesting. I kick Tantor into a charge. The boggart begins to twist and take shape as we close with it. The face sends chills down my spine. My fear isn't a Dementor anymore. It's the only one I've ever really feared.
"You can't stop me, Potter. You're luck won't last." The screams of Lord Voldemort rock me to my core as we run him down.
His less than human hands flail at the sides of the rhino, trying to hold on. As it gets closer to Hermione, I hear it say, "He doesn't need you anymore. Even if he did, you will fail him when he needs you the most!"
Using my free hand, I punch it in the face and it slides off, getting a taste of the rhino's back leg. We charge onward in a nervous moment of silence.
Hermione clears her throat breaking the tension. "So, what happened to your fear of Dementors?"
"I've gotten the better of them too many times for them to be a threat."
"…and that was Voldemort?"
"Yup."
"How's it feel to trample your worst fear into the ground?"
"Actually, pretty good. I enjoyed it."
"I'll definitely have to tell my dad about this. He loves psychology. We'll call this aggression therapy. All we need are boggarts and lots of rhinos."
"I like that idea. And another thing, Granger…"
"Yes, Potter."
"Don't worry so much. I'll take all the help you can provide and be happy for it. I can't imagine not being friends with you."
I get one of her "ribcrushers" and we keep right on moving.
------
A few hundred feet and an easily beaten confusion ward later, I'm starting to think that this is going to be a cakewalk. The two poles planted in the ground covered with runes and carvings are enough to give me pause. It's definitely not something you'd expect to see in Scotland.
I pace Tantor carefully, "What do you make of those, Hermione?"
"I'm guessing some kind of Gargoyles imported from America. They're called Totem Poles. One looks like a bear and the other an Eagle."
"When in doubt, blow them up?" I offer an old Marauder standby.
She replies, "Certainly not a very elegant solution, but I guess elegance and rhinoceros don't really mix anyway. Have at it."
A blasting curse leaves my wand, but a large rock rolls into the pathway and absorbs a chunk of my curse. I try again, but a second boulder joins the first. If this doesn't stop soon, I'll have to break through a stone wall. A pair of shrieking shrubs add to the problem and I spend a minute burning them to cinders.
"It seems like they want us to come closer." My traveling companion adds.
At fifteen feet they start to glow. Swirling mist coalesces around us. I try to blow it away with conjured wind, but it is too thick. The mist solidifies into a bear paw and swipes at me. I slice through it with a cutter. The mist splits in two, but reforms on the other side of me. Hermione falls off flailing to defend herself against the Eagles talons and wisely rolls away from the vicinity around the suddenly skittish rhino.
I barely duck under the next paw swipe and leap off the rhino. That was close, too damn close. Fear starts to build inside me as I search for the answer to this trap.
Then it hits me. Actually, it doesn't hit my rhino and that's what hits me. The paw passes right through the rhino without injuring it. On an impulse, I leap into the path of the next swipe, which tries to dodge me making it appear that I had narrowly avoided it.
"Bloody Hell! Stop thrashing Hermione. They're illusions."
She stops and lets the talons attempt to terrorize her. The smoke takes a few more mock attacks at us and the fog starts to clear. However, there is an uprooting sound and I see the poles pull themselves out of the ground, sprout limbs and begin advancing on us.
"Harry, go back to the first plan. Blow them up!" Granger's voice raises an octave or two.
The eagle totem pole gets rammed by Tantor and I unleash a healthy dose of Potter fury on the bear totem. Blasters rip chunks of it away. It takes four to bring it down. I turn to the eagle, which has gotten by Tantor, and throw an overpowered tripping jinx its way. The eagle stumbles, and tries to grab Hermione, but my freshly conjured firewhip slices it in half.
"That definitely wasn't an illusion." I release the firewhip into the ether and look at the path. A groan escapes my lips as more boulders roll together, fuse, and form a solid wall. Four blasters and a firewhip in such a short span leave me a bit worse for wear. This is of course on top of, maintaining the rhinoceros, the saddle, and the compulsion charms on our steed. I don't relish the idea of tackling a thick wall.
"Should we try and blast through?" I ask hoping that Hermione has a better plan.
"Spray water at the base of the wall. The weight will cause it to shift forward and the wall will fall forward. We could even tie ropes around Tantor and attach them to the top corners with a sticking charm to help it along. After all, you did make this big strong animal. Let's put it to work."
My hopes are answered. "They do keep calling you the brightest witch in our generation. I guess there must be something to that."
"Well yes, and every now and again, I have to give people a reason to keep saying that. It's getting rather tiresome. Would you like to switch for awhile? I'll be the Girl-Who-Lived."
I laugh. "How long have you been waiting to use that one?"
"Since early in the term — I just hadn't found the right moment."
------
Further down the trail, I spot the glint of something dangerous at our speed.
"Tantor halt!" We skid abruptly to a stop twenty or so feet in front of it. My rhino is gasping for breath. It's about time to trade it in for a new rhino with a fresh set of legs.
"It's beautiful," Hermione says.
I am forced to agree. It's a dense and intricate mass of webbing the likes of which I've never scene. It runs for over a dozen feet and is anchored to damn near everything. Acromantula webbing is thick, fire resistant, and tough to cut through. I'm glad I didn't try to blast through that wall.
"Off we go!" I climb down on unsteady legs after a couple of miles of rhino riding. I help Hermione down and hand her my wand. "We can appreciate it later in our memories. I don't see any of the creatures that made it, so I reckon we just have to cut our way through. Get as far as you can with my wand and I'll send the rhino through the hole you make at full speed. Then we reverse the transfiguration and use blasting curses on the rock. The shrapnel should rip the rest of the way through it. Does that sound good to you?"
She nods. My phoenix feather wand is a poor match for Hermione, but she makes up for it with a vigorous assault on the web, while I rest and keep control over the rhino. I feel better already about my decision to stay and wake my friend. This isn't going to be easy and only Fleur has someone else to share the load."
Granger banishes chunks of wood into it at high velocities and sets them on fire. Sure the webbing doesn't burn all that well, but adding the stout logs provide both weight and fuel at the same time.
She tosses the wand to me to catch her breath as I animate a couple of the trees the webs are anchored to. I collapse them onto the mass. Soon, there is a roaring bonfire going and the webs are burning and breaking.
Five minutes pass and Hermione declares, "Harry, we've made a jolly good mess of things. I don't think can send the rhino through it, but we can get through with some good old fashioned fireproofing charms.
Just like that witch who enjoyed being burned at the stake, we coat ourselves and climb across the burning trees. At the midway point I animate one of the branches from a particularly large tree and have it hurl me over the remaining wall of web. I cast a quick Cushioning charm and let the now spongy ground absorb my fall.
"Your turn, Hermione."
"Harry, wait just a …"
The tree limb catapults her. She stumbles and bounces in a rather undignified manner and steadies herself on me.
"I'm sorry were you trying to say something?"
She cuffs me on the head. "Prat! C'mon ape boy. Let's get Tantor mark two."
"Me Tarzan. You Jane?"
"Not even. How about that tree? The saddle's thick enough to protect us from splinters, if you want to conserve some energy with this Transfiguration and living matter to living matter makes for less energy expenditure," she offers with a grin, "Of course, you'll need to save some strength for tomorrow when you start teaching me large object to large animal Transfigurations."
"It's in my anybook, Hermione. Maybe you're not applying yourself. Ow!"
I probably deserved that punch in the shoulder she gives me.
Our next rhino, "Treetor," is a bit rough around the edges and not quite as fast as my earlier effort, but still much faster than us on two legs. He gets us through another ward and a wall consisting of charmed hay bales that kept reforming and blocking our progress. Finally we lose him to a pit with an illusionary cover that we missed.
I snap off a really fast Cushioning charm, but discover that it is unnecessary. We start floating upside down in some kind of null gravity magic.
"The Upside-down Rhino" — it sounds like one of Padfoot's absurd euphemisms for sex.
"What do you think we should try first?" Hermione asks.
"If we nullify it, the rhino falls on us. That would be bad. I'm thinking we get rid of it first. Shove off, so we can float away from it."
She does and I reverse the Transfiguration. A portion of the tree now sticks out of the pit and after spending a few minutes figuring out how to maneuver, we finally climb along the tree and exit. Hermione crosses the ward line first and falls on her rump. This obviously slows me down because I have to stop and laugh at her.
"Are you okay?"
Hermione sums it up nicely. "Miles of riding on a rhinoceros and now this — I think I broke my bum."
"And here I thought all along that pain in your arse was named Ron. We're at the four mile mark. I think I'm too knackered to make another rhino."
She chuckles, "Oh good, you're still human then. I was beginning to wonder."
"Stuff it. We've only got a mile to go. Can you ride a horse?"
"Yes, but transfiguring a horse shouldn't be much different from a rhinoceros."
"I'll be the horse, if you can reverse it. Self-Transfiguration is less power intensive and my Occlumency will keep me from going animal stupid. Besides, I'm guessing you grew up on Black Beauty and National Velvet."
"Sure," she says with a growl, "here you had me fooled that you were at the end of your rope. Don't worry; I'll just turn myself into a bloody horse, Hermione — there's really nothing too it."
I ignore her exhausted sarcasm. "No, I'm just too tired to make a rhino — slight difference. Can you reverse it?"
She nods and proves it by showing me the motions. With that settled, I cast the spell and feel myself changing. It's taller than my Animagus form and there's the distinctive foggy feeling that always accompanies a full animal Transfiguration. I shake my head slightly and trot for a second to get the feel of this form.
Hermione scoops up my wand and pats me on my elongated and flaring nostrils. "You know something? ‘Granger mounts a champion and rides Potter bareback to victory’ does sound like a smashing headline."
I snort at the cheeky witch and whiney for her to get on. As payback, I'll tell her she needs to lay off the desserts when she changes me back. Sadly, I know that even Occlumency can't save me from that killer headache I'll have later tonight. Too bad I can't just go Pronghorn and do this without the pain.
We start off at a slow trot, wary for any last traps that might be there, and cover the remaining distance to the edge of the forest. Not surprisingly, there are no other champions in sight and I break into a full gallop and ride to victory.
This is what should have been happening all along. It's a travesty that any of them are even close, much less ahead of me in this competition.
------
Visit my ff.net profile for the latest word on all my original stories. Join me on Darklordpotter to discuss this story. I certainly hope this was much more interesting than the usual water task. With the way things have been going wrong in this tournament, would you have volunteered to be someone's hostage floating down there in the water? I should also mention that the use (or is it overuse) of the rhinoceros in this chapter is a shout out to Meteroic Shipyards for taking the road not often travelled of rhinoanimagus Harry.