Harry Potter and Fate's Foible

When Harry Potter, the brother of the boy who lived is forced to compete in the TriWizard Tournament, the fallout from long held beliefs, enemies lurking in the shadows and ancient magic forever alter the live of the young wizard.

Harry/Fleur

Hermione/Neville

Inspired from Thor's Shadow's 'Champions'. Epic story and one I really hope gets updated again.

Everyone has to do a wrong BWL story don't they? I've read countless and have outlines for countless variations of the overused plot, but-who cares? It's a classic. In this one, I plan to add some twists that are, hopefully, not too overused.

All recognisable characters belong to JK Rowling, a woman I admire more than any other.

The characters not present in the canon version are mine.

The air at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the 24th of February 1994 was quite chilly, which wasn't unusual for Scotland around this time of year. Most wouldn't venture out of the relative warmth of the ancient castle voluntarily. With the Second Task of the TriWizard Tournament only minutes away, the excitement had largely negated the cold. The vast majority of people were sitting in recently erected stands that ringed around the lake of Hogwarts, nattering incessantly, awaiting the beginning of the Task with enthusiasm.

For those about to compete in the Tournament, they were considerably less eager.

"I can't believe this" Harry muttered. "I really, really, really don't bloody believe-"

"Your hostages are being guarded by the mermen of the Black Lake for the moment" Ludo Bagman said with undisguised cheerfulness. It made Harry want to hex him. Wearing ill-fitting yellow and black robes from his glory days, he stuck out at the judge's table even beside the lurid purple Dumbledore was wearing and the large figure of Madame Maxime.

"Now you have one hour to complete the task. Points will be deducted for returning beyond the hour limit-"

"Did my parents agree to this?" Harry interrupted, drawing disapproving stares from the panel of judges. Harry just kept his eyes trained on the spokesperson of this-event-silently demanding an answer.

"Everything is in order Harry. Please calm down." Dumbledore spoke up saving Bagman from having to answer the menacing teen that was still glaring at the discomfited man. The headmasters tone was gently chiding, dismissing his concern. But Harry was immune.

"Err, yes of course" Bagman smile was a little strained since he was still being subjected to a death glare. "Now-"

Harry abruptly turned his back on the panel and marched over to the edge of the lake, ignoring the calls to come back. He was vaguely aware of the crowd's noise and the other champions laying into Bagman but it was immaterial at the moment, since he was trying to keep control of himself and not set the panel table on fire.

He ignored the rest of the blithering idiot's speech and concentrated on breathing to keep himself in check. In and out. He shucked his robe without any fanfare or embarrassment; he had more important things to worry about than the catcalls of his fellow students.

He had no idea what his parents were thinking, but what else was new? If anything happened….dimly he caught something out of the corner of his eye; the other champions moving to the edge of the lake. They didn't look any happier than he. Fleur Delacour looked particularly pale and he felt more for her than he had ever done so.

He clenched his fists. His wand strapped to his wrist in its holster. He held a wad of Gillyweed in a clenched hand and had the handy penknife he gotten from his godfather in the ridiculous red and gold Gryffindor trunks he'd found this morning from his parents. They had known and allowed this to happen.

He honestly hadn't expected this. "We've taken what you'll sorely miss". It hadn't occurred to him that it'd be a person. He hadn't given it much thought; he'd been too busy trying to decipher the egg's clue. And then came figuring out the underwater breathing, then handy spells to learn, etc. It was just left alone. If you can't deal with it, don't worry about it, was his Uncle Moony's motto. But that didn't help him being blindsided.

He stared at the lake water, a steel grey that reflected the sky that was rapidly growing darker. The lake was growing restless as an eerie calm began to sweep through him. Power coiled in his belly. This had happened only once before in his life, but he knew what it meant. He didn't fight it, only allowed the power to pool and swell. Absently he let the ball of Gillyweed drop to the ground.

The noise of the crowd began to quieten as Bagman moved forward, the tip of his wand at his throat.

"Sonorus!" the roar of the man's voice helped pull Harry back a little.

"Well, all of our champions are ready for the second task which begins on my whistle. They have one hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three. One….two…."

Slowly Harry backed away from the lake, the power in him threatening to spill over. Magic was all about intent-and magic that he had not been able to master before would aid him now.

The shrill whistle pierced the air seemed to be the signal. The magic spilled over as he began to run. He could feel it surging and twisting as he sped up. As he jumped off the ground, the crowd were treated to the sight of the underage champion leaping into the air, before flipping once, twice-a shimmering tail appearing out of nowhere-and diving deep into the icy depths.

XX

Fleur Delacour was frantic.

Gabrielle. They had taken Gabrielle. Her baby sister.

She flung herself into the freezing water the second the dratted whistle blew. Hastily she applied a powerful Bubble-Head Charm on herself along with spells of speed and strength before striking out and diving underneath the water.

Icy knifes clawed at her skin the moment she fully submerged. Her sleek clothes pulled her down as she was almost buffeted by a sudden surge of current.

She was an idiot. Why had she allowed her Headmistress to persuade her to join this ridiculous Tournament? To prove herself in the eyes of classmates, to show that not only was she beautiful but that she was top of her class for a reason. That she was smart and capable of such a feat, to bring glory to the Beauxbatons Academy!

She had been an ambitious fool and was now completely over her head. If anything happened to Gabrielle…tears stung her eyes before she hastily blinked them away. If anything happened to her sister because she joined this wretched tournament, she would never forgive herself. Never.

She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Her sight was almost non-existent; she could only see a few feet in front of her. She had to struggle to keep herself underwater; the pressure and her own instincts struggling to make her rise to the surface. She struck out, managing to propel herself forward at what felt like terrible slowness.

The world around her was foggy and dark. She lit her wand with apprehension, wary of the beasts she heard dwelled in these waters. The charms on her clothes, keeping them dry and warm were working thank the Goddess, but the cold still attacked her, determined to get rid of this intruder in its realm.

She sank deeper into the water, so that she could see the large volumes of seaweed waving lazily in the current. Loose rocks and pebbles glinted dully from the tip of her wand, intermingled with large expanses of black mud. Fish flitted past her. Occasionally she thought she saw something large in the distance, only to discover it to be a fallen log or a particularly dense clump of seaweed. It was so quiet.

She forced herself to stop after what felt like fifteen minutes, frustrated. This wasn't working. She had no idea where to go. She held her wand out.

"Trouver Gabrielle" she murmured.

Her wand spun feebly on her outstretched palm, bobbing, pointing in no definite direction.

She gave a snarl. "Trouver Gabrielle!" she barked, pushing her magic into her wand. This time the wand twisted reluctantly, pointing in a northwest direction. She felt a small tug on her magic that could only be Gabrielle's magic.

She muttered a curse before striking out in the direction her wand pointed her to. Veela were creatures of fire and air. Water interfered with their magic, disrupting their powers. Her magic felt dull and constricted, like a flame being smothered by a blanket. Her instincts seemed to have deserted her. Bring glory to Beauxbatons…she and her sister would be lucky to survive this Goddess forsaken task.

Something slimy suddenly seized her ankle and she was yanked downwards.

XX

Harry inhaled sharply as he plunged into the water.

The rush of power had faded and a rush of information bombarded his mind. His eyes took in everything, identifying and interpreting the world and the sensations around him. He could sense the currents of the lake, the creatures around him. The water seemed to caress him, pulsing in tune with his magic.

Those that heard of Harry Potter knew him only as the brother of Nathan Potter, brother of the Boy Who Lived. Eldest son of Lily and James Potter. Best friend to Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger.

Very few knew of his hidden talent.

The joining of Lily Evans and James Potter was an unknown melding of magic. Powerful ancestors with unusual abilities that had manifested in their children.

Nathan Potter was one such child. He was the first energy absorber the Wizarding World had seen in over a hundred years. Merlin himself was rumoured to be such a wizard; beings who could absorb and manipulate sources of energy around them and could release it as highly potent spells. Wizards such as this were known as Mages, extremely rare and very powerful.

The information was highly secret for fear of it being passed onto those still sympathetic to the Dark Lord's cause. As such few knew Nathan's ability.

Even fewer knew of Harry's.

People believed him to be perfectly ordinary compared to his brother, a good student and nothing more. But his talent gave him different abilities to his brother. The power to command and control elements.

Harry breathed in and out. He was breathing as easily as if he was on land. He studied himself. The upper half of his body appeared to be unchanged, a somewhat lightly muscled skinny body of an active healthy young man. It was his lower half of his body that had changed. His legs were gone and in their place was a long sinewy fish like tail, with elegant fins running along the sides. The colour appeared to be a deep green.

Experimentally, he gave his tail a swish, feeling the power that rippled through him. Dimly he was stunned by what he'd achieved. But it wasn't time to reflect. He would not be able to hold onto this form for long and though his form was half human, it still had different thought processes to him as normal.

He shot forward with a flick of his tail. With the greatest of ease he propelled himself through the water, the water behind him pushing him along. He knew, instinctively, where he had to go. He twisted and curled through the water, eyes that did not seem to need to blink taking in everything with laser precision. Fish darted out of his path. He was careful to avoid the Grindylows he could sense lurking in the seaweed though they did not appear to be interested in him either.

He burst over a crag of rocks with a flurry of bubbles. The familiar haunting song taunted him:

"An hour long you have to look

And to recover what we took…"

He could make out something now. Hermione would love to see this.

He had arrived at what appeared to be a village made roughly of stone. And in and around this village were the merpeople.

He looked nothing like them. The mermen had greyish skin and wild scraggly green hair. Their eyes were yellow and they had broken, shark like teeth. Their tails were the colour of Sickles and they carried crude spears and tridents.

The mermen's eyes bulged when they spotted Harry. They hastily moved out of the way, staring. He swam past them warily but they didn't seem like they wished to bar him from going past. He made his way towards the village unimpeded.

As he got closer he could see merpeople drifting out of the houses to watch him go by. He could see them whisper to each other urgently as he passed them. Young merchildren were staring and pointing at him.

A large crowd of merpeople were outside the houses now. And at what appeared to be a village square was a choir of merpeople still singing the melody to lure the champions here. And behind them was a huge merperson statue hewn from the same rock as the houses. And tied to the statue…

Rosie!

He almost lost control then. Tied to the tail of the statue were four female figures all appearing to be deeply asleep, heads lolling and mouths billowing bubbles.

One of those figures was Rosalyn Agatha Potter the only daughter of Lily and James Potter, their youngest child and Harry's baby sister.

Exactly what his nine year old sister was doing here at all was a discussion Harry was very keen to have with his parents later on.

Gathering control of himself, he threw himself towards the statue. Rose was tied between Cho Chang and Morag McDougal, Cedric and Krum's hostages. The fourth was a very pretty blonde child around Rose's age that he knew to be Fleur's younger sister. All four appeared to be unaware of the world around them for which he was grateful.

They were tied to the statue with seaweed that was very strong and slimy. He still had his knife and trunks which were over his tail, but it wasn't necessary. He reached out and pulled hard. The seaweed obligingly pulled away, causing Rose to float unaware.

Anxiously he checked her over, but she appeared fine, though still asleep. He pulled her to him and held her close as he looked around. He had no idea how long it had been since the task started but there was no sign of the other champions. Where were they?

"Do not interfere."

Startled, he spun around, keeping Rose close. One of the larger mermen had drifted closer to him. He was carrying a trident, but kept it away from the humans. His head was bowed, nonthreatening.

"Each champion must take their own and leave the others." His luminous eyes met his and Harry could see respect and awe in them. "They will not be harmed."

Harry met his eyes. He only just realised that this merman wore an elaborate necklace made of pebbles and shells, much larger than the others. He was the chieftain.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement and the chieftain returned it, raising his trident.

"Go back water wizard and come again" he called as the choir's voice swelled to a crescendo. Harry zipped upward, carrying his baby sister and lifted his tail in acknowledgement before speeding away.

XX

"Relashio!"

The vicious little water demon gripping her ankle was shoved backwards in the water, tentacles spinning. Its friends however, were closing in, grabbing hold of her clothes and limbs, trying to pull her under the seaweed.

Desperately she thrashed side to side hexing as many of the Grindylows as she could but the outcome was becoming bleak. More and more of the dangerous little beasts were appearing, and her magic was significantly weaker than in it usually was. She felt one bite her calve while another got a good hold of her hair streaming behind her and yanked mercilessly. She twisted around and sent a series of hexes around her, before feeling a tentacle wrap itself around her wrist and pull sharply.

She let out a scream of pain before shrieking "Confringo!"

The force of the explosion hurled her upwards out of the seaweed they were dragging her to and some of the critters were blasted away. Unfortunately the remaining ones were now incensed and swarmed her like angry hornets.

She lashed out with her legs and magic, trying to force them back. It was becoming harder to breathe and she realised with horror that the Bubble-Head Charm was fading. She was putting so magic into trying to protect herself from the water demons she couldn't hold the concentration and power needed to keep the charm going.

There seemed to be more of the things now and they were all she could see. She angled her wand downwards, intending to perform Blasting Curses to force her to rise upwards when one of the Grindylows tentacles seized her by the neck.

Her composure deserted her. Her hands struggled against the powerful grips holding them to go to her throat. She wheezed as air was forced out of her lungs. The Bubble-Head Charm flickered and died.

The grip around her throat tightened. She tried to breathe and water filled her nose and mouth. Panic made her twist and turn, her thoughts solely on the fact that there was no air, she couldn't breathe, her chest ached-

Flashes of light danced across her eyelids as something shoved her hard. She felt the slimy fingers that had clutched her release and she felt herself rising.

Am I dying? She wondered vaguely. As she moved faster, darkness rolled across her vision and she had one last thought.

Gabrielle forgive me.

XX

Harry's head broke the surface of the lake. Gasping he hauled his dead weight cargo while his companions, a trio of mermaids following him.

Rose drew a shuddering breath and yawned. Huge bright blue eyes flickered open and she lifted her head, pushing her soaking wet hair out of the way.

"Hu-Harry?" wincing she hunched forward a little, trembling.

"Are you alright Rosie?" Harry said anxiously even as he checked over his unconscious fellow champion. Fleur was a mass of cuts and scrapes and bites and her clothes were ripped and bloody. She didn't appear to be breathing.

"She's not" Rose gasped. Huge eyes looked up at her brother. "And neither are you. What happened?"

Harry didn't answer. He was busy trying to get Fleur breathing. He couldn't use his wand because he was transformed but maybe…he held Fleur up and held his hand over her mouth. Water that entered Fleur's lungs forced its way back up through her mouth and nose, leaving them clear.

Instantly Fleur's eyes snapped open to his relief, but he grew concerned again when she couldn't seem to draw air in. She was hyperventilating, not able to breathe.

"Harry!" Rose cried out in alarm just as her big brother leaned over the stricken witch and put his lips against hers. Praying this would work he blew into her mouth gently, ignoring his embarrassment. At least she would be alive if she wanted to hex him later.

Fleur's frantic struggles calmed as she breathed in the air given to her…and promptly started coughing. Spluttering, she managed to draw air into her lungs. Shuddering, she forced her eyes open and met concerned, mesmerising green.

"Are you alright?" her fellow Champion asked.

Fleur didn't answer. It hurt to breathe; her chest ached and her lungs burned. Her skin stung from numerous cuts and bites and she was cold to her bones.

"Que s-" she stopped and took a deep breath. And another. "W-what…"

"I saw you fighting the Grindylows and came over to help" Harry supplied. "There was a whole swarm of them."

She shuddered as the memories assailed her. She felt cold, numb and strangely tingly as tremors wracked her. She glanced around her and to her surprise saw a drenched dark haired little girl, looking very like Harry beside her watching her with eyes far too old for her face.

She had to be Harry's sister. Sister…

"Gabrielle!" she bolted forward, nearly knocking the Potters over. She ignored the pain and her senses begging not to go under the water again.

"Fleur it's ok" Harry tried to calm her down, but she was quickly becoming hysterical. He glanced around, noticing for the first time how far away they were from the lakes shores. He could pick out movement and noise from there but they were too far to swim with Fleur so upset.

Then Rose grabbed her bare wrist and Fleur flinched as a foreign presence invaded her mind, projecting calm forcefully into her consciousness. The bedraggled Veela stared at the child.

A loud screech made them turn towards the mermaids. They appeared anxious. They gestured at them, trying to herd them towards the shore.

"They're going to bring us back to the shore" Harry shifted to let Fleur move on her own. "Fleur the merpeople aren't going to hurt your sister. They'll be brought back when the tasks over."

"I can't" she gasped, struggling to break the calm that Rose Potter had forced on her. She tried to twist out of his grasp. "Eet ees not safe you must let me-"

"Fleur" Harry interrupted firmly, catching her by the shoulder. Blue eyes met green. He had very pretty eyes, she thought abstractly, unable to look away from them. A fine thread of magic inside her thrummed and coiled but she couldn't identify it.

"I'll get her for you" Harry said and Fleur blinked, the spell broken.

"Y-you"

"I'll get her" Harry repeated. He looked away for a moment to look at a mermaid. The merwoman's face appeared troubled but she nodded to Harry and Harry nodded back.

Rose's face was anxious. "Har…"

"Go with the mermaids Rosie. I'll see you in a few minutes" Harry said firmly, glancing at his baby sister. Their eyes met and Rose bit her lip, before nodding reluctantly.

"Ok, go on" Harry let go of the pair and both girls were caught by a single mermaid. The last mermaid stayed beside Harry.

"'Arry" Fleur said suddenly, catching the boy's arm, causing him to turn back. He was exhausted, Fleur realised, with a pang of guilt. Whatever he had done to himself had taken much magic and retrieving his sister and rescuing her had drained him further. And now he was willing to go back and get her sister, she who had insulted him and called him a liar.

Words seemed terribly inadequate. She owed this boy…young man her life. Frozen, lungs aching, she struggled to find words, before finally whispering "Thank you."

Harry gave her a small smile. He leaned over and squeezed her arm.

A sudden shock of heat coursed through her numb arm, sending feeling and a chorus of tingling sparks through it, travelling upwards towards her chest.

Harry felt it too. He drew away looking startled. He shifted away from her with a swish of his tail. He gave her a small smile, before giving his worried sister a hug and disappearing under the water again.

XX

This was not a good idea.

Harry knew that his transformation was not controlled. As such there was a high chance of it collapsing very soon. And if it happened here, with his magic significantly drained-

He pushed himself further into the water, the water itself propelling him further while his guide lead him unnecessarily towards the village. He at one point saw a half human half shark creature, holding the limp figure of Morag MacDougal.

He could feel himself waning as he followed the mermaid over the rock formation. First time was the worst; it was impossible to predict when and for how long you remained in the form. He needed to leave now.

Gabrielle was the only remaining hostage tied to the statue; Cedric and Krum had obviously been and gone. The mermaid who had accompanied him had swum to the chieftain and was gesturing at the statue and at Harry. The chief looked between them and locked eyes with Harry before inclining his head.

Harry bounded over to the statue, the seaweed recoiling away from the girl as he neared. Catching her he twisted away, waving in thanks to the crowds of merpeople singing and watching him in amazement, as he took off, the chief and his guide following him. Several other merpeople followed them for a while, twisting and zooming around them, before falling back and waving.

Harry commanded the water to push him upwards. His movements were becoming sluggish. His head was beginning to ache and his arms were tired from swimming and holding comatose females. He could feel himself starting to fade and forced himself to pick up the pace.

The following mermaid caught him by the elbow and started to push him upward. The chieftain shifted his trident to grasp the boy's other elbow, guiding him towards the surface. Harry certainly appreciated it; he was beginning to feel lightheaded.

His body shuddered and rippled. His magical form was beginning to dissipate. Darkness was starting to edge across his vision.

Then he felt it, the sudden collapse of his magical form.

No!

His sleek streamlined tail shimmered away, revealing a pair of skinny legs from a young male teenager. They flailed in the water, uncoordinated and awkward compared to the smooth and graceful movements of his tail. The easy intake of oxygen from the water faded and he couldn't concentrate to bring that feeling back.

He nearly crumpled, but the two merpeople held him, forcing him upwards. His eyes rolled upward. Darkness was threatening to overwhelm him. The little girl was starting to slip from his grasp.

No.

Power began to build inside him, starting from his belly and rising upwards. Like a powerful surge from the ocean it slammed into him, knocking his helpers aside as he shot towards the surface.

His head broke the surface and he gasped, heaving in great gulps of air. The shock of hitting cold air slapped him harshly, making the power surge disappear as quickly as it had arrived.

Gabrielle woke the moment her head broke the surface. Blinking and coughing slightly, she struggled upright, looking bewildered and frightened. Harry would have tried to reassure her, but he was too busy breathing to say much of anything.

Then a screech came from behind them and the two merpeople he had accidently left behind reappeared again. It was then he became aware of the loud noise from the crowds that he'd almost forgotten about. The shoreline was really far away.

The mermaid looked mildly exasperated, but was smiling without showing her teeth as she held her arms out to Gabrielle. The little girl clung to Harry, the only human present.

"It's ok" he told her, fighting the weariness that threatened to drag him back under the water. "She's going to take you to your sister Fleur, ok?"

The little girl clearly didn't understand much English but she clearly recognised her sister's name. She glanced at the fearsome looking mermaid and looked back at Harry timidly. He mustered a smile and nodded, and with a little encouragement, she went over to the mermaid who started swimming back to shore.

That left Harry with the Chieftain, who caught Harry's swaying torso and carefully swam towards the shore of the lake and the chattering and cheering crowd of spectators.

"Thank you" Harry murmured to the Chieftain, grateful of the help he gave to him when he didn't have to as such a high ranking member of his society.

The Chieftain merely gave what looked like a warm smile to him and kept going. He could now make out several figures waiting at the edge of the shoreline.

A sudden thought crossed his weary mind and he turned his head to face the Chieftain. "Don't tell them what I am. Please" he breathed.

The merman gazed at the bone weary bedraggled teenager who possessed one of the rarest gifts to be blessed with and was revered by all those who understood it. And that was why he probably did not want it revealed to the narrow-minded people that were the majority of wizards. He held the boy's gaze and dipped his head in acknowledgement.

The mermaid had now reached the shore, and gently hoisted the soaked little witch onto the ground.

"Gabrielle!"

A cut and bloody Fleur Delacour broke free from her Headmistress and Healer Pomfrey's restraints and raced over to her sister. Gabrielle dashed forward, eliminating the distance and allowing her big sister to sweep her up in a crushing hug, falling to her knees and sobbing into her baby sister's hair.

Harry also had someone waiting for him, or rather two someone's. Typically it wasn't his parents.

"Harry!"

In the red robes of an Auror and black dragon hide boots, Captain Sirius Black was at the edge of the lake, actually splashing out to meet him and the merman, face pale, drawn and worried. Still on the shore, Rose had a blanket on her shoulders, long black hair in rat tails and expression pinched and anxious.

The Chieftain easily lifted Harry upwards to Sirius who pulled him out of the water before engulfing him in a fierce hug, holding him off the ground.

The crowds were cheering and shouting stuff that Harry couldn't bring himself to pay attention to. He thought he saw the Delacour sisters nearby with Beauxbatons Headmistress standing over them over Sirius's shoulder. He also spotted the fashion disasters Bagman and Dumbledore; Dumbledore on his haunches and screeching to the merpeople while Bagman was cheerfully bouncing on the balls of his feet. Karkaroff was still sitting at the judge's table.

"Are you alright pup?" Sirius said anxiously, pulling back to properly look at his godson.

Harry didn't actually have to answer because it was at that moment Sirius let him down on the ground. His legs promptly gave out and he would have fallen if his alarmed godfather hadn't grabbed him. Harry was unconscious before Sirius caught him and began yelling for a Healer.

Very, very long chapter. There will be prequel chapters coming up to explain things as the timeline progresses.

The Potter family- Lily and James Potter had three children, twin boys Harry and Nathan and a daughter Rosalyn called Rose. All three children have unusual talents, Harry a rare Elemental, Nathan an energy absorber (Mage) and Rose an empath. All three gifts have been recorded in the family trees of both parents. It'll be explained better later on.

Well that's the first chapter. It took ages and I'd appreciate comments on it even if they're less than flattering.