The next morning, still two weeks before the first task, Harry Potter walked into the great hall like he owned it. It was so far from his usual attitude that several first years flinched when they saw his hard expression. "Scion Greengrass, House Potter would like a quiet word," Harry announced across the room at the retreating back of Daphne Greengrass. Harry had just removed Hermione's blood from his robes and was still shaken at her weakness after the attack.

"Daphne paled considerably. Harry Potter was the most powerful student in their year by a significant margin and quite likely the most powerful student in the school, even as a fourth year. She had just heard that his best friend and girlfriend, Hermione Granger, had been in the infirmary since last evening due to the actions of someone from her house. Still, this was a formal request from House Potter, as if Harry had already taken up head of house duties. It would be a major insult to ignore such a request for a meeting, and insulting Harry Potter when that fire shone in his eyes was not something she was willing to do.

"As you like, Potter," she was worried about being alone with Harry, though. If he thought she was responsible for the attack on Hermione, he would be terrifyingly angry. As she was frantically trying to think of a way for her to make this less dangerous for her, Harry threw out another comment.

"You may, at your discretion, invite Miss Davis to be in the room." He waited for the two girls to quietly discuss his request. After a minute, they both turned to him, obviously ready to go. He bowed slightly to Daphne and offered her his arm, surprising her again, "would you allow me," he said.

"Of course, Mister Potter," she replied formally, bowing slightly. She was aware, even if he was not, that he outranked her. Daphne was surprised not only that he had addressed her properly, but that he was being quite pleasant about it.

"Let us find a quiet place to discuss a business arrangement I would like to undertake," Harry said in the corridor.

The girls followed Harry into an unused classroom but were surprised when he left the door open. He did cast three separate privacy charms before he turned to face them. Daphne was surprised at the intensity of his gaze and immediately smoothed out her robes and then forcibly stopped herself from fidgeting further while under his scrutiny. She knew she was considered by many to be the most attractive girl in the school; she had no need to try to improve on that. Her long hair was well groomed and had been set appropriately to frame her face.

Tracy Davis had never been so close to Harry Potter before and she found herself squirming as she stood trying to meet a steady gaze for a minute.

"I would appreciate it if neither of you spread the news around about the content of our discussion for a few weeks. By then whatever will happen will be finished." Harry began, confusing both girls.

"First, do you know who did it? I have the inclination to be quite generous should I be assisted in this fact finding mission."

Knowing better than to plead ignorance under the circumstances, she shook her head. "I know that Goyle is trying to break with Malfoy over something and that he refused to do. It involved potions and…" she paused for a long moment, not sure whether to trust this information to the likes of Harry Potter. "… and Professor Snape was the only one who could brew the appropriate potion."

"Do you know what it did?"

"No I don't, at least not for certain. I think it made people angry with a person. 'Like a reverse amortentia,' I believe someone said. There was also talk of ingredients that I am sure are used love potions for the future, but not necessarily with you as the target.

Harry nodded as if the pieces were coming together, his face turned hard as he realized Hermione, Ely and Luna were prime targets, not just him.

"They also said there was no way to prove Snape did it." Harry was surprised at the scorn in her voice for her head of house. It seemed she was being quite forthcoming, so he forged ahead with the reward.

"Scion Greengrass, I understand your family has acquired several businesses over the years and through them you have done great work in the area of collecting difficult to find ingredients for making potions." For some reason, although she agreed that everything he said was true, Daphne had some trouble meeting his eyes as he waited until she nodded. "Good. I would like to formally open negotiations for right to be the exclusive purchaser of several ingredients which I believe your house sells."

Of all the things that Daphne expected, a formal trade agreement between Clan Potter and House Greengrass was not even in the running. Harry obviously didn't know she couldn't make this deal.

"Mr. Potter, I cannot make any deals with you, I am not head of house and my father would kill me if I tried to place any binding agreement on our business." She tried to be as nice as possible.

"Naturally. I do have a sample agreement drawn up here, should your family be interested. I will need either an offer to discuss or a refusal within three days, however."

"We won't even consider an exclusive sales agreement without a minimum purchase amount, minimum pricing, delivery considerations and a clearly determined list of the requirements necessary that would obviate the deal. There is no way you can get all that…" she stopped as he frowned in her direction. She suddenly found a parchment in her hands.

Taking a quick glance, she was stunned to see the Gringotts legal seal at the top of what was obviously a trade contract. She scanned it quickly, noticing the minimum purchase pricing and amounts already listed, as well as the forms for breaking the contract spelled out in complete legal language.

This contract was worth a great deal of money, she realized as she began to read it carefully. She began to see the careful work this contract had entailed. This wasn't just some stupid shot in the dark. It was a sound agreement that could greatly benefit her house.

As she was reading, Harry had walked over to Tracy and leaned into whisper something in her ear. A second later there was a resounding smack as Tracy slapped Harry across the face.

With a smirk, Harry turned and walked past the startled Daphne. "I will expect your owl in three days," he said quietly as he returned to the great hall with an angry red handprint on his face.

"What the hell, Tracy." Daphne let loose, realizing just after she said it that she was glad for the privacy charms. "Now…" Daphne immediately thought about what everyone would think about their little meeting. "Oh Merlin!" she said finally.

"You didn't hear what he said…" Tracy fell silent at the look on her friends face. She knew she wasn't as smart or as anything as her friend Daphne, but she absolutely hated it when Daphne went on one of those brilliant moments and she was left looking like an idiot.

"Okay, Daph, what is it?"

"Well, I was thinking that this is a problem. I mean what happens when everyone finds out that I have been speaking with Harry?"

"The other Slytherins will eat you alive, Daphne. What are we going to do? That stupid Gryffindor announced this meeting to the entire school." Tracy was started to get her famous temper started.

"Just a minute Tray," the mock scorn in Daphne's voice was a tone that no one else would ever be allowed to take with her, but it also meant what she would call a learning moment.

"What did I miss?"

"That Gryffindor just played you better than any Slytherin could, because he was a Gryffindor. What would you have done had Draco tried that?"

"I would have thought about what he could possibly gain before I reacted. But what could Mr. Potter have gained?"

"Nothing. But we gained something. Protection from our house. He knew that you would react like that and now he will go back into the great hall with our displeasure written on his face for all to see. Who knew that the Lion of Gryffindor would be such a good thinker?"

"He's hot too." Tracy said without thinking. The question Harry had asked had been quite personal and her instant rejection was normal, but it also got her thinking along those lines. She had sported a bit of a crush for the brash Gryffindor, like most of the girls near his age and all those younger, but since he had come back from his hiatus, he was absolutely dreamy.

Harry still had some aggression issues to take care of and decided to use it for good. He ignored the glares coming from the tables, most from Slytherin but quite a few from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and even some from Gryffindor. He walked up to the head prefect for Ravenclaw and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Could I have a private word with you and your fellow seventh year prefect," Harry asked sweetly?

"Sure Potter," Ivan said happily. He thought it would be good press to be seen doing something about the out of control Harry Potter. His next career he intended to be in the ministry, and that meant that he was going to need good contacts and Harry Potter had a name everyone recognized.

Soon he was almost skipping down the corridor with his unhappy fellow prefect in tow. Harry went into an empty classroom and neither prefect saw the spell before Maria collapsed, stiff as a board. Ivan turned thinking that it was true Harry Potter was insane. He was just about to start casting when he realized that he too had a wand pointed at him, only it was much closer.

"Okay, Potter, you are pissed. What is going on?" His voice only shook a little, evidence to the fact that that he had almost been put in Gryffindor.

"You were the second most likely person to be Hogwarts Champion behind Cedric, I would wager." Harry began in a low quiet voice. "I am here to address a grievous wrong in the Eagles Nest and to put you both on notice, but first we are going to have a little duel. Neither of you will tell anyone the slightest information about my dueling skills or inclinations without my approval. If you address the wrongs I have seen, you will be allowed to keep both your badges and your health. If not, then neither will be your companion as you leave Hogwarts."

"See here, you can't go threatening us, we are prefects. I was only a few points from head boy."

"Why don't we have a quick match and see just how good you are and how much you can teach me, almost head boy." Now Harry had heard more than one or two things about Ivan. He was incredibly proud but in an odd way. Anyone who could beat him was immediately the best of the best in his book.

Harry cast a heavy shield spell on the prone girl to keep her from injury then he turned and they paced off.

The initial spells were simple disarming and stunning spells, but Ivan immediately grew worried. He spent far more time shielding than Harry did. He hoped the younger man tired more easily because he was dodging far too high a percentage of his spells. He upped the ante, using some bone breaker curses and even a borderline spell that made him somewhat queasy just thinking about it. Somewhere he lost a shoe but he kept up the intensity. Finally, when a piercing curse put a ten inch slice in the solid rock wall near his head he unloaded everything he could think of, including nearly a dozen dark, but not illegal spells he had read in the restricted section. Sweat was pouring off his body now as the stress of continually casting at full strength was making itself felt. He looked at Potter, who appeared almost as fresh as he had started, sweating some but not panting much. In a few more passes he was attached with the shoe that had been transfigured to have teeth. It caused him to stumble as it bit into this knee giving Potter an easy shot that he didn't miss. He awoke a bit later, realizing he had truly had his head handed to him in the duel. He was sure he was in the top five in the school, possibly number one or two, but clearly Harry was in a totally different league.

"I have studied defense very hard for the last year and a half," Harry said in response to his surprised look at being beaten so handily. "I have also had some of the best teachers money could buy and I have been getting a lot of practice with some senior students. It took a long time to learn, but it was worth it. The most important thing I learned, however, is that I have a reason to fight. My friends are the most important thing in the world to me. I have very few, however. One of them is named Luna Lovegood. Mr. Renshaw, I would appreciate it if the house of the wise would figure that out."

Harry turned and walked out of the classroom as a gaping Ivan looked on amazed. It took him three tries before he could undo the spell on his fellow prefect. Seeing her distraught expression he realized they needed to talk about her own treatment of the Lovegood girl.

He held the girl's hand as she cried. "I thought it was just a little fun, but some of the girls got really nasty. I mean she is just such an odd thing. I don't think anyone ever really tried to hurt her, just get her to quit being such a goof."

"How bad has it been?" He didn't particularly like bullies.

She told him about stealing her shoes and various things, sabotaging her bed and other spiteful things the girls had done. She was still terrified of the Harry Potter that she saw in this duel. No one had the faintest idea how strong he had become.

At about the same time another meeting was taking place between the four headmasters involved in the Tri-wizard tournament that was being held.

After the pleasantries, Madam Maxime was the first to speak, looking questioningly at Severus Snape in the corner. "Professor Dumbledore, do you think given the cheater, that we should make the tasks easier. I mean a fourth year going against a dragon is just unseemly. I don't know for sure that the seventh year students can handle it."

"Viktor can handle anything you can give him. He is an excellent champion."

"Is someone helping the poor boy?" Maxime asked, again concerned. He looked so small.

"You know the staff cannot help the champions, especially the head of each school."

"Surely you can find someone to give the boy guidance at least."

"He is good friends with one of our brightest. Miss Granger is an able witch."

"One that sought out my school, I might add Professor Dumbledore."

"Mr. Krum is quite taken with her." Igor added to the mix.

"Perhaps she can be his hostage for the second task."

"An excellent idea," Dumbledore chuckled to himself. Let's see how much control Harry thought he had of the situation. He would come begging for his help before the Tri-wizard tournament was over.

"I would like to ask a few questions."

"Yes, Professor Giovanni."

"What are the requirements for hostages?"

"There are none."

"I do not think the families of my students would appreciate them being unwillingly used as a hostage. You may not take them."

"I assure you that they will be in no danger." Dumbledore used a small compulsion charm to improve his chances of not having to fight this weak looking man.

"Still, there have been accidents in the past. You cannot take any students enrolled in my school. We are here to support Mr. Potter because he was scurrilously entered into this abominable tournament. Make no mistake, I still think he has as good a chance as anyone, but I do not want any further risk to those who have not volunteered for this event. You must have written permission from any student of mine and their parental guardian if you want to do so."

"That is acceptable."

"Secondly, who is that skulking in the corner?"

"That is my potions master, Severus Snape. I value his judgment on matters like this."

"I had a few conversations with some of your students in the past week. Harry Potter has had quite a few detractors in your school. I wanted to know how bad the hostilities had become."

"School disagreements, nothing more," Dumbledore was growing uncomfortable with the tenor of this conversation, but simply put more pressure into his mental suggestion. Unfortunately Professor Giovanni had a more formidable mind than he anticipated.

"Well of the dozen or so students I found. All of them believed that there was bad blood between Professor Snape and Harry beginning in the first year. I do not want anyone with that sort of animosity toward my Champion involved in any part of this tournament and that includes meeting with just the four Headmasters."

"What did the brat say about me this time? He gets more arrogant every year."

"I believe I just made my point. This isn't negotiable. I want to know any staff member who is working on these tasks. Someone is trying to hurt this lad and I aim to protect him, since it appears not one of you is even bothering to try."

"I resent that," Dumbledore began.

"Who put his name in the Goblet, Headmaster? Who is investigating the action? You put up a complete age line, the kind used for bars and houses of ill repute, but somehow you claim he bypassed that ward. Not only did he supposedly do so, but he did it when he wasn't even here. It must have been quite a performance because then the cup forgot how many schools were allowed to complete in the Tri-wizard tournament. This is ridiculous and I will do my part to protect my champion. I will also make sure he is ready for anything, so if people keep attacking him and his friends, your hospital wing is going to need more beds."

"You are threatening us?" Igor asked gruffly.

"No, warning you that the boy will not be holding back if attacked. Be it a student, teacher, or any other adult. I am making sure the boy knows how to defend himself. He already spent two days sitting in the hospital bed because your students attacked his best friend. I better not see her involved in this tournament, even as a hostage, you would lament the consequences. I will make sure the boy has good capable schoolmates who will be more than willing to keep their companion healthy by returning fire from any attacks. Good heavens you had three sixth years and a seventh year, all told eleven students attacking two fourth years primarily to get to one of them. This isn't a school it is a stinking prison."

"Potter must have paid you well for such a tirade. Probably cried and wailed and carried on about how unfair it is. He is the cause of his own problems and if he attacks one of my Slytherins there will be dire consequences," Snape was furious at listening to the entire conversation.

The other headmasters left and finally there was just Severus and Albus left sitting in the room.

"The boy has too much support. We are going to have to make him less sure of himself. Perhaps something between his new classmates and Miss Granger can be arranged. Instead of an attack a sudden romance at the wrong time could be just as affective."

"Since Krum already has the inside track on that, make sure she gets the proper dosage as soon as possible."

"We may have to remove her from the board, headmaster," even the headmaster was surprised at the enthusiasm Professor Snape showed at his own suggestion. Perhaps he was darker that the headmaster thought.

"Now Severus, it may not come to that."

Snape's internal smile at the thought of putting her in her place, even unknowingly, would have sent chills up the forgiving headmaster's spine.

In the morning, Harry got up early and checked his mental defenses. There were no weak spots as everything seemed quite solid. He then joined two of the more athletic seventh year boys on a working including wrestling, running, and a crude form of martial arts. By breakfast he was showered and cleaned up, but quite alert.

"Mr. Potter," the tall blond dueling instructor sat next to him. Her obvious charms made him slightly nervous since he could not read any part of her intentions. "Today we will be going over the more unusual uses of certain common spells and how they can be used in a duel. Please wear your fencing equipment, you will need it."

"I will be ready at seven, Chiarissimo Professor Stewart." The surprise honorific caught the young duelist off guard, then she turned back to look at his smirk before walking away shaking her head.

"You are going to pay for that later, you know?" Silvia said as she sat down across from him with her food. He looked over with a mock innocence at the sixth year girl. She just stared at him until a small chuck finally escaped her, breaking the pretend tension.

Harry really appreciated the mix of students that the Stregone school had selected. They were fun, mature, talented, and none of them were concerned about his fame. They all pushed him to succeed in each subject they were tutoring him with.

He hardly was looking forward to the long day of excruciating training, but it was a Saturday, and that meant he got to spend time on his own pursuits with Hermione and likely Ely as well.

Less than an hour later, Harry was tensely waiting for the lesson with his youngest instructor. He knew he shouldn't be so impudent with her, but her overly serious manner in public made him want to lighten the mood on a constant basis. Surprisingly, Remus Lupin was at this particular training session, taking notes for future discussion.

Miss Stewart took her formal stance for the initial testing, not knowing what to expect from such a young student, even if he was a protégé.

Remus conjured a small tissue and they watch as it floated toward the floor. The instant it touched the floor they were both moving and casting. Harry's shield stood solid but instead of him staying completely behind it, he managed to use it as a bunker and cast from beside it. She wasn't prepared for that and he almost caught her with a quick stunner before she countered with a fast barrage of conjured rocks, pushed with great speed at him to pin him down.

She also rolled right but only for an instant, stopping well before a second spell hit at her most likely destination. This lad was already anticipating one or two dodges ahead, she smiled and decided to take it up a notch. Transfiguring the rocks she had conjured into foot long warrior ants, she directed them to attack, hoping to drive him farther from his shield. She wasn't too surprised when he used a whip spell, slashing horizontally to the ground that not only destroyed them, but forced her to jump. Lupin winced as the loud crack hurt his ears somewhat.

After several more exchanges, Harry brought out an array of heavy concussion and projectile spells that had her scrambling for a moment, before she managed to throw a bludgeoning spell that ricocheted off a wall into his thigh. It upset his balance enough that she clipped him with a stunner. She was astounded when he still managed to return fire for a second before another stunner his squarely and he went down, want still in hand and a defiant look on his face.

Harry was revived and they went again, this time in a room with conjured obstacles and furniture. It was even more surprising when she noted that he had obviously already been practicing using the local environment to his advantage. After nearly two hours of work, he did something she didn't expect. She sent a low sweeping spell at his feet. Suddenly he leapt high in the air, obviously giving himself a magical boost, and she smirked to cast a hard bludgeoning spell at the point he had to land. It would probably take out any shield he could manage in the air. As she let fly, he cast a small shield and kicked off against it, landing fully two meters left of where her useless spell was going. She just missed getting a shield up when a hard wind gust threw her back to the wall stunning her for a moment as he summoned her wand then stunned her.

She woke with concerned green eyes peering at her. Her mouth tasted coppery as she struggled to her feet, ignoring his proffered hand. With a scowl she looked over at the mousy man who had hired her. He had been taking notes the entire time.

"Mister Lupin, could I have a private conversation with you?"

"If this is about the lessons, Harry can listen to just about anything you want to say."

"All right, what are you people doing? You are trying to train a young boy to combat? He should be trying to figure out girls and how to win at quidditch, not here… doing this."

Her experience told her, this boy was much too young for the harsh realities of even master level dueling, but they seemed intent on turning him into a real warrior.

In Hogwarts, there was another group of students meeting.

"What are we going to do about Potter?" the sixth year Hufflepuff boy said menacingly.

"I think he needs a lesson in loyalty," his dorm-mate said

"It will take more than one of us if he is really that good at defense."

"We need to make sure he is isolated. If we can be sure he gets detention with Potion Master Snape, we might even be able to pin it on Malfoy." The Slytherin third year girl added. She was a late addition in the anti-Potter group, but she was as clever as they came. Malfoy had also been making quite obscene suggestions to her lately, and anything that could be pinned on him was good in her book.

"He has been acing potions this year. We will have to use something else."

"There is always that long trip to the Ravenclaw tower he takes when he brings Luna back from classes," the seventh year Ravenclaw said. It still stung that he was trying to protect that mental girl in her house and she had gotten detentions for some minor hazing. People needed to act a certain way of they would never be able to fit into wizarding society.

The two Gryffindors made some suggestions that he was always looking to be a hero, 'just give him a chance to look good. He would certainly take it.'

Slowly, a plan began to form.

The next day, Harry was walking back to his quarters with his Italian friends when he saw Luna walking away from the lake in her bare feet. She glanced back and immediately sped up, obviously not wanting to talk to the group. Her sloping shoulders told him she was not happy.

"I'll catch up in a minute. I have to check on my friend." Harry told the rest of his group.

"Tempus," he checked the time. It was just before eight.

His Italian classmates thought he was actually cheating on his probable girlfriend, on seeing them enter the greenhouse, and so left him alone. This was a decision they would come to regret.

Harry hurried over to the elusive form of Luna a she rounded the corner toward the greenhouses. He was almost right behind her as she finally went to close the door, ducking in just in time.

"Luna, how are you?" She took her wand from behind her ear, twirling it in an absent minded fashion. He was quite unprepared when the stunner hit him right in the chest. From the back of the greenhouse came a silencing spell on the door just as Harry fell against it, nearly breaking the last open.

Harry struggled against the stun, but before he got much traction, the smiling face of Luna came close to his as he was levitated across the greenhouse and dropped into a pile of fertilizer.

"Thought you could just humiliate the school by being a cheater, Potter? I bet you thought the Ravenclaw house was dumb enough to believe your little 'I didn't enter' plea. Well it is quite clear you would never make it into the house of the wise.

Harry realized that this wasn't really Luna because the voice and phrasing were completely wrong. With a surge he broke through the stun and managed a head butt right into the imposter's face, breaking her nose. Several spells came from behind the plant laden tables, two of which connected, breaking his right arm and several ribs.

Knowing the fight was already over the rest of the students came out of cover.

"You stupid…" the polyjuiced student stood up, still holding their nose and kicked him twice in the ribs, causing even more damage. She didn't see Harry palm him his wand with his off hand as he rolled over. The light spell blinded everyone looking in his direction, which was just about everyone, for just an instant. A quick barrage of spells and Harry jumped to his feet turning to sprint for the door throwing a few blasting spells over his shoulder. A spell hit the door just before he could have gotten to it and he was forced to turn at bay, taking cover behind a heavy barrel of some sort of special water. Caustic sap from one of the plants suddenly splashed around him, burning through his clothes and skin quickly. The pain caused his spell choices and power to increase. Even though his aim was abysmal with his off hand, he kept them under cover.

The ensuing fight took over an hour and left everyone in the building needing an urgent visit to the infirmary.

Harry cast another tempus spell, almost half nine. He would be after his curfew if he was out much longer and then people would begin looking for him. His brief moment of inattentiveness cost him, as one of the smaller students managed to poke her wand through the dense vegetation and hit him with another bone breaker and he went down. Still struggling to keep aware of his surroundings, even though he could not see due to the blood in his eyes, Harry listened.

"Just leave him, we will just say we got in a fight with each other," one student said.

"What are we going to do with him?" came another voice, weak with pain.

"Drop him in the lake and good riddance," Harry recognized that as the oldest Slytherin.

"I am not participating in murder," came the voice of a Hufflepuff.

"Just leave him." Harry listened as they all trudged out of the ruined greenhouse, leaving him finally alone with his pain. It was Harry's turn to bleed again.