Prongslet Year 4:

"You said he could stay for as long as he needed." Harry reminded his mother when they came home from grocery shopping to a house full of flying pillows.

"JAMES ANDREW POTTER! SIRIUS ORION BLACK!"

All magic ceased.

"I'll go put up the groceries." Harry said as his father and godfather entered the room. "Boy are you two in for it."

"Hello Love." James said to his wife innocently. "Back so soon?"

Harry felt a silencing ward go up around the kitchen. He figured his mother had a few choice words about acting like adults.

TAP TAP

Harry looked to the back door and smiled as he saw Hermione's face. He opened the door.

"Hi Hermione."

"Hi Harry." She said entering. "Why is it so quiet?"

"Mum put up a ward while she yells at Dad and Sirius." He explained. "You know, most people can't remember their first year on Earth, but for some reason, I can."

"With a bit of help." She added for him.

"Yeah." He said. "So, what's up?"

"It's nothing." She said. "Just came by to say Hi. Do you have any plans for your birthday?"

"Yeah." Harry said. "Dad's getting everyone tickets to the World Cup. Us, Sirius, Remus, you, and the Weasleys. Including Bill and Charlie whom I have yet to meet."

"Sounds like fun." She said.

TAP TAP

Harry opened the back door.

"Hi Pro…I mean Remus." Harry said.

"I sensed the silencing ward and I figured it'll be safer coming in the back." Remus explained. "I picked up the tickets for James and gave the Weasleys theirs."

Suddenly the door to the kitchen from the living room opened and Ron came running in looking scared.

"Your mother," Ron said. "Is WAY scarier than my Mum. Luckily she didn't see me."

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"I can't believe you got us all tickets to the World Cup this will be so much fun and now you can meet Bill and Charlie and now I won't have to listen to Percy talking about his boss Mr. Crouch and maybe we can pit you against Charlie in a game of 'Catch the Snitch' and see which is the better seeker since everyone's comparing you two!" Ron rambled.

"How the hell did you say all that in one breath?" Harry asked.

0000

Three days later, everyone was at the Quidditch world cup cheering for their neighbor, Ireland. However, Harry couldn't keep his eyes off Krum (not in THAT way). He was taking in all of Krum's moves and trying to memorize the movements so he could try them out. Especially the Wronski Defensive Feint.

"KRUM'S CAPTURED THE SNITCH! IRELAND WINS 170-160!" Ludo Bagman announced

That night,

Harry was trying to sleep in the tent, but was having trouble because Ireland was too loud celebrating.

However, it wasn't the Irish.

"Harry!" James exclaimed running into Harry's wing of the tent. "Grab your wand and run to the forest with your friends!"

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked sleepily.

"I'll explain later." James said. "Go!"

With that, he ran out of the tent.

Harry grabbed his glasses and wand and ran out of the tent to see complete and total chaos.

Tents were on fire and spells were being shot off from all directions sounding like gunshots. Harry then saw a crowd of wizards wearing cloaks and masks.

"HARRY!" Hermione's voice came.

Harry ran in the direction and found Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the Weasley twins.

"We need to get to the forest!" Harry yelled above the crowd.

The group ran to the forest

Suddenly, they heard someone a few yards away shout out, "MORSMORDRE!"

Out of instinct, Harry forced his friends to the ground. Looking around for the caster of the spell, he saw a green light in the sky. It took the form of a skull and a snake coming from the mouth of the skull.

"No." Harry said knowing EXACTLY what that sign was. "Where's Dad?!"

"Your Dad's fine." Ron said.

Sure enough, James came into a clearing looking downright frantic trying to find where the curse came from.

"Oh Merlin, PLEASE don't be…" James started.

"Dad!" Harry called.

James whipped around.

"Harry!" James exclaimed running up to his son and hugging him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Harry said. "What's going on?"

"Death Eaters decided to have a little bit of fun." James said with a touch of anger in his voice. "Are your friends…?"

"We're alright Mr. Potter." Hermione said

Suddenly, there was movement in the bushes. James pushed Harry behind him and pulled out his wand. Then James relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Padfoot, you idiot. Don't scare us like that." James said.

"We found the person that put that graffiti up." Sirius said pointing up at the Dark Mark. "It seems to be Crouch's elf."

"His ELF?" James questioned. "Why in the world… elves aren't allowed wands?"

"That's why Crouch is sacking her." Sirius said. "I never did like that man. He's the reason I was tossed into Azkaban."

"Still." James said. "We should keep our eye out. I have a feeling this year won't be good."

Everyone looked up at the Dark Mark

0000

"So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event!" Dumbledore announced on September 1st. "The Tri-Wizard Tournament. For those of you who don't know, the Tri-Wizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contest. From each school, a single student is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say that these contests are not for the faint of heart. But more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress, Madame Maxime."

The doors to the Great Hall opened and a group of girls walked in followed by a woman who could give Hagrid a run for his money on size.

"And now our friends from the north. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master, Igor Kararoff."

Suddenly, a group of boys came in followed by a Russian man and to everyone's surprise.

"Blimey it's him." Ron said to Harry. "Viktor Krum!"

After everyone had eaten,

"Your attention please!" Dumbledore announced "I'd like to say a few words. Eternal glory. That is what awaits the student who wins the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But to do this, that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Mr. Bartemius Crouch."

"After due consideration," Crouch announced "The Ministry has concluded that, for their own safety, no student under the age of 17 shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This decision is final."

The room was filled with complaining students.

"Whew." Harry sighed "Then there's no way in hell I'm participating. Besides, Eternal glory is the LAST thing I need."

"Silence!" Dumbledore called out.

The room got steadily quiet. When it was silent, the Headmaster lit a goblet.

"The Goblet of Fire. Anyone who wishes to submit themselves to the tournament need only write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Halloween. Do not do so lightly. If chosen, there is no turning back. As of this moment, the Tri-Wizard Tournament has begun."

That night in the dorm room.

"So Harry?" Dean asked. "what do YOU think of that age limit?"

"I could care less." Harry said. "The last thing I need is to participate in that Tournament. After all, if IT wouldn't kill me, my mother would."

"Wouldn't it we weird if somehow one of our names got put in?" Seamus asked.

"If that happens to me, and I'm chosen," Harry swore. "I'm going to find out who did it and throw him into the task with me."

"Someone's against this tournament." Ron observed.

"It's not that I'm against it, it's just… I don't see why anyone would want all the glory. I mean, look at me. I'm famous and I would give my Gringotts vault to be a nobody again"

0000

Halloween,

"From Durmstrang," Dumbledore called as the Goblet shot out a piece of parchment. "Viktor Krum."

Everyone cheered.

"From Beauxbatons…Fleur Delacour."

More claps.

"From Hogwarts…Cedric Diggory."

Claps.

"That's it." Dumbledore said. "Our champions…"

Suddenly, the goblet shot out one other name. This one was intercepted by a visitor.

"Grab him!" James said pointing to Moody.

Sirius Black and Kingsley Shacklebolt grabbed Moody.

"Potter!" Crouch asked. "What are you doing?"

"Dumbledore asked a few of us aurors to watch the Goblet to make sure no student passed the age line." James explained. "I saw this man put a name in the Goblet."

James then grabbed the vial Moody was constantly drinking out of and sniffed it.

"Snape. You're a Potions expert…as much as it pains me to admit it. What's your opinion?"

Snape took the vial and sniffed it.

"Polyjuice!" he announced.

The students started whispering.

"I have some veritaserum." Snape offered.

"Who would have thought that we'd be working together?" James asked the Slytherin Head.

"Not me." Snape said giving the fake auror the veritaserum.

"Who are you?" James asked.

"Barty Crouch…Jr." Moody answered.

Everyone gasped and turned to Crouch Sr.

"Who sent you?" Snape asked.

"My master…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"How did you find him?" Sirius asked.

"Peter Pettigrew brought him to me."

James' fists clinched

"How was a fourth name chosen?"

"I put the name under a fake school."

"That would have made the person a shoe-in."

"Why?" Fudge asked.

"Because my master needs him to regain strength."

James looked at the parchment and briefly felt his heart stop.

Harry Potter

"How would he be able?" Snape asked.

"The blood of the enemy."

"Why him?!" James demanded.

"My master would have no one else"

"Crouch Sr." James asked "Is there ANY way we can stop this fourth contestant from participating?"

"I'm afraid not Mr. Potter." Crouch said. "The Goblet has been extinguished. Why?"

"There is absolutely no way Lily and I can allow this." James said handing him the parchment causing Harry's stomach to go up his throat.

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter." He apologized. "but he MUST participate. Magical contract and all."

Harry got up and ran out the door knowing full well what they were talking about.

About fifteen minutes later, at the lake as he sat on a rock looking over the serene water with his knees pulled up and his arms hugging his legs, Harry felt and arm around him and was pulled toward a warm torso.

"It's going to be okay." James promised in a whisper.

"It's me isn't it?" Harry asked.

"Yes." James admitted.

"I don't want to participate." Harry told his father. "I was practically the only one completely happy with the age line."

"I know." James whispered as he rubbed his son's back "But we're going to find a way around the no-help rule. If there was one thing Sirius was good at, it was finding loopholes in rules. In fact, he's going through the rule book right now."

"Can't I just drop out of school?" Harry asked. "If only for the year?"

"No. Once the contestants are chosen, there's no going back." James said. "Sirius checked that rule back when we were kids. We were curious about the Tournament. But Harry. I want you to promise me something."

"What?" Harry asked.

"During this tournament, I don't want you concentrating on winning. I want you to concentrate on surviving."

"I promise." Harry told him.

"James." A female voice said behind the father and son.

The two turned to see Professor McGonagall.

"How are you doing Harry?" she asked.

"Truthfully," Harry admitted. "I'm scared."

"You have every right to be." McGonagall said. "But we found the real Alastor Moody, James."

"Where was he?"

"In that trunk. And it seems that Crouch Jr. used it to store more captives."

"Who?" James asked.

"Do the names 'Spica Jenkins' and 'Melissa Oxford' ring a bell?" she asked.

"Spica and Mel?" James asked. "Are they alright?"

"Pomfrey is looking after them right now. And Mr. Black is refusing to leave Miss. Jenkins' side."

"Thanks for the warning." James said.

"And Mr. Potter." McGonagall said to Harry. "As you missed the meeting of the Champions, I'll give you the briefing. You will not be told of the first task which will test your daring and courage."

"Well, considering you're in Gryffindor, that shouldn't be too hard." James told his son.

"And Harry…" McGonagall added, "Just so you know…cheating is a tradition in the Tournament."

She then left the two Potters who looked at each other.

0000

Harry spent the next two weeks reserved causing Ron and Hermione to worry. They went over to Hagrid's to talk to the large man about Harry's behavior only to find James, Remus, and Sirius already there.

"Hey kids." Sirius greeted. "Where's Harry?"

"He's not talking to us." Hermione admitted.

"he's not talking to ANYONE." Ron corrected. "It's like he's convinced himself he's going to die."

"There has to be SOMETHING we can do." James said crossing his arms and leaning on the wall of the hut. "If we can only find out what the first task is and find a way to tell Harry…"

"I heard Dumbledore and Crouch talking about it." Remus stated. "I was visiting Mel in the hospital wing and was on my way out when my hearing picked it up. They mentioned something about dragons."

"Well, that'll get Harry convinced for SURE he's going to die." Ron complained.

"Not necessarily." Hermione stated. "Knowing what he's up against will help him."

"Hagrid, does Harry know how much you love dragons?" James asked.

"Of course 'ee does." Hagrid said.

"So, when the dragons arrive," James said.. "You sneak Harry to go show them off"

"And we can tell Harry to meet you." Hermione added

"And I'll try to find out exactly WHAT the task is." Remus put in.

"And when Operation Tattle Dragon is complete, we'll meet up and discuss how Harry can pull this off without getting killed.' Sirius finished.

"Now I remember why we never let you come up with prank names." Remus said to Sirius.

A few days later,

"How'd Operation Tattle Dragon go?" Sirius asked the kids.

"Harry told Diggory." Ron said. "And he's written his will."

"Moony?" James asked.

"The champions have to retrieve a golden egg from their own personal dragon." Remus said. "The dragon and order will be chosen randomly."

"Hagrid." James asked. "What dragons are there?"

"Let's see…" Hagrid said thinking. "There's a Chinese Fireball…Welsh Green… Swedish Short-Snout… and a bad tempered Hungarian Horntail."

"Chances are Harry gets the Horntail" Sirius muttered not hearing a knock on the door.

"Let's assume he does." James said "Expect the worst. Now, Hagrid. You're the dragon expert. What can you tell us about them?"

"Let's see…it's fire-breathing range is about 40-50 feet…a long spiky tail…and it feeds on goats, sheep, and humans if it gets the chance."

"I'm going to make sure I get Harry's Firebolt." Ron said.

James suddenly got a shocked look on his face.

"Firebolt." James repeated in a whisper.

"Uh oh." Remus said. "I know that look."

"Moony!" James exclaimed. "The task is to retrieve the egg right?"

"Yeah?"

"So, Harry has to get a GOLD egg against an OBSTICLE capable of SEVERELY HURTING him. What does that sound like?" James asked.

"The way your son's going to die?" Hermione asked.

"Quidditch!" Sirius and Ron exclaimed

"One problem." Remus said. "Harry's only allowed a wand."

Meanwhile,

Harry ran from Hagrid's hut after hearing his friends' and family's plan about the task being like Quidditch. The class on summoning was fresh on his mind and he figured that he could possible summon his broom.

KNOCK KNOCK

The door Harry was knocking on opened and Harry looked down at the Charms Professor.

"Mr. Potter? How might I be of service?" Flitwick asked.

"Professor." Harry said. "I need help with my summoning charm. I have to have it perfect by the First Task."

0000

The day of the first task came quickly. Ron and Hermione sat with the Marauders and Lily who was on the verge of hyperventilation. Melissa and Spica were now recovered from their ordeal and watching with their friends.

"Your attention please!" Dumbledore called "This is a great day for us all!"

"Says him." Lily whispered to her husband. "His son isn't facing a dragon."

"Please keep your seat at all times. This will minimize any risk you may be exposed to. I'm sure we all wish our champions the greatest of luck."

Dumbledore then left to go talk to the champions.

"Harry'll need it." Ron whispered. "We never got to tell him the plan."

"I wonder what he'll do?" Sirius asked.

"Well," James said. "Hermione. Remember when you two were younger and you used to sneak around the house?"

"Yeah. We were playing spies." Hermione said. "But I doubt Harry's going to do that."

Suddenly, A Swedish Short-Snout was led to the field with a golden egg in a nest. Cedric Diggory then approached as Hogwarts started cheering. The teenager then transfigured a rock into a dog.

"Interesting. He's using the dog as a decoy." Remus mused.

"Not bad Transfiguration." James admitted.

Suddenly, the dragon turned to Diggory as he got to the nest after about 15 minutes. As he grabbed the egg, the dragon sent a flame in his direction and the boy got burned a bit.

Then came Fleur with her Welsh Green. She did a powerful sleeping charm on it. As she ran for the nest, the dragon snored fire and caught her skirt. Quickly, she doused her skirt with water from her wand.

After the Beauxbaton's champion, Krum came out with a Chinese Fireball.

"Prongs." Remus whispered. "I think imagining the worst did the trick. Harry's has to be the Horntail."

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"Harry's dragon is a Horntail." James told her.

"A Horntail?!" Lily exclaimed. "Aren't those the most dangerous?!"

"Unfortunately yes." Melissa stated as she watched Krum send a stunner into the Fireball's eyes.

"My poor baby!" Lily sobbed as Krum got his egg.

Dumbledore then came out.

"Three of our champions have now faced their dragons, and so each of them will proceed to the next task."

"Maybe Harry ran away." Ron suggested.

"Unless Harry thought of a strategy, that would be the best way to survive." Sirius admitted.

"And now, our fourth and final contestant."

The school started cheering as Harry stepped from the tent.

"Oh James. I can't watch." Lily said burying her face in her husband's robes.

Melissa grabbed Remus' hand and squeezed it to a point where he winced as Spica started chewing Sirius' nails and Sirius didn't notice.

The Horntail emerged and spotted Harry. It then swung its tail at Harry. He managed to barely dodge it. Then it breathed fire and Harry ducked behind a rock.

"Oh God." Hermione swore. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"What's he doing?" Sirius asked James after seeing Harry swish his wand.

"I couldn't hear the spell over the roar of the dragon." James admitted.

Everyone was paying too much attention to Harry and the Dragon, nobody saw the item come flying from the school. Nobody…except Harry.

The dragon suddenly took a deep breath, and fire came out as Harry got onto the rock and jumped off onto the item.

"YES!" James cheered jumping up with his friends, their girlfriends, and his spouse who had peeked as well as his son's friends.

"What are the chances?" Sirius asked Remus. "What are the chances that Harry's strategy would be the one we came up with?"

Harry flew to the egg, but the dragon breathed fire keeping him from grabbing it. Harry flew a bit further to give him room to make a U-turn and try again. However, the dragon had other plans as it snapped the chain and turning loose.

"James" Lily said quietly as people screamed in terror. "Please tell me I'm seeing things."

"If you mean the dragon getting loose… then we're both seeing it." He told her as he watched his son lead the dragon to the castle.

"Can you see what's happening?" Sirius asked Remus.

"No." Remus answered.

"If ANYTHING happens to my baby," Lily swore. "I swear a few people will be on the receiving end of my wand."

Suddenly, the sound of the dragon's roar filled the air. Then all went silent. Whispers started filling the air as Hermione buried her head in Ron's chest and James wrapped his arms around his wife as everyone scanned the skies.

"Please no." Ginny whispered

Just then, one side of the stadium started cheering like mad. Everyone turned to where they were facing and saw Harry come flying back to what was the Quidditch Pitch during a normal school year.

"YES!" Hermione cheered

"Thank God." James breathed in relief as he watched his son grab the egg

A few minutes later in the Gryffindor Common Room, the Gryffindors were cheering for Harry while the Marauders (male and female) were in the shadows watching just glad that Harry survived. Fred and George lifted Harry above the crowd.

"SHUSH!" Seamus yelled "Go ahead Harry. What's the clue?"

"Who wants me to open it?" Harry asked his classmates.

He was answered by a cheer. Taking that as a yes, he opened the gold egg and a loud screeching filled the air causing everyone to cover their ears including the twins which caused him to tumble to the ground. Finally, Harry got around to closing it up.

"Ginny." Lily whispered to the closest person to her. "Tell Harry to meet me by the lake in half an hour and bring the egg."

0000

Half an hour later,

"Ginny said you wanted to see me." Harry told his mother who was watching the water.

Lily turned and smiled to her son.

"I am so proud of you." She told him as she hugged him "Your father and your friends were worried because they weren't able to tell you their strategy."

"Actually…they did." Harry admitted. "I was going to talk to Hagrid to ask him about the dragons and what weaknesses they have. They were there talking about it rather loudly and we had recently learned about the Summoning Charm. So that's one down, two more to go. And I haven't the faintest idea what the clue is. Ron suggested I have to attack Percy in the shower because, apparently, that's what he sounds like."

Mother and son laughed.

"That's not really what it sounds like." Lily said. "You see, when I was 17, I had a fight with your father. To calm down, I went for a swim and met a mermaid. She talked to me underwater, but I had to get some air. I suggested that we go to the surface to talk, and this is what I heard out of her mouth when we got to the surface."

She opened the egg and quickly shut it.

"So…that's a mermaid?" Harry asked.

Lily handed it back to him.

"I think you know what you need to do." She said.

Harry put it under the water and opened it. Taking a breath, he submerged his head.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

To recover what we took,

But past an hour – the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back"

Harry emerged.

"Well?" Lily asked.

"They've taken what I'll sorely miss and I have an hour to recover it." Harry told her. "If not…I'll never see it again."

"Well, you have until February to figure it out" Lily said before getting a look of horror.

"Mum?"

"Oh sweetheart. I'm so sorry. But your father, myself, Remus, Sirius, Mel, and Spica and I have plans in February that can't be changed. We won't be able to make it."

"It's probably for the best." Harry told her. "That way you six won't be taken."

"Harry." Lily told him. "Just remember, the trick is to survive. Don't bother worrying about winning."

0000

The next day was a nightmare for the male population of Hogwarts. Especially the Gryffindors. To be more specific, Harry. Mainly because James hadn't left.

"The Yule Ball," McGonagall said. "Has been a tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament since it's inception. On Christmas Eve Night, we and our guest gather in the Great Hall for a night of well-mannered frivolity. As representatives of the host school I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward."

"Literally!" James interrupted.

"Is there something you'd like to add Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes." James said stepping up. "With kids nowadays, you have to be direct"

"Then, I suppose, you'd like to tell them?"

"Okay. I will." James said before turning to the kids. "I hope you lot know how to dance, because that's what the Yule ball is."

Girls started whispering excitedly and the boys started groaning

"Silence!" McGonagall added. "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly 10 centuries."

"That's the truth." James muttered.

"I will not have you, in the course of a single evening, besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling bumbling band of baboons."

"If you do," James added. "You'll feel the wrath of your Transfiguration Teacher and believe me, you DON'T want to do that."

"Even though Dad looks just inches away from doing just that." Harry whispered to Ron.

"Now, to dance, one must let the body breath." McGonagall told the students. "Inside every girl, a secret swan slumbers longing to break free in flight. Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepares to prance."

"Well," James said. "I must be off."

"Not so fast Mr. Potter." McGonagall said. "You know perfectly well the consequences for interrupting me."

"Yes. But I am no longer a student, therefore, you can't give me a detention and punishing Harry would be far from fair." James pointed out

"As I know you can do this already," she continued. "you will be demonstrating."

"I will?" James asked a little nervously

"Mr. Filch, if you please." McGonagall said.

Looking downright embarrassed, James danced with the woman who had taught him to dance when he was seven. If things couldn't get any worse, Sirius, worried about what was keeping his friend, peeked on and saw James and McGonagall dancing.

"What's going on?" Lily asked when she saw Sirius spying.

"You've got to see this." Sirius told her.

Lily peeked in and saw the scene.

"James looks embarrassed enough to admit that we taught Harry how to waltz when he was nine."

"Everybody come together. Boys, to your feet."

The girls automatically stood up and walked over to the boys as the boys sunk deeper into their chairs.

"C'mon Harry." Hermione said.

"Fine." Harry sighed.

0000

A few days later,

"Dad!" Harry called out when he saw his parents and their friends

"Hey Harry." James greeted. "Found a date?"

"No. That's why I need to talk to you."

"You want to talk to your father about getting a date?" Lily asked before bursting out in laughter.

"Hey!" James said indignantly.

"Harry." Spica said. "if there is one thing I've learned in life, it's if you have a question about the opposite sex, ask one of their own. That way, you get a more truthful answer."

"Fine. Mum. I need to talk to you."

"Well, then we'll be on our way." James said looking at his friends.

"Stay!" Lily ordered.

"You three just might learn something." Melissa added.

"What do you want do know?"

"Well, it's about girls." Harry said. "Why do they travel in packs and how are you suppose to get one alone?"

"Well," Lily said as her friends giggled at Harry's dilemma. "Your first step is to PICK a girl. Preferably one you already know. Do you know who you want?"

"Cho Chang." Harry answered.

Lily looked at her husband and Sirius who were behind Harry making faces as if they didn't approve. They stopped upon seeing her glare.

"Okay." Lily stated. "Once you pick the girl, you locate her and walk up. If she's with a group, just politely ask to talk to her alone. Once you're alone, don't worry and be yourself."

"What if she rejects me?"

"You pick a different girl and repeat steps 2-5." Spica informed her.

"Potters have better luck with Redheads." James added.

"Thanks guys!" Harry said as he went running back to the castle.

"Our little boy's growing up." Lily told her husband

Meanwhile,

Harry was looking around the courtyard and found a group of Ravenclaw girls.

"Cho!" he called.

All the girls stopped and turn. Very quickly, Harry felt sick to his stomach.

"Cho." He said as politely as he could considering how he was feeling. "May I speak with you alone?"

"Sure Harry." Cho said

She walked with Harry as her friends started giggling. When they were alone,

"Cho…" Harry asked taking a deep breath. "Would you like to go to the ball with me?"

Cho's smile dropped and looked upset.

"Oh…I'm sorry Harry. But, somebody's already asked me and I've agreed."

"Oh…Okay…Great." Harry said a bit downcast. "Um…out of curiosity…who?"

"Cedric Diggory."

"Then…I guess I'll see you." Harry said.

Cho went back to her friends and Harry walked over to the lake. He sat on a rock and pondered.

"Hi Harry." A female voice said behind him.

He quickly turned and saw Ginny.

"Hi Ginny." Harry greeted sadly.

"I heard about you and Cho." She said

"Word gets around fast." He observed.

"Actually, I was only three feet away. I WAS heading for the common room, but I've heard about how much you like her and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Harry told her.

"You're doing better than Ron." She informed him. "He hasn't asked anybody. And I heard a rumor that Hermione's got a date."

Harry looked over at Ginny who was now looking at the snow-covered scenery as the snow fell on them.

"it sure is beautiful" she mused

"How about you?" Harry asked.

"What about?" she asked looking back at him.

"Who are you going with?" he asked.

"Nobody yet. Besides, it's for fourth years and up…with the exception if an older student asks a younger one out. So if I don't get asked, I'm not going."

"I wish I had that option." Harry informed her. "But being a champion, I'm required to lead the dance."

"Your Dad wasn't a bad dancer." She told him.

"He was taught at the age of seven." Harry said before adding with a laugh. "By Professor McGonagall."

"That WOULD explain how she knew he could dance." Ginny laughed

"Ginny?" Harry asked. "Would you LIKE to go to the ball?"

"Of course I would." She answered. "unless it's with Malfoy."

"Well…how about…with me?"

Ginny got a confused look on her face.

"What?" she asked making sure she heard right.

"Would you like to go to the ball with me?" Harry asked.

"Sure." Ginny answered. "But let's give Hermione a taste of her own medicine and not tell anyone."

0000

December 24th,

"Bloody hell." Ron swore as he looked over his dressrobes as Harry came out of the bathroom in his bathrobe.

"Are those your dressrobes?" Ron asked Harry.

"Better not be." Harry said "Dad never gave me some."

KNOCK KNOCK

"Who is it?" Harry asked as Ron went back to swearing.

"It's me!" James' voice came.

Harry opened the door to find his father with a box.

"I got these for you." James told his son.

Harry opened up the box and gently stroked the material.

"Go try them on." James said.

Harry took the box to the bathroom as James walked in the rest of the way and closed the door.

"Bloody hell." Ron swore as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"I haven't seen that style since my Grandfather was alive" James mused.

"I expected they were traditional!" Harry called from the bathroom.

"TRADITIONAL!?" Ron exclaimed. "THEY'RE ANCIENT! I look my Great-Aunt Tessie!"

He then smelt under his arm and added, "I SMELL like my Great-Aunt Tessie! Murder me Mr. Potter."

"No can do." James said going up to the mirror. "But if you'd like, I can make a few adjustments, no pranks attached."

"Like what?!" Ron asked with his voice squeaking a bit.

James took Ron by the shoulders and turned the boy to where they were facing. Then James circled Ron like a hawk.

"Okay. But just so you know, this will only last the night." James said before waving his wand. The lace lessened and the smell of Ron's Great-Aunt turned into something more of an after-shave smell.

"So? Who are you going with?" James asked as he made the adjustments.

"Pavarti Patil." Ron answered.

"And Harry?"

"No clue" Ron told his friend's father. "He wouldn't tell unless Hermione told."

"Well? What do you think?" Harry asked as he emerged in a scarlet dress robe with gold trimmings and rubies.

"Ron. If you want ancient, look at Harry's robes."

"His are nice!" Ron pointed out.

"You're robes are about…70 years old." James told him. "Harry's are MUCH older."

"How much older?"

"They were worn by our ancestor the day Hogwarts FIRST opened her doors." James informed the boys. "It's only a matter of the care given…and I made some adjustments to them."

"Well, let's go meet our dates." Harry said before looking over Ron's robes. "MUCH better."

The two boys left the room and went down to the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Hello boys." Pavarti and her twin greeted. Padma had Anthony Goldstein on her arm.

"Hi." Ron and Harry greeted.

"There you are!" Lily said holding a camera and coming down the stairs in a red dress

"Great. A mother and a camera." Ron whispered.

"Tell me about it." Harry whispered back.

"Come on girls. Don't be shy." Lily said to someone behind the wall.

Two girls walked into the opening and mouths dropped. Hermione wore a pinkish purple dress and her hair was up and curled. Following her was Ginny who wore a deep blue dress with gold trimming.

"Wow." Harry said as he met Ginny. "You look…beautiful."

"Thanks. Your Mum lent me this dress."

"Ron, Hermione." Lily instructed. "Go get your dates. I promised Hermione's parents some pictures."

Ron took Pavarti over and Hermione motioned someone. Ron's mouth dropped when he saw Viktor Krum come over.

"I don't know if I'm more shocked that you're taking my sister or Hermione's with Krum." Ron whispered to Harry.

"Just pose. The sooner Mum gets her pictures, the sooner she'll leave us alone." Harry whispered.

"Okay." McGonagall said. "Would the Champions please line up in the procession?"

After Lily, Ron, Pavarti, Padma, and Anthony left, the champions and their dates got in the line and the doors to the Great Hall opened. Fleur led the line with her date followed by Krum and Hermione, Cedric and Cho, and finally Harry and Ginny.

"Redhead." James sang to Sirius as they clapped.

Then all went silent as the Champions prepared to dance. The music started and the four couples started dancing. Slowly, more and more people joined in and before anyone knew it, the dance floor was filled with people.

0000

A few weeks later,

"Hi Harry." Hermione greeted Harry who was on the bridge "Any luck with the clue."

"No." Harry said.

"Harry." She sighed. "You have to figure this out. The task is in two days."

"I know what the clue IS." Harry informed her. "I just don't know how I'm going to pull off the task. I suppose Krum already has a strategy."

"I wouldn't know." Hermione admitted. "We didn't talk about the tournament…. We didn't actually talk at all. Viktor's a more physical being."

Harry turned to his childhood friend with a smirk causing her to laugh.

"I meant he's not particularly loquacious." Hermione corrected herself. "Mostly he watches me study."

"Mm hmm." Harry said sarcastically. "So, what's your story with him?"

"Well, you know how he was always hanging around where we were? One day, when I was in the library alone, he came up to me and asked. What about you and Ginny?"

"Truthfully, I had asked Cho, but she was already going with Diggory. Ginny caught me on the rebound. She's actually a pretty cool girl once you get to know her."

"Girlfriend material?" Hermione teased.

"Possibly…if I can get Ron to allow it." Harry admitted.

"Leave Ron to me." Hermione told him.

"No Hermione." Harry said "This is something Ron and I need to sort out for ourselves. Besides, I need to worry about surviving an underwater trip. I mean…when was the last time YOU held your breath for an hour underwater?"

"We'll figure something out." Hermione promised before leaving him.

"Well, I'm not too sure about holding breath…" a voice said behind Harry.

He turned to see Neville with a book about aquatic plants.

"Professor Lupin sent me this book." Neville told him. "And I just read something about Gillyweed. It allows you to breath underwater for an hour."

"That's perfect!" Harry exclaimed with a smile. "But where do I get some?"

"I have some in my Herbologist Trainer kit." Neville offered.

0000

At the task,

"Last night," Dumbledore explained. "Something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each Champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface within the hour."

"Put that in your mouth." The real Moody told Harry after noticing the plant.

The cannon boomed and the four champions dove in the water. Harry suddenly realized that he was breathing underwater and his hands and feet became webbed. Looking down at the waterproof watch his Dad got him from Christmas, he timed it to vibrate at the 45 minute mark. That way, he could start swimming up and get to the surface before the hour was up.

Harry swam throughout the lake and then came across the merpeople's kingdom. There, tied to four anchors, were Ron, Hermione, Cho, and a young blond girl. Harry looked at his watch and found that only half an hour had passed. He only had fifteen minutes to free Ron and if possible the other three.

As Harry watched in the kelp beds, Cedric appeared with a bubble around his head. He untied Cho. Then Krum came with a Shark's head and undid Hermione.

"Have you seen the others?" Cedric asked Krum.

"Delacour was attacked by a Grindyllow." Krum explained in his thick accent. "And I haven't seen Potter."

The two boys swam up

Just then, Harry's watch vibrated.

"I must be out of my mind." Harry muttered as he swam up to the merguards and went for the girl. However, the merguards didn't appreciate it.

"I so don't have time for this." Harry stated as he pulled out his wand. "STUPIFY!"

The merguards were pushed back and Harry cut the girl free and then Ron. Then, very quickly, he swam to the surface with both prisoners in tow.

Suddenly, he was attacked by a horde of grindyllow.

"Oh no you don't." Harry said. "PROTEGO!"

A shield formed around himself, Ron, and the girl. Then, to Harry's horror, the webbing started to go down and his gills vanished. Just feet from the surface, Harry couldn't hold his breath any longer and gasped while still underwater. He pushed Ron and the girl to the surface which took them about five minutes to reach.

When Ron woke up, he saw a young blond girl of around 7 treading water, but no Harry. He did see Hermione on the platform.

"Where's Harry?!" he called to her.

"I don't know!" she answered. "He was suppose to surface with you!"

Ron took a deep breath and looked underwater to see that his best friend had lost conscious and was sinking

Rising back up,

"He's lost consciousness and is sinking!" Ron told Hermione.

SLASH

"Did Ginny just dive in?" Ron asked his other best friend after seeing his sister jump into the lake.

"Yes." Hermione said as Ron helped the young girl get onto the platform.

Meanwhile,

Ginny swam a bit deeper and saw that Harry had gotten entangled in some kelp. Thinking of when he had saved her from Tom and how much fun she had at the ball with him, she concentrating on getting him closer. Suddenly, as if by magic (which it was from Ginny), Harry became untangled and started floating towards her. When he got closer, she grabbed him and swam him up only to find that Ron was on the platform.

Hermione, Ron, the twins, and Dumbledore reached down and pulled Harry and Ginny up.

"He's not breathing!" Hermione exclaimed

Everyone watched in silent as Ginny and Hermione did CPR (Ginny breathing on Hermione's cue and Hermione doing chest compressions). Fleur had her arms around the girl that Harry had taken the liberty of saving while Krum and Ron stood stoic watching. Cho had her arms around Cedric's waist as they watched with anticipation.

Suddenly, Harry started coughing up water, but didn't wake up.

0000

A few hours later, Harry was no longer coughing up water, but rather just coughing and shivering. Hermione was talking to Madame Pomfrey about how Harry had once had a horrible case of pneumonia which left his lungs a tad weak.

"Hey." Ginny greeted Harry after he woke up. Then she turned behind her to the nurse and Hermione. "He's awake!"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she ran to him. "Are you okay?"

Harry started to talk as he sat up, but it came out as a cough.

"I guess I haven't fully recovered from that bout of pneumonia." He finally told her. "Where's Ron?"

"Telling the story about how he was kidnapped." Ginny explained as Pomfrey looked him over and forcing Ginny and Hermione to move.

The door to the hospital wing opened to reveal the other three champions.

"How is he?" Krum asked Hermione.

"He seems to be recovering." Hermione told them.

"Well, Mr. Potter." Pomfrey announced. "You'll live. And you'll be able to participate in the third task."

"Oh joy." Harry said sarcastically before another bout of coughs.

Fleur then ran over to Harry and sat on the edge of the bed looking him straight in the eye.

"You saved 'er even though she wasn't yours to save." Fleur told him in broken English "My little sister. Thank you!"

She then kissed him on both cheeks.

"Notice that Potter's getting all the girls?" Cedric asked Krum.

"No problem." Harry said to Fleur while pulling up the covers to stop a chill.

"I wouldn't be too sure." Hermione said. "Just wait until your mother finds out."

"What do you think the chances of her NOT finding out are?" Harry asked

His question was answered when the doors slammed open and Lily came running in quickly followed by James.

"Harry!" Lily exclaimed as she reached her son. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mum." Harry told her as she hugged him and then started coughing.

"I don't want you leaving this Hospital Wing for at LEAST three days young man." Lily told him sternly. "I don't want a repeat of that pneumonia episode."

"When did you get back?" Harry asked.

"Just five minutes ago." James answered. "What happened?"

"I was on my way up when the gillyweed wore off." Harry explained.

"Your son…" Fleur told the Potters. "Is a 'ero. 'Ee saved my little sister."

"He did?" Lily asked as she looked at Fleur and then her son who was wrapped up in blankets.

"Why don't you five go tell Dumbledore and everyone else that Potter's awake and leave the Potters alone." Pomfrey said.

The kids left.

"Don't exhaust him." Pomfrey warned the Potters before leaving them.

Lily then turned to her husband. "YOUR son."

"I deserved that." James sighed.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Your father has a bit of a habit that involves putting other people's safety before his own. A habit, he passed on to you." Lily informed her son. "He once took a double Cruciatius for my best friends because he knew how much the three of us care about each other."

"And my best friends cared for them too." James added.

"So…I'm off the hook?" Harry asked hopefully before coughing.

"No." Lily said. "These next three days will be your punishment"

0000

And boy, were they. Harry was already sick of the hospital wing by 2 hours after waking up. Ron had visited him and told him that Fleur had already thanked him for helping Harry save Gabrielle.

Also, Dumbledore and the judges came by to congratulate Harry on making second place for outstanding moral fiber. Apparently, four of the mermaids had been spying on the champions. The one watching Harry told Dumbledore about Harry being the first one there, but watching both the hostages and the time making sure that all the hostages were rescued.

When the three days were up, Harry was feeling much better. He still had a bit of a cold, but Lily was just glad that it wasn't pneumonia again.

"So?" Harry asked his father as the two walked around the lake. "Where did you and Mum go?"

"The six of us went to go ambush Mr. Oxford." James told his son. "Your mother set up the appointment as soon as Mel was found. You see, he thought that Melissa was in America and he never really approved of Remus. So, we appeared and told him that Remus was a good guy and he would never hurt Mel and then Mel nearly gave him a heart attack by telling him that the two of them had already eloped."

Harry then quickly turned to look up at his father.

"it was a lie." James explained. "But Moony was recovering from the Full Moon so he couldn't deny it. However, this gives them the excuse to go get married. Goodness knows, Sirius jumped at the chance."

"What do you mean?"

"That git of a godfather of yours ran off with Spica before we decided to come back and check on the tournament. We're suspecting he eloped."

"Do you think he'll be back by the third task?"

"I hope so." James said

0000

The day of the third task came and Harry, Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor stood at the entrance to a maze.

"Earlier today," Dumbledore announced. "Professor Moody placed the Tri-Wizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows the exact location."

"Though I'd keep a close eye." Moody said. "I thought I saw a rat on my way out."

"We've got to get to it." James whispered. "Pettigrew is a rat animagus."

"We'll have to wait a few minutes." Moody whispered.

"James." Lily asked. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." James told her.

"Uh huh." She said sarcastically. "Then explain why every time I catch you two whispering, you two get into some extreme form of trouble."

"Lily. Just let me and Moody worry about this and you worry about our son."

"Hey guys. What'd I miss?" Sirius asked as he and Spica climbed over kids to sit behind Moody, Remus, Melissa, and the Potters.

"Where have you been?" Remus asked

"Gretna Green" Spica answered

"You two eloped, didn't you?" Melissa accused.

"Maybe." Sirius said.

"Harry's tied for first place with the Diggory kid after coming in second during the second task." James said.

"Champions! Prepare yourselves!" Dumbledore shouted gathering everyone's attention as they cheered. "On the count of three…One…"

The cannon boomed

Harry and Diggory stood still for a few minutes not sure whether to go by the cannon or the count and then figured the cannon.

"C'mon Potter." Moody said.

"Moody and I are going for a walk to walk off the nervousness." James told his wife. "Padfoot. Moony. You two are coming with me."

"I'm quite comfortable." Sirius said.

"Move it Sirius or I'll tell Snape who switched his powdered unicorn horn with pixie dust."

"See you girls later." Sirius said

0000

"Let me get this straight." Remus said as the men walked the maze the back way. "Moody saw a rat heading for the cup?"

"Blasted little thing got away before I could stun it. But it was missing a toe."

"Do you suppose that Wormtail's finishing up what Crouch Jr. started?" Sirius asked.

The hours past,

"Are we lost?" James asked Moody.

"Well, excuse me for taking the back route." Moody said.

Suddenly,

"Go on. Take it!"

"No. You take it."

"You saved me. Take it."

The men looked around the corner and saw Diggory and Harry standing next to the cup.

"Normally," Sirius whispered to Remus. "Don't people fight over the fact that they want to take it?"

"This is Harry Potter we're talking about."

"Good point."

"What's that suppose to mean?" James asked his friends.

"Face it Potter." Moody whispered. "Your son is not normal."

Then he yelled as both kids reached for it.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT…!"

The two Hogwarts' Champions looked up as their hands touched the cup and both vanished.

"Cup." Moody finished quietly.

James stared in shock at the spot his son had been not two seconds ago.

"He'll survive." Remus told James. "He always does."

"I hope you're right." James said without turning away from the spot his son had been.

0000

Meanwhile,

"Where are we?" Cedric asked.

"I don't know." Harry said as he looked at a tombstone. As he read it, his eyes widened. "Cedric. We have to get back to the portkey."

"Kill the spare." A low voice hissed.

"CEDRIC! DUCK!" Harry yelled.

The Hufflepuff ducked behind a tombstone.

"And me without my cloak." Harry complained as he ducked behind the same tombstone.

"What's going on?" Cedric whispered.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that Voldemort's real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was named after his muggle father"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Harry pointed to the tombstone he had read.

RIDDLE

"My Mum told me of this potion…bone of the father, flesh of the servant, and blood of the enemy…. It's why Crouch Jr. put my name in the Goblet."

"What can we do?" Cedric asked.

Harry then pulled out the necklace he wore that his father gave him for his thirteenth birthday.

"A reflection necklace?" Cedric asked.

"What do you think the chances are that it'll deflect the killing curse?" Harry asked.

"Slim to none."

Harry thought about the choices.

"I'll try it." Harry said. "You're against Voldemort right?"

"Of course!"

"Good. As long as he has one enemy, he'll be happy. Look. I'll try and get the curse reflected. You use that time to summon the portkey and grab me."

"Are you sure about this?" Cedric asked.

"Tell my parents I love them." Harry instructed. "And tell my friends that I'm sorry, but it had to be done."

"It's been nice knowing you Potter." Cedric said.

"One last detail." Harry said as he took off his jersey as a tombstone nearby blew up. "Give me your jersey. He won't try to kill me, but in this light, he'll aim for the yellow."

After they switched, Harry grabbed onto the chain just above the glass and jumped from the tombstone.

"Avada Kedavra!" Pettigrew shouted as he held a bundle of robes

Harry held out the mirror and braced for impact. The spell bounced off of the mirror cracking it and hit the pile of robes.

"MASTER!" Pettigrew asked.

"STUPIFY!" Cedric yelled pointing the wand at Pettigrew.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALIS!" Harry added.

The two walked over to them. Harry knelt down next to the pile of robes and smiled.

"It's Voldemort." Harry told Cedric.

"Is he…?"

"Finally." Harry told him as he took hold of his arch-foe. "Grab a hold of Pettigrew and summon the cup."

Cedric obeyed as Harry grabbed onto Pettigrew. The cup came flying and Cedric caught it.

The next thing they knew, they were back at Hogwarts where they vanished. The maze was gone as was everyone else.

"How do you think Moody knew?" Cedric asked.

"We'll have to ask" Harry said. "Mum's NOT going to be happy."

Where do you suppose everyone is?" Cedric asked.

"Probably mourning our 'deaths'" Harry said with a bit of a chuckle. "Wanna go crash the funeral?"

Suddenly, the sound of voices came. They hid behind a rock and found Dumbledore talking to Moody while walking.

"I tried to stop them." Moody said.

"It's not your fault." Dumbledore said. "We should have put more wards around the maze. It's my fault. I completely forgot about Pettigrew's chance of finding his master."

"How are the Potters and the Diggorys doing?" Moody asked.

"Not well." Dumbledore informed him.

Harry and Cedric looked at each other before standing up with the cup between them each holding an arm of the cup.

"Professors!" They chorused.

"Mr. Potter? Mr. Diggory?" Dumbledore asked.

"With a prisoner and a dead body." Harry added as he held up the robes holding what was left of Voldemort as Cedric forced the stunned, petrified, rat animagus.

"I'm impressed." Moody praised. "You two might want to consider being aurors."

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked.

"They tried to kill Diggory." Harry said.

"Is that why you're wearing each other's shirts?" Moody asked.

"Yeah. It was dark. And Dad got me this for my thirteenth birthday." Harry said showing them the broken mirror. "Although he said it was unbreakable."

"For the average curse and two of the Unforgivables." Dumbledore explained. "But for something as severe as the killing curse, the curse usually breaks the mirror and hits the target. Yours must have been powerful enough to completely reflect it."

"We'll take care of Pettigrew and You-Know-Who." Moody said. "Your parents are with your heads of house."

The two left the prisoners and the cup and started for the castle

"And boys!" Dumbledore called after them. They stopped and looked back. "It's good to see that you're alright."

They smiled at him and then ran to the castle.

When they got there, they went in separate directions. Harry ran for about three minutes before skidding to a stop just past McGonagall's office. He then doubled back and listened through the door only to hear the sound of his mother's and to his surprise, his TEACHER'S sobs.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come back later." James' voice came in a monotonous tone.

Harry opened the door to see his mother sobbing her heart out on his father's shoulder and McGonagall with her face buried in her hand. James was holding onto Lily as if his life depended on her with his eyes closed forcing the tears out.

McGonagall looked up to see who it was and her hand dropped away from her face at the sight of her pupil

Harry gave his teacher a reassuring smile and nod. Quickly she got up, briskly walked over to him, and to his shock, hugged him.

"I'll leave you three alone." She whispered as she left the family alone.

Slowly, Harry walked over to his upset parents.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry asked gently.

James released one hand from Lily and dried his eyes before turning to his very much alive son. When their eyes met, James starred in shock. Confused at what was going on, Lily lifted up her head and dried her own eyes and saw her son.

"Harry?" she managed to whisper.

That was it for Harry. With his own tears in his eyes, he embraced both of his parents who promptly returned it

"Oh my baby!" Lily exclaimed as she embraced Harry and kissed his head.

"Thank God." James sighed. "What happened? Only thing I know is that Moody saw Wormtail heading for the cup on his way out, but the rat got away. We tried to beat you to the cup by going the back way, but by the time we got there, it was too late….and why are you wearing Diggory's shirt?"

"It was dark and Pettigrew was trying to kill Diggory." Harry explained. "Since Diggory wasn't involved, I played the decoy and told Diggory that if something didn't work, to take my body back to you with the message that I love you guys."

"What was the plan?" Lily asked.

Harry took off the necklace and handed it to his father.

"It broke under the strain of the killing curse." Harry explained as James looked it over.

To his confusion, James and Lily gave each other a smile.

"It worked." Lily whispered to her husband.

"What worked?" Harry asked.

"These are very powerful magical items as they are." James explained as he held up the mirror and let the light from the torches and candles reflect off the broken glass. "But your mother and I did a few reinforcing charms on it powered by the love we have for you."

"So, as long as you wear it, theoretically, you would be safe from the killing curse" Lily added.

"I'm just glad you were wearing this." James said with a relieved laugh. "I wasn't sure you were"

"Is Cedric…?" Lily asked.

"He's fine." Harry said. "The only people not fine are Pettigrew who is stunned and petrified, and Voldemort who was killed by the reflection."

James then started really laughing.

"That's TWICE that guy was beaten by a reflected killing curse!"

"We probably should tell everyone else." Lily pointed out.

0000

In the Gryffindor Common Room,

"I remember Harry's first words" Sirius mused sadly. "Padfoot."

"And then not a minute later, he said 'idiot'" Remus added with a soft chuckle. "He used those words together for about a week."

The Gryffindors laughed sadly.

"Harry would probably kill me for saying this…" Hermione said whipping the tears from her eyes. "But… Ginny… he told me that he wouldn't have minded being your boyfriend if Ron would go for it."

"Really?" Ginny asked sadly unaware of the opening portrait.

"As long as he didn't hurt her, I'd be okay with it." Ron admitted before standing up angrily "But now we'll never know because Harry's DEAD!"

"You wanna make a bet on that?" Harry asked from the portrait.

Everyone turned to the portrait to see the three Potters.

"HARRY!" everyone shouted as the wave of Gryffindors came rushing up to Harry. Ginny managed to get around to kissing him full on the lips.

"What happened?" Remus asked James and Lily.

"He and Cedric managed to survive." Lily explained.. "Thanks to a birthday present we gave him a couple of years ago."

The six adults looked back over to the group of kids all trying to congratulate Harry and bombard him with questions.

0000

At the end feast,

"This is a proud day for us all!" Dumbledore said to his school as well as the other two schools. "Voldemort is now gone from us forever and there wasn't a single death… though we did have a few close calls. And, for the first time, we've had a tie!"

Everyone cheered as Harry turned around to face Diggory. The two shared a friendly smile.

"Now, the judges have considered this very carefully and we've decided that EACH of the two winners will receive the 100 thousand galleon prize money"

Everyone cheered as Harry turned to his parents. James walked over to him and Harry whispered something in his ear. James nodded with consent before Harry got up with Diggory and received the money.

On the train home.

"Go on ahead." Harry said as his friends looked for a cabin when he spotted whom he was looking for. "Fred! George!"

"What's up Harry?" the twins chorused.

Harry handed them the bag of money.

"I've talked it over with Dad, and we want to invest in your shop." Harry stated.

"Harry? This is…"

"Prongs' contribution to your store." Harry explained. "You can rest assured that the Marauders will be shopping at Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes and they want it up and running as soon as possible."

After Harry managed to convince the Weasley boys to take the money, he bumped into Ginny halfway to his cabin.

"Sorry." They said at the same time.

"How are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"I couldn't be better." Harry told her. "I have really great friends, a loving family, Sirius is free, Mum's on the verge of a breakthrough in Wolfsbane, Spica's happily married to Sirius, Remus just MIGHT be getting married soon, Voldemort's dead, Pettigrew's imprisoned, can life get any better?"

"You tell me." She said before giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Okay. MAYBE if I had a girlfriend things would be better." Harry admitted. "How about it Ginny?"

"Sure." Ginny said.

"What do we have here?" a cool voice said a few feet down the hall.

The two groaned and turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"It seems as if the Weasley whore has gotten herself someone." Malfoy said.

Harry pulled out his wand and used the Furnunculus hex on Malfoy. Four different hexes joined it. Harry and Ginny turned to see Fred and George behind the Slytherins and Ron and Hermione behind them.

"Thought we'd see what they were up to." Fred said.

"Interesting effect." George mused. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"

"Me." Harry told them.

"Odd. I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as if they shouldn't be mixed." George said lightly. "Well, let's not leave them here. They don't add to the décor."

After they managed to hide the three Slytherins, the group went to a cabin.

"What now?" Hermione asked. "I mean…Voldemort's gone."

"Simple." Harry told her while looking at his friends. "We continue living our lives."

The End