The Protagonist System

The meeting with Druella Malfoy went about as well as I had suspected, despite how much time she had to come up with a good plan to deal with me. She had tried to use her feminine wiles to seduce me and make me fall for her, in order to manipulate me into revealing everything she wanted me to reveal.

Apparently, her mother had suggested that I was just another man and was easily led by my penis, so all she had to do was make it pretty obvious that she was also willing to use my penis to get what she wanted, namely the Malfoy fortune back and to leave her family alone.

I laughed every time she tried to do something enticing or a bit too obvious to try and draw attention to her shapely body. Watching the growing frustration on her face as she tried everything her mother suggested, also kept me pretty entertained. She barely tried some casual conversation topics as she 'worked it', which also was quite amusing.

When the meeting ended without resolution, I did admit to her that her attempts might have been successful, if I was a little bit interested in her, or thought I could use her body as a consolation prize to give up so much money for no reason. I heavily implied her being a highly paid courtesan and she was both complimented by it and insulted, which was perfect for the situation.

I had given her another two weeks to come up with something else to convince me that she wasn't like her father and brother, which she had particularly failed at so far, and left her in the new lounge that many of the Slytherins had thanked her for creating for them and allowed them to use.

Harriet had looked nervous when I returned to her room, until I told her how funny it was that the slightly older than her Slytherin teenager had done her level best to goad and corrupt me. Harriet's nervousness changed to relief and she had hugged me and thanked me for not letting the much prettier girl get to me.

I had laughed in response and hugged her back as I told her that I wasn't really swayed by a pretty face and that the girl had to have some substance to her and her personality before I'd even consider spending any time with them. Since Druella Malfoy didn't show anything like that, besides the spoiled rich girl persona she had cultivated for years and enjoyed it to its fullest as she used it to her advantage, Harriet had nothing to worry about.

That had made her more than happy for the last bit of time she had before the first task of the tournament. That same nervousness returned by the morning of the first task and I reassured her that if she stuck to the plan, there was nothing that could stop her from surprising the crowd and winning the tournament.

Harriet was a little reluctant to show off, though. It was something she wasn't comfortable with and wanted to downplay her abilities. I didn't try to convince her to pretend it was a stage show and she had to become the spectacle that everyone expected to see when the Girl-Who-Lived performed magic publicly.

Instead, I told her to forget everything that existed outside of the arena. She was to enter the place, deal with the task as quickly and efficiently as possible, and get out of there without being hurt. Nothing else mattered but her survival and that was all she needed to do.

What she didn't realize was that only doing that would make it a spectacle that would gain everyone's attention, which did the very thing she was reluctant to do anyway.

I had to leave her at breakfast with Daphne, whom promised to accompany her to the tent as far as she was allowed. I thanked her and nodded at Rasputin Krum, whom clapped his son on the shoulder and walked with me over to the Hufflepuff table.

We nodded at Amos Diggory, whom hugged and congratulated his son for being the Hogwarts Champion and for making him proud. The three of us met Jean-Claude Delacour at the Ravenclaw table and then the four of us followed Albus Dumbledore out of the Great Hall and met Xenophilius Lovegood at the main doors.

Luna squealed when she saw me and jumped up and hugged me, then thanked me for making school so much fun. This made the other fathers smile and Albus Dumbledore frown, because he was being roasted for his policy of non-interference. Luna went inside to find Harriet and we left the school to proceed to the newly constructed stadium that used some parts from the Quidditch Stadium to make an enclosure that was large enough for the task.

With the spread of judges, there was someone from two different Ministries of Magic, a normal person, a businessman, and myself. They couldn't have chosen a better mix for something like this and we would prove that it wasn't necessary to give our temporary positions to anyone else.

Albus handed over the sack with the dragon models inside and I discreetly cast a detection spell on it. There were several subtle spells on the bag, including one to not show what was inside if looked inside and to obscure the shapes from the outside, since the models were animated. There was also a redirect spell on the Hungarian Horntail that didn't allow it to be picked by anyone except Harriet Potter.

Oh, that's a sneaky way to use a drop of her blood. I thought and dispelled that spell and vanished the blood. As an afterthought, I paused the world and used a touch of clairvoyance to find any other blood she had left behind during her adventures, or in any other circumstance, namely her monthly visits, and vanished every trace of it. I absently paid the Karma Point bill and unpaused the world.

After a short discussion of who would handle the bag, I suggested Amos, since he was a Ministry employee and was the most qualified. This really poked Dumbledore's pride, since he had been suspended from the Wizengamut until the current mess was over.

He had called in a lot of favours to keep his headmaster position and clamped his mouth shut to not rise to the bait. Why? Because the only reason he was allowed to be there was because he was the current headmaster of the hosting school and couldn't be excluded. He had even tried to approach Harriet, by summoning her to his office of course, and tried to apologize.

I was quite proud of her as Harriet calmly asked him what part he was apologizing for. Was it for her life up to that point? For not standing up for her when she needed him to? Or was it for allowing her participation in the tournament and then allowing her to be sentenced to die because of her unstable wand?

That had shut the old man up and he hadn't responded for several moments, then he tried to claim that he had only her best interests at heart, to which Harriet replied that he was delusional. He had known she would have ten dark years at the Dursleys and had sent her there anyway, and kept sending her back every year, despite her pleading with him not to, just because he was too lazy to look for literally anyone else in her father's extended family to take care of her.

He had looked defeated at that and dismissed her, while his mind went over what the Goblet of Fire would do to him for everything he had done to the girl over the years. Apparently, not looking out for her like he should have, was going to come back on him with a vengeance.

What he didn't know was that if the Goblet of Fire didn't do it, I was going to and explain it away as the Goblet taking revenge on him for his actions and then for his inaction to protect his students. Well, that was assuming anyone asked me about it, and I was pretty sure they wouldn't.

The four champions entered the champion's tent with Rita Skeeter and a photographer, which was the only concession Rita had asked for after ensuring the other corrupted judges had been removed. The Ministry gladly granted it and she became the official reporter for the tournament.

The funny thing was that only Harriet looked nervous, which was quite telling. I glanced at the other judges and they looked a little guilty, which meant they had cheated and told their children about the upcoming task and probably what to do to handle it as quickly as possible.

Amos stepped close to the champions and asked them to gather around, then held out the bag as the photographer took a picture. He said the champions would draw lots and would face something they had to get past to retrieve a golden egg, then he offered the ladies the first choice and Fleur reached into the bag and pulled out the Swedish Short-Snout.

“We're facing DRAGONS?!?” Harriet loudly gasped and everyone in the tent turned to stare at her. “Are you people nuts? It takes an entire group of wizards to handle a dragon!”

I mentally thanked her for overreacting a little. “Apparently, the youngest champion was the only one that didn't cheat and didn't know what the task was beforehand.”

Rita let out a happy sound and her quick-quotes quill blurred across the parchment. The guilty looks on the three parent judges increased and a sad and disappointed look appeared on Dumbledore's face.

“Go ahead and choose, Miss Potter.” Amos said and held the bag out to her.

“It's Lady Potter, sir.” Harriet corrected and reached in. She pulled out the Welsh Green and the other judges looked shocked, as did Albus Dumbledore.

I nodded at Rita and she motioned to the cameraman, whom took another picture. That would be the opening photo for the next edition of the Daily Prophet. Tournament hoodwinking foiled and the youngest champion didn't have to face the most dangerous dragon they had.

Cedric went next and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail. Amos sucked in a sharp breath at his son having to face the worst one and Cedric himself looked resigned and stepped aside to let Victor draw the Chinese Fireball.

“Th-there we go. The models represent what you need to get by to retrieve the golden egg and the numbers around their necks are the order you will face them in.” Amos said, his voice shaky at first and firmed up. “Miss Potter is first, Miss Delacour second, Mister Krum third, and my boy Cedric is last.”

Harriet didn't bother correcting him, because her dragon model distracted her. It let out a small noxious gas cloud from its mouth before it growled at her.

“At the sound of the cannon shot, the task will start.” I said and nodded at Harriet. “Go through the flap and down the walkway to the arena. The task with be there and we all expect you to do your best, despite not being allowed a wand like your competitors.”

The reminder made everyone look nervous, even Rita. She had tried to have the public riot in protest several times over the outrage, only it had accomplished nothing but frustration. The Ministry couldn't change the decision, or undo it by giving her access to another wand, since the ban did not specifically say a wand made by me. Harriet wasn't allowed to have a wand in the tasks, period.

“Good luck everyone.” I said and motioned for the judges to leave. When Albus didn't move as the others left, I grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the tent.

“Unhand me, Mister Peverell.” Albus said as soon as we were outside the tent. “If that is your real name.”

I stopped walking and smiled at him. “I have documentation it is, as well as proof. Should I show it to you, right here and right now?”

Albus looked scared for a moment, then schooled his face. “Threats like that are wasted on me.”

“I know.” I said and pulled him away from the tent. “I just didn't want your pleading to distract Harriet before she faces her randomly drawn dragon.”

Albus looked surprised. “You changed it?”

“Of course I stopped you idiots from manipulating Harriet anymore.” I said and he looked upset. “It's bad enough you let her do your job for you the last three years, keeping the school safe. I was not going to stand by and let you sacrifice her for the Greater Good.”

The old man's face paled at me saying that. “What... what do you know about...”

“Everything.” I said and cut him off. “I know everything.”

Albus stopped walking and I let his arm go. “If you know, then...”

“It's already handled. All of it.” I said and he wavered on his feet. “All that's left is cleaning up the remains.”

“But, Harriet... she...” Albus tried to argue.

“I said it was already handled.” I told him and he looked shocked. “What? Did you think a simple soul shard stuck in her scar could hamper her? Don't be daft, man. The prophecy says she's equal to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Not later on when she's older and definitely not after sacrificing herself. She's his equal and all she needed was some proper training.”

Albus didn't say anything as he stared at me.

“Go on to the stands to sit with the audience and enjoy the spectacle.” I said and cast a compulsion on him to do so. “Oh, and keep quiet about that, will you? Harriet doesn't know and she doesn't need the mental block telling her she's only his equal. She has the potential to be so much better than that, doesn't she?”

Albus looked angry as he walked off, almost jerkily, as he fought against the compulsion.

I chuckled at him struggling and walked to where the judges were sitting. I nodded to them and they didn't look happy. Apparently, they had kept the rigging of the dragons from me and hadn't protested it, because they figured Harriet was going to die at the end of the task anyway and their own children wouldn't have to face the worst dragon. I had changed that, though.

I also suspected that they would suffer some kind of penalty, since they had interfered with a champion and the Goblet of Fire was pretty unforgiving about things like that. Then again, so was I. I smiled and made a few plans to enact as soon as the cannon was fired and the task started officially.

*

Amos waved at the man behind the cannon and Filch shot it off with a gleeful look on his face. The cannonball splashed into the Black Lake and the giant squid waved a tentacle in thanks.

The jeers and cheers from the crowd increased as Harriet Potter was announced by a Ministry flunky and Harriet entered the rocky arena. Harry had already set up the paddock under the stands and he waved to her, just to make sure she remembered what the first part of the plan was.

Harriet's eyes darted around and saw her mentor sitting in the judges area, then she visibly relaxed and nodded. She looked around at the arena and knew it would have been a hard fight, if she was going to fight fair, and she wasn't. She stepped out into clear view of everyone and well away from the dragon's nest, then took a kind of pose and held her hand up in the air.

“What is she doing?” Hermione asked and her question quickly passed the lips of everyone around her, then spread across the stadium. No one knew what she was doing, especially without a wand.

“ACCIO VOLDESHEEP!” Harriet yelled and it echoed across the entire arena.

There was a bang, then another, then the sound of wood breaking echoed as well as a large and quite plump sheep flew out from under the stands and across the arena. It stopped above Harriet's head and floated there, clearly having been summoned by her. It shocked everyone, because she had just performed magic without a wand.

Instead of gloating at the shocked looks on everyone's faces, Harriet walked over to the Welsh Green with the sheep still hovering weightlessly above her head. The dragon, whom they had kept hungry to make it more vicious during the task, was literally drooling pools of saliva onto the ground as it stared at the very tasty morsel being offered to it.

“Enjoy eating the dork lord.” Harriet said and waved her hand at the dragon as she ended the spell and tossed the sheep towards it.

The sheep bleated in terror as if flew through the air and the dragon loved that sound. It leapt to its feet and lunged to the end of its chains as it opened its mouth, let out a little poison gas to soften the morsel up as it passed through it, then it chomped down on it and laid right down where it was to chew on it and savour the delicious flavor.

Harriet waved a hand at the spot between her and the dragon and a dirt wall rose and formed a solid barrier, which reached around the dragon to the nest. She walked over to the nest, careful of making any sudden movements or sounds, and plucked the golden egg from the nest. With it in hand, she waved her hand again and a stone near the nest changed into a copy of the egg, then she waved it into the spot the real one had been in and carefully walked away.

When she was far enough away and had tucked the golden egg under her robes to hide the shiny object that the dragon wouldn't have let her take without protest or fighting for it, she waved a hand at the dirt wall and it sank back into the ground. To everyone's surprise, the dragon was still munching on the sheep and looked quite happy to be doing so.

Harriet laughed at not needing the other distractions and entered the medical tent to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey, now that she had successfully completed the task.

“Dragons!” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed and ushered the girl into a bed and checked her over. “I swear, things get more insane here every year.”

Harriet nodded in agreement and didn't protest the older woman's penchant for making sure she wasn't hurt. It was actually nice to have someone care for her like that and her mind went right to Harry and everything he had done for her. She needed to do something nice for him as a thank you and she was pretty sure she knew what it could be.

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