Chapter 139: Chapter 139
On Sunday morning, Harry outlined for the other two his thoughts on how to defeat the dragon in a rather creative manner.
"Let me get this straight," frowned Hermione. "You want to take a plastic bag, cast impervious and unbreakable charms on it, enlarge it, levitate it up and over the dragon's head, pull it down over it's head, shrink it tight, and wait for the dragon to suffocate?"
"Yep!" beamed Harry. "That way, I get to claim the carcass of the beast, and all the galleons it's worth."
"That won't work," Hermione firmly retorted. "The plastic bag will be blown all about in the vagaries of the wind. And, it'll be far too difficult to manoeuvre it above the dragon's head, opening it, and pulling it down. However, something similar... but, heavier... would work. You can use just about any sort of bag.
"Personally, I think you should try for a long banner, or something similar. That way, you can fly it at the dragon, and wrap it around it's head before shrinking it tight. With impervious and unbreakable charms, it'll still do what you want it to do.
Frowning, Harry thought about it and could see the logic of Hermione's alterations to the idea.
"An Incarcerous around its snout first would also help," chipped in Daphne. "Incarcerous it's legs and wings, too."
Nodding, Harry looked back and said, "That'll work. Any backup ideas for 'Plan B'?"
"That depends on how accurate you are," thought Daphne. "Summoning the sword of Gryffindor and banishing it right at the dragon's heart, is one. Because it's really only the hide of the dragon that's somewhat impervious to magic, wait until it opens it's mouth and cast a blasting curse in it's open maw, is another. Both should near-instantly kill the beast."
"Why do you want to kill the dragon, Harry?" asked Hermione, quite concerned with what she was hearing.
"Multiple reasons," he replied. "First, I managed to get out of being killed by the dragon last go around only by the intervention of my angel; so, that method is far too dangerous. Killing it is the safer alternative. Two, I get to claim the kill by right of slaying the beast, just as with the basilisk. Three, I'll have just demonstrated how I will not hesitate to kill anything they put in my way; so, Dumbledore might want to rethink sending us against the merfolk. And four, it sends a very clear message to Dumbledore I'm sick and tired of being 'fucked' with. I want him to think he's starting to turn me into a cold-blooded ruthless killer; the next Dark Lord." "So he will then attempt to redeem you?" smirked Daphne.
"Exactly," replied Harry. "It would be yet another thing that'll distract him and allow us to do what we need to do."
Surprisingly, Harry received an owl - or, rather, a toucan - from Sirius on the Monday morning wanting to know what was going on. Showing the note to his bondmates, he said, "Sirius is still out of the country, but this implies he's now heading back."
"We've been rather lax in not contacting him and letting him know what's been going on, Harry," countered Hermione. "Does he even know he's been exonerated?"
"I tried to send him an owl the next day after the hearing. But, it flew around for a few minutes before it came back," he replied. "I suspect, wherever he is, he can't receive owl mail."
"You never found out in the previous time line?" asked Daphne.
"No," he replied. "All we know is that he headed for 'the tropics' almost immediately after we helped him escape from within the tower he was locked up in here. We didn't hear from him again until after my name came out of the Goblet."
"It sounds like, wherever he is, he's under the Fidelius with owl blocking wards," mused Daphne.
"That's what Hermione and I thought, too," nodded Harry. "He never ended up telling us more than it was 'the tropics', though." "Then, if he doesn't already find out beforehand, we'll bring him up to speed when he gets here," said Hermione.
"No, send him an owl, now, to make sure he's aware he's no longer a wanted man," disagreed Daphne. "It should make it easier for him to travel, at least. Besides, he still needs to present himself to Madam Bones for the 'official' clearing of his name."
Nodding, Harry said, "I'll send Hedwig now." And pulled over a small slip of parchment and quill to pen a short note.
Stewart Ackerman visited with them that afternoon, as promised. He, of course, came prepared.
As they sat around a hastily conjured table, the older man looked shrewdly at Harry and asked, "First thing, Mister Potter; is for you to tell me, right now, that you had nothing to do with your name coming out of the Goblet."
"I can't tell you that because I don't know," Harry frowned. "However, I can tell you that I did not submit my name to the Goblet of Fire; nor, did I have someone else do it for me. I have been entered into this nonsense against whatever wish I may have had. I can also tell you I gave a magical oath with those almost exact same words on the night it happened."
After studying Harry for a couple of seconds, Ackerman gave an almost imperceptible grunt and said, "Very well."
With an angry scowl, Harry barked back, "Mister Ackerman; accept, here and now, that I had nothing to do with my name being submitted as a bloody competitor into this ludicrous event, or we part ways. I gave a magical bloody oath on it, Sir, in the middle of the Great Hall! And, I'm quite happy to give you a copy of my memories of that."
Ackerman winced and hurriedly back-pedalled. "Mister Potter, I apologise," he tried to soothe. "I was aware of the oath and what it meant. However, the Prophet has already begun..." and sighed. "And, one of the reasons you've secured our services is because you believed the Prophet would slander you, given the chance."
He looked at Harry a lot more shrewdly and asked, "Mister Potter, are you... or, do you have access to... a true seer?"
With a sigh right back, Harry replied, "Not that I'm aware of, no. I just happen to be quite perceptive about events happening around me; and likely outcomes.
"For example, every year I'd been in the magical world something bad and/or life threatening has happened to me on Halloween. The drawing of the names for the Tri-Wizard Tournament was to... and did... occur on Halloween. Ergo, the likelihood of my name coming out of the Goblet was, in my opinion, extremely high.
"I also have it on good authority that Rita Skeeter has taken what I consider an unhealthy interest in me. Miss Skeeter is known to use untruths and blatant lies in her articles to... shall we say... make them more interesting. Again, it does not take a seer to determine I can expect that vile woman to write lies about me in the Daily
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