Imagine: The List
Fic posted by members of Vo's Imaginings YahooGroup



“Dragons,” Harry said as he stroked Hedwig’s feathers. “I can’t believe they expect us to go up against dragons. Professor Moody said ‘play to your strengths.’ I guess he expects me to summon my broom and defeat a dragon with it.” Harry snorted. “I’m beginning to think all of our DADA professors are a bit barmy.”

Hedwig replied to her human with a kruff-guh-guh-guk.

“I know I should play to my strengths but I don’t know as much as the others do about magic. And I’m willing to bet that Krum is better than me on a broom, so I don’t know what strengths you’re talking about,” Harry replied.

Hedwig stared at Harry as he suddenly straightened out of his depressed slump and said “I‘ve got it!” Grabbing a sheet of parchment, Harry quickly wrote down a list of things he needed to do. “But how am I going to get that?”

Hedwig let out a soft hooo-uh, hoo-uh, wuh-wuh-wuh.

Harry looked at his familiar in surprise. “You really think he’ll do that for me?”

Hedwig bobbed her head in reply.

Taking a deep breath, Harry said, “Dobby, could you come here, please?”

With a soft pop the house elf known as Dobby appeared before Harry. “Harry Potter, sir, needs Dobby’s help?”

“Yes, Dobby,” Harry quickly wrote down some things on a clean sheet of parchment. “I need to know if you can get these items for me.” Harry handed the parchment to Dobby.

“Dobby can get these things, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby has to be a careful house elf so Dobby does not get caught,” Dobby replied after looking the list over.

Harry grimaced at the thought of Dobby getting caught. “How long will it take for you to get the items?”

“Dobby should have everything Harry Potter, sir, needs by tomorrow morning,” Dobby told him.

Harry sighed in relief. “Thank you Dobby. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

“Harry Potter, sir, appreciate Dobby,” Dobby said with awe in his voice before launching himself at Harry and hugging him. “Harry Potter, sir is the greatest wizard ever!” And with that Dobby popped away to fulfill Harry’s request.

Harry stared at the spot that Dobby had been a moment before. “Do you think that he’ll be able to get everything in time?”

A kruff-guh-guh-guk was Hedwig’s reply.

Harry snorted as he ran his hand through his hair. “You’re right. Never should have doubted Dobby for a moment.” Harry looked over at the snowy owl. “And do you think I can really pull this off?”

Hedwig just stared at Harry.

~*~


“And here comes Mr. Potter,” Bagman announced as Harry walked into the arena with the Horntail dragon. A very agitated Horntail dragon who was trying to guard her eggs from the noisy witches and wizards in the bleachers.

Harry looked at the crowd for a moment before dismissing them from his mind. Taking a deep breath, Harry raised his want and shouted, “Accio Harry Potter’s book bag.”

The crowd was making even more noise now as they waited to see what Harry’s plan was and how his book bag fit into it.

Harry licked his lips nervously as he waited for his book bag to appear. He sighed in relief as he spied it flying towards him. Catching it in mid-air, Harry threw the strap over his neck and shoulder.

Harry looked around the arena once again as he raised his wand and said something in Latin.

“Harry Potter has just used a dome spell,” Bagman announced after a moment, having asked one of the professors about the spell Harry just used.

Harry reached into his book bag and pulled out a black item that he put on his head, covering his face completely.

In the bleachers the Muggle-born and those familiar with the world outside the Wizarding community, found themselves explaining to others what the gas mask Harry was wearing was and did.

While those who lived in isolation were being educated about the rest of the world, Harry was removing canisters from his book bag, and after pulling the pins he tossed them in the general direction of the dragon. Even before they landed they started to admit a billowing grey smoke.

By the time Harry had thrown out the seventh canister those in the stands were having a hard time seeing what was going on. They could make out the general shape of the dragon but nothing else.

The general mood of the crowd ranged from one of excitement to that of suspense. The question running through everyone’s mind was: what was Potter doing?

Nearly ten minutes after Harry had erected the dome over the field, it popped and a gust of wind blew the smoke high into the air over the heads of the crowd.

On the field of battle stood Harry Potter, the gas mask still covering his face, with the golden egg in hand. At the other end of the field the dragon lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully, having curled her body around her eggs.

Harry pulled his masked off as he walked out of the arena.


~*~


“Dragons!” Madam Pomfrey said as she pulled Harry inside the tent so she could examine him. “Last year Dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next?” She waved her wand over his body. “It doesn’t appear that the gas caused you any harm but you were very lucky, Mr. Potter. I remember some stories my grandfather told me of what Muggle gas can do. Blindness. Horrible blisters. Even death. Nasty stuff that gas is.”

Madam Pomfrey tucked away her wand and with one final look over of Harry, she said, “Well since there isn’t anything wrong with you then you can go and get your score.” And with that she bustled out of the tent. And could be heard asking “How does it feel now, Diggory?” from the next tent over.

Since there was no reason to remain in the tent Harry wandered out of the tent only to be met by Hermione and Ron.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Hermione exclaimed.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in reply since he was more focused on Ron who’s face was almost the same color as his hair, so he was rather surprised when Hermione said, “I can’t believe you cheated!”

“What?” Harry sputtered as his head snapped back so he could look at Hermione.

“You heard me. You cheated,” Hermione announced in a strict tone of voice, her hands placed on her hips.

“How did I cheat? I got the egg like everyone wanted,” Harry demanded.

“You used a gas mask and knock out gas both of which are Muggle items,” Hermione said as if she was speaking to a dimwitted child as Ron violently nodded his head in agreement. “This is the Triwizard Tournament, you supposed are to use magic to win these contests, not Muggle items!”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “The rules don’t say that,” he growled. “This stupid tournament is to test our courage, intelligence, resourcefulness and magical abilities. There are no rules that say I could not use items from the Muggle world. Because I did, it proves that I’m intelligent enough to think beyond the limits of the wizard world and resourceful enough to get what I needed.”

“Harry. Harry. Harry,” Hermione shook her head sadly. “You need to realize the wizard community is very isolated and is not really open to new ideas especially ideas that come from someone outside of their community. It is better if you learn to segregate the two.”

“You mean keep Muggle items out of the wizard community and don’t do magic in the Muggle world,” Harry said.

“Exactly,” Hermione nodded her head. “Now I’m sure if you apologize and accept a zero for your score that the people will forgive you for your mistake.”

“So you’re saying I need to live two separate lives, a magical one and a Muggle one and the two should never mix,” Harry said. “That I should ignore the fact that Muggles can do and make some things better than any witch or wizard could. That I should view them as some slow minded cousin with their quant toys.”

Hermione opened her mouth to reply only to shut it. Open. Close.

“What she means, Potter, is that you cheated when you entered the tournament like you cheated to win the first task,” Ron snapped when Hermione refused to reply. “This is a wizard tournament, not a Muggle one!”

Harry looked back over at Hermione. “Is that what you mean, Hermione? Do you think I cheated too?”

Hermione looked at Harry then at those who gathered around to listen in to the conversation before she slowly nodded her head. “This is a magical tournament and therefore you should only use magic to win.”

“So I should pretend to be something that I’m not. I should pretend not to be Harry Potter, half-blood raised in the Muggle world,” Harry said. “Tell me Hermione do you pretend that you don’t have two Muggle parents who are dentists, who love you very much? Do you do that in order to fit in among people who would look down on them because they’re Muggles?”

Harry walked away from his former friends, after delivering that parting shot.

When the scores were finally announced Krum was in first place, Diggory was in second place, Fleur in third while Harry ended up dead last. Most of the points that Harry did receive came from Madame Maxime, who was later heard saying that she gave Potter the high score for his ability to think outside the limitations of the Wizard world; a skill that aided the Resistance with the battle with the Nazis and Grindelwald’s forces.

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