Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 62: Dragons?
"The wood is definitely from a verdant cypress, but I cannot guess the core." Ollivander looked up at Harry with an inquisitive look in his eyes. "Tell me, Mister Potter, what is it?"
"Petrified heart from a dryad. At least, that is what I have been told," Harry responded.
"A dryad… of course. That is why it emanates such a natural feeling." Ollivander could not hide his expression of wonder.
"Is everything alright? Can he use that wand to participate?" Crouch asked.
"Yes, of course. It is a magnificent wand, very suited for elemental magic… not a very common practice anymore." Ollivander returned the wand to Harry. "I just wish I could have been the one who made it for you, Mister Potter."
"Thank you." Harry stored the wand back into his robes.
"I think I can expect great things from you," Ollivander said.
"Very well, now is the time for a picture." Ludo Bagman said with excitement while dragging a man holding a camera. "Come on, closer. I want to get all four champions in one shot. This will make a great front page for the papers!"
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After having to put up with several pictures and some annoying blonde woman who insisted on performing an interview inside a broom closet, Harry had finally been left alone to wander the castle.
Truth be told, he had been curious about this place since he first heard about it.
He found hidden enchantments almost everywhere he looked. From the floor and walls to even the decorative suits of armor and the living paintings, which were constantly watching him.
"What kind of artifact did they use to give power to such a giant structure?" Harry was pondering about it when he seemed to have reached a way with no exit.
He was walking through a set of stairs, but they suddenly ended at a painting of a fair woman.
"Password?" The woman glanced at him and asked nonchalantly while fixing her dress.
"Password?" It was then that Harry realized that this painting must be guarding something behind it. The size of the frame was big enough to serve as a door.
"Did you forget about it? Then you cannot enter." She immediately lost interest in him.
Harry was about to turn around when he noticed that something had been placed next to the painting. It was a golden plaque with the picture of a young man.
"In memory of Ron Weasley. Gryffindor student and beloved brother who left us too soon." Harry read the text beneath the picture and understood that this was a memorial plaque, and, given the date at the end, he had died recently, not even a year ago.
"Did a student die at the school? How could that happen?" Harry was well aware of the dangers of practicing magic, but didn't think students would be exposed to something like that while learning basic spells.
"He was my brother."
Harry turned around and found himself staring at a petite redheaded girl wearing the school uniform.
"Then I'm sorry for your loss." He wanted to ask how it happened, but didn't feel like it was an appropriate question, even more so after seeing the sad expression on the girl's face.
"Thank you…" She sighed. "You are Harry Potter, right?"
"Indeed, that is my name," Harry responded.
"I saw you on the day of the Champion's selection… well, everyone did. Hard to forget. But you never joined the school. Why?"
"I don't believe Hogwarts has much to offer me," Harry said.
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "The best school in Britain doesn't have anything to offer you?"
Harry let out a chuckle. "Sorry, that must have come out as incredibly arrogant."
"I'm more curious about what makes you so confident. You are going to take part in the tournament, right? So you must know what you are doing. I mean… you have to, if you are going to face a dragon," Ginny said.
"A dragon?" Harry inquired about her comment.
Ginny gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no! I wasn't supposed to tell you that. I… I don't know why I assumed that you already knew, since the task is in a few hours. Please, don't tell anyone that I told you."
"Worry not, Miss Weasley. I shall not break your trust," Harry tried to reassure her.
"You speak kind of weird…" Ginny said.
"I had an interesting childhood. So… we need to fight a dragon on our first task? Seems a bit excessive to put some students through a challenge like that."
"Sorry, but I don't really know what the task is about. Just that it involves dragons. You see… it was my brother Charlie who brought them to Hogwarts. He works as a dragon keeper in Romania."
"I see." Harry glanced back at the painting for a moment. "Were you going in here by any chance?"
Ginny pointed ahead. "That is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Although… non-students are not supposed to know that. It's meant to be a secret only to members of the Gryffindor house."
"So you have revealed two secrets to me today. I am grateful for your trust." Harry walked past her. "I shall not bother you any longer, Miss Weasley."
"Ginny… that's my name. You can call me Ginny."
"Then you may call me Harry, if we happen to see each other again." He waved his hand. "Farewell, Ginny."
Harry walked away, leaving those stairs behind, and ventured into another corridor, wanting to explore more of the castle.
But suddenly, he felt a familiar presence nearby, and a voice entered his ears.
"Do you like young redheads now?"
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