Harry had enjoyed his summer holiday with Luna after running away from the Dursleys' after a fortnight, but it was nice to be heading back to Hogwarts again. Harry and Luna caught up with Ron on the train.
"Daddy did a whole series of articles on the creatures Harry told us all about," said Luna happily. "Did you read them, Ron?"
"They're not real, though, he's just making them up with lots of Transfigurations," sighed Ron.
"They weren't real before, but they are now," said Luna stubbornly. "Every creature has to start somehow. Harry's explained about the theory of evolution, and how battles and magic rocks help creatures evolve. Show him one of the new Pokémon you made over summer, Harry!"
Harry called his newest Pokémon out of its ball, but Ron was very unimpressed by the big orange and yellow fish that flopped around on the ground uselessly.
"Doesn't a fish need to be in water?" he asked doubtfully.
"Magikarp! Karp, karp!" the fish burbled, thrashing about on the faded carpet of the train carriage.
"No, the Magikarp can't swim, actually."
"What does it do, then?"
"It just kind of… flops about. Its scales are super tough like rock! I based it off a goldfish. Not bad, huh?"
"Is it tasty? It's pretty big."
The fish flapped its tail and fins more frantically, but uselessly. "Magikarp! Karp!"
"No. You don't eat Pokémon!" Harry said, aghast. Well, maybe the Farfetch'd duck. But he wouldn't do such a thing.
"I think your magic carp is the most useless thing you've ever made," Ron said disparagingly.
"It is not! You just wait. It'll get loads better in its next evolution. It's a work in progress."
Ron shrugged. "I liked what you did with Hedwig much better. She looks kind of like a blue phoenix, now. That's much cooler."
"I think his fish Pokémon is wonderful," said Luna loyally. "Oh, and Daddy and I have finally finished all our drawings and notes on the Crumple-Horned Snorkack," she said, handing over a bag full of large tightly rolled scrolls of parchment to Harry. "I'd like it as my starter Pokémon, please. A girl one for me, and Daddy wants a boy."
"I'll get right on it, after I've read through all this," Harry promised. "I don't want to get it wrong."
Colin and Dennis Creevey, the two most excitable of Harry's fans and heads of his unofficial fan club, stopped by with a few other Muggleborns (all avid watchers of the Pokémon cartoons) to take photos, chat with him, and admire the progress he'd made over the holidays on Hedwig and his new fish Pokémon.
Colin chatted for a while about how he and his brother had tried to make a Pokémon themselves. "We wanted an Eevee, so we tried Transfiguring Boots-"
"-That's our pet cat," contributed Dennis.
"Yes. But we'd just gotten him brown with long ears, and then there was this whole flock of owls from the Ministry warning us not to use our wands."
"Mum was furious!" Dennis chimed in.
"So she locked up our wands, but we remembered what you said about how we don't really need them, and we managed to wish him brown again, with a proper white ruff and everything! But then mum called the Ministry and got them to undo it."
"She's such a spoilsport."
"So we don't have an Eevee after all, and we were grounded for a fortnight," Colin concluded with a sigh.
"This year we're going to save up our money and get our owncat or rabbit to Transfigure," Dennis said, excitedly. "Colin's going to see if he can buy one in Hogsmeade."
Harry smiled happily at his fellow Pokémon fans. "Good luck!"
*pokemonpokemonpokemon*
Not everyone believed him, but Harry really didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Explaining how easy an age line would be to bypass if you really wanted to probably didn't help soothe Ron's briefly lived burst of suspicious jealousy. Harry was thinking of ignoring the whole thing. But after Luna pointed out that being in the competition was practically a license to skip all the "useless" classes he always complained about and instead concentrate on his own projects, he was somewhat reconciled to the idea, but still grumbled a bit about it.
"But didn't you want to be in a Pokémon tournament?" she encouraged.
Harry's jaw dropped. "It's… a… tournament!" he said excitedly, his imagination catching fire with her reframing of it as an opportunity to battle with his Pokémon, rather than it being a test of his spellcasting abilities.
"That's the spirit! And you can win it!" she smiled. "I believe in you!"
"My Pokémon will evolve so fast, if I use them in a tournament! We're going to win! Do you think I'll get a badge?"
Luna frowned sadly. "Only a big bag of money, I'm afraid."
"Oh well, I guess I can buy myself a badge, as a bit of a prize," he said a little disappointedly. "Do you think they'd make me a badge, if I gave up some of the money?"
"I'm sure you could commission one."
Oddly enough, Harry's switch to being excited about the first task was what convinced Ron that Harry really hadn't entered himself in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry asked why that was.
"Well, I think you would've been excited right from the start if you'd entered yourself. It's like you're just now realizing how really cool it is. You're just not that good a liar to hide your feelings for that long, or to suddenly fake enthusiasm for the Tournament."
In the first task, Harry was just as excited as Hagrid that there were going to be dragons to fight, though he was disappointed that he wouldn't get to keep one. Cedric of course was much more nervous about the whole thing, and appreciated the heads up on the nature of the first task, if not Harry's somewhat intimidating enthusiasm about how great it was going to be to fight a dragon.
Harry drew the Hungarian Horntail in the competition, and as he entered the arena he smiled and waved happily at the crowd. It was his first real battle, and he simply couldn't be more excited!
"Magikarp! I choose you!" he said, releasing the useless giant orange fish. "Use Splash!" he cried, and it flopped around briefly in front of the dragon, who breathed fire on it.
"Magikaaarp!" it said in a pained voice before flopping unconscious. Its eyes looked a bit odd, but it remained otherwise unharmed. Harry was relieved – he'd made it tough enough to withstand even dragon fire, just like he'd pictured. Sitting up in the stands with Luna amidst Harry's predominantly Gryffindor supporters, Ron was watching white-knuckled at Harry's pathetic attempt to defeat the angry mother dragon with his flappy fish. Didn't he know he could dieout there?!
"Magikarp return!" Harry said happily, as it returned to its Pokéball in his hand. "Good work Magikarp. That should help you evolve even better than your practice sessions with Pikachu. You have a rest now. Hedwig, I choose you!"
"Hedwig! Articuno!" his former owl said, with twice the vocal range of an ordinary Pokémon, like she'd insisted.
"Use Ice Beam!" The dragon didn't really understand quite what had hit it, but it knew it didn't like it. With the dragon on the defensive, shivering and bunkered down over its eggs, Harry moved to the next stage of his plan: Wyrmtongue.
The students in the stadium gasped to hear him speaking in a combination of roars and hisses to the dragon, sounding a little like Parseltongue. "We won't be trying to capture you today, and I don't want to hurt your eggs. So if you give me the fake gold egg from your nest, we will stop attacking and leave you alone."
"Agreed," it roared, pushing the golden egg out of its nest.
With Hedwig proudly and watchfully perched on his shoulder, Harry walked over fearlessly to pick up the golden egg only metres away from the dragon, to the gasps and cheers of the audience.
"I could have beaten it with another attack," hooted Hedwig disappointedly.
"Of course we could have knocked it out," hooted Harry apologetically, "but it's always good to make friends, too. She's a mother with eggs, so we should be kind to her. And we still won. That's the most important thing."
"The winner of this battle is Harry Potter!" cheered Luna loudly from his supporters' section, waving a little flag. The animated purple plush Crumple-Horned Snorkack on her hat (one of her own best creations to date) let out a loud honk.
*pokemonpokemonpokemon*
Sirius Black attended the second task as a spectator, having finally gotten his long over-due trial from the Ministry, helped by providing the evidence of Peter Pettigrew's badly beaten and unconscious body, and his own testimony. Veritaserum and Legilimency helped his side of the story be believed, as well as having the increasingly famous Harry Potter vouching for him at his trial. Pettigrew was immediately given the Dementor's Kiss.
Sirius sat in the stands at the lake's edge next to Professor McGonagall, and well away from Snape.
"You know, Minnie, it's a good thing you didn't try and take any of his Pokémon as the thing he'd miss most," he said conversationally. "I know he increased his own special warding on those magic balls after he figured out what the clue for the task was."
Harry scowled up at Dumbledore and everyone else in the teacher's stand as he waited for the signal to go, shivering at the lake's edge with the other Champions.
"I don't think kidnapping Luna was a better plan, though," continued Sirius. "He looks angrier than a dragon who's just spotted a poacher."
"Well, she's definitely the person he values most," said Professor McGonagall with blithe unconcern. "No offense, Sirius. I know he cares for you too."
"None taken. Can't trump young love. Not that he's quite ready to admit it yet," smiled Sirius. "He and I are friends, and his old pal Ron and he have made up after their little tiff and are friends again too. But Luna? Well, that's something special I think."
Down below at the lake shore, Harry glared up at the teachers. Villains, the lot of them. Candidates for Team Rocket. Fancy kidnapping Luna and threatening to drown her if he didn't make it to her in time. He wouldn't let her, or any of the other hostages, be killed for this stupid competition. And if they did die, he'd… well… he didn't know what he'd do, but it would be bad.
He'd been planning to use his new Squirtle (formerly a turtle gifted by Sirius) for this task, in combination with chomping on some Gillyweed (he wasn't ready yet to try self-transfiguration – it made him nervous). But luckily one of his other Pokémon had recently evolved with a bit of duelling practice and a magical rock Luna had crafted as a gift for him, and it would be an even better choice for towing him to find Luna in record time.
Finally given the call to start, he cast a wandless, wordless warming charm on himself, then chewed doggedly on his rubbery Gillyweed until he felt his gills grow, then plunged into the water, swimming out swiftly. Though not as swiftly as the others, who outpaced him to start with. Once he had gotten far enough underwater that there would be room for it to swim, he called his newly evolved Pokémon out of its ball, and the monstrously large Gyarados materialised in the water. The giant blue sea serpent scared the life out of the other competitors as Harry rode on its back all the way to the merfolk village. The merpeople scattered in fear as he approached.
"Squirtle, you stay here, alright?" bubbled Harry. "If it looks like the hour's almost up, and no-one's come to rescue their hostage, get them free and up to the surface."
"Squirtle!" it nodded enthusiastically.
Gyarados very carefully maneuvered its head around to snap Luna's ropes with a bite of its enormous jaws, and Harry lifted her gently onto its back, to lie in front of him as they rose up to the surface, terrifying and impressing the audience and judges alike.
Krum returned Hermione safely to shore not long after - she'd been spending a lot of time with lately. Rumour had it they were dating, and her selection as the person he'd miss most seemed to lend credence to that gossip, as did the way they embraced as she thanked him for rescuing her. Harry was happy for her – while she hung out with Neville a bit, she'd been a little lonely in Gryffindor since she'd stopped being close friends with him and Ron. In the shy, bookish Krum she'd found a perfect match, and they'd been quite inseparable lately.
Fleur, the beautiful part-Veela, sobbed out her gratitude as Harry's Squirtle appeared with her little sister safe on its shelled back, and Harry was politely pleased to have helped. But he only had eyes for Luna. What would he do without her? They'd gone to the Yule Ball together "just as friends", but now he knew she meant more to him than that.
"Luna…" he breathed softly. "I was so afraid I'd lose you forever."
He brushed some strands of her wet blonde hair out of her face and leaned in towards her, hand tangled in her hair. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a soft look came over her face. But the tender moment was interrupted and spoiled as Ludo Bagman rushed up to shake Harry's hand and congratulate him on a fine performance in the Second Task. Damn him.
*pokemonpokemonpokemon*
Hedwig flew ahead through the labyrinth to report back on the best path to the centre, and Pikachu padded happily ahead of Harry, having her moment of glory taking out giant spiders, a sphinx, and other deadly creatures, with well-aimed lightning bolts.
Harry was first to the cup by a good margin, and Pikachu hopped up on his shoulder just before he grabbed it. In howl of wind and swirling colour, Harry landed awkwardly on the ground of a dark and overgrown graveyard. He almost dropped the Triwizard Cup, with the rough landing. Pikachu leapt from his shoulder to the ground with her usual graceful agility, rather than suffer the possible indignity of a fall.
"Hello?" he called, looking around in confusion. "Is this a second stage of the maze? Did I win?" But no-one answered – it looked like it was just him and Pikachu.
"Pika-pi?" asked Pikachu, head tilted with confusion as she looked up at him.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know where we are. I thought we'd appear at the podium."
Professor Moody walked out of the shadows beneath the trees, carrying a baby bundled up in robes.
"Professor? Did I win? Where are we? Is this another stage of the contest?"
Placing his bundle carefully down on the ground next to a marble headstone, the Professor pointed his wand in Harry's direction.
"What's going on?"
"Pika!" warned his little companion sharply, cheeks crackling with electricity, but it was too little too late. With a muttered "Stupefy", a red light shot out of his Professor's wand, stunning his Pikachu, whose eyes started rolling around as she slumped unconscious. Harry was next, before he had time to react.
He woke as he was being roughly tied to a marble headstone by Professor Moody, while a large cauldron bubbled away nearby. He didn't waste any time asking stupid questions this time about what was going on, but instead simply yelled out, "Everyone! Come on out and attack Professor Moody and help me!"
Professor Moody focused his attacks on Harry's Gyarados, and it must be admitted did look the most fearsome. But while tough enough to withstand Moody's first stunning attack, it was at a disadvantage on land, and Moody should've been more worried about some of his other Pokémon instead. For Hedwig flew past while he was distracted and froze him solid in a block of ice. His professor's eyes looked wide and terrified, finding himself alive but unable to move while entombed in ice. Bulbasaur freed Harry by cutting his ropes with a Razor Leaf attack, while Charmander's Flamethrower attack made short work of a large snake who slithered out from behind some tombstones to attack them – it fled in fear, looking painfully scorched.
"Well done everyone!" Harry praised. "We don't want Professor Moody to suffocate though, Hedwig."
"Articuno," she hooted apologetically.
"That's alright, girl. So, I'll want Charmander to melt the ice around his head, and Squirtle you keep him busy with bubble beam while Bulbasaur uses sleep powder!"
"Squirtle!"
"Bulba," his Bulbasaur nodded seriously.
With the combination of attacks, Professor Moody was soon unconscious, his arms and lower body still trapped in the ice.
"What is going on?" came a high cold voice from the bundle on the ground. "Barty, my servant, attend me!"
"Bulbasaur, use vine whip and grab that thing carefully!"
What Bulbasaur's tentacle-like vines lifted out from the concealment of the pile of robes was a horrifying sight. It was like a hairless, scaly red-black baby. But no baby had a flat face with gleaming evil red eyes like that creature did.
"Release me at once! Lord Voldemort is not to be treated in such a manner!" it hissed, its voice almost hurting Harry, before he decided firmly he wasn't going to put up with any sass from his scar. He didn't have time for a headache right now, so the stabbing pain died away to a dull ache under the blowtorch of his will.
He got Bulbasaur to stun the delusional evil baby-thing too, just in case it was dangerous. He would've worried more about the evil baby and what was going on, but got distracted as that final battle seemed to do the trick to trigger Bulbasaur's evolution into Ivysaur. After all his Pokémon and he had finished celebrating with some rousing cheers, he recalled most of them to their Pokéballs. With a quick cry of "Rennervate", Pikachu revived from unconsciousness, and hopped back up to its accustomed favourite spot on his shoulder, while he sent Hedwig out in search of Luna with a message to get some teachers to find him and bring help.
"Well, let's grab the cup, and see what we can find nearby, shall we? There must be some kind of town nearby."
"Pikachu," it agreed. But their plan to explore in search of civilisation was brought to an abrupt end when the Triwizard Cup acted as a portkey for a second time, yanking him to the winner's podium at the edge of the maze where he landed with a stumble.
Poor Hedwig. It would be a long journey for her for nothing.
While Dumbledore helped him up, and people in the stands applauded, Harry tried to explain that it really was quite important that Professor Moody had attacked him. But Cornelius Fudge had a speech to give, and brooked no interruptions. After having his hand shaken, and a box of galleons handed to him, he was also awarded a small silver badge with the Ministry logo on it – a decorative letter "M" with a wand superimposed on it.
"I read in the Daily Prophet that you really wanted a badge if you won," beamed the Minister. "Thought we may as well indulge you if you ended up making it this far, eh?"
"Thank you sir, that's very kind of you," said Harry politely. "Now, about Professor Moody-"
"Never mind him. Man's got a hair trigger, darn fine Auror though. We'll get to your complaint in a minute, there's photos to do first," said the Minister. Harry sighed.
"You won! You won!" laughed Luna, as she bounced towards him, grabbing his hands and spinning him around to dance in a circle with her. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder before she got flung off.
It brought him right out of his bad mood. "Yeah, I did! It was easy – I got Hedwig to scout a path through the maze and-"
But Luna cut him off as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down suddenly for a kiss. Her lips were soft and warm, his heart pounded, and he thought it was the most wonderful thing that had happened to him all day. He'd choose her over a tournament badge any time.
Ron and his brothers whooped and cheered nearby, as he surfaced from the kiss with an extremely stupid grin on his face.
"I caught a Luna!" he said triumphantly, putting his hands on her waist and lifting her a little off the ground briefly, making her squeal happily.
"I caught you, and you caught me," she said shyly. "And now you have to keep me."
"I will. Always," he promised.
By the time Dumbledore got him away from the Minister (and the much more loving clutches of his new girlfriend), and had gravely listened to Harry's story and dispatched some people in search of Hedwig and the graveyard, the erstwhile Professor Moody (or was it Barty?) and the miniature Voldemort were long gone. Even the cauldron was gone. Dumbledore ranted to the Minister and a Daily Prophet reporter about how it was Voldemort trying to come back from the dead (again), but no-one seemed immediately inclined to believe him. Finding Professor Moody imprisoned in his own office did lend to credence to his claims, however.
From Harry's point of view, it was all a problem for another time. Evil baby Voldemort was hard to see as a credible threat, so Harry was happy to leave the whole mess in the hopefully capable hands of adults, while he spent the summer concentrating on refining his Haunter into something friendlier (it was still trying to eat his soul), finishing making two absolutely perfect Crumple-Horned Snorkacks (they were proving tricky), and a Charmander for Hagrid. He'd even suffer through a couple of weeks at Privet Drive (like Dumbledore insisted he should) so he could finish his present for Luna in secret.