If you thought this couldn't get any more chaotic… you were wrong.
Part 1
Harry stood right at the entrance of the arena, listening to the roar of the crowd as people shouted his name. He couldn't help letting out a slightly forced smile.
Truthfully, he didn't enjoy being the center of attention that much. Though, to be fair, he had a natural talent for ending up there anyway. Setting aside the fact that he was the Boy Who Lived; the son of the Scarlet Witch; the boy known as the genius creator of battle golems; a student of Nicolas Flamel. He had quite a few titles that attracted attention.
Saying that didn't inflate his ego at least a little would have been a lie.
The truth was, he had never wanted to compete in this task. But now that he was here, obviously he had to give it his all and put on a show.
The best way he knew how.
The coolest way possible.
Harry stepped into the arena, letting a small smile slip across his face, and the crowd immediately erupted in cheers as they saw the last champion enter for the final task of the day.
"Harry!" some Ravenclaw students shouted, including several of his friends and acquaintances.
As always, the loudest ones were the Gryffindors, who were even launching small fireworks that were surely the work of a certain pair of twins. The Hufflepuffs, ever friendly, seemed to be cheering for every champion equally and were clearly here to enjoy the show from beginning to end.
Only the Slytherins looked like they were hoping Harry would be devoured by some strange creature. Though even among them, a few couldn't quite stop themselves from cheering just a little.
Up in the professors' stands, he could see the judges. His godfather's face showed pride… and that same slightly idiotic expression that reminded Harry he still had to get back at him for certain things.
Then he saw his aunts.
And his mother.
Wanda was giving him a soft smile, but for some reason that only gave Harry a bad feeling.
He quickly shook his head, pushing the thought away.
Then he saw his siblings shouting excitedly. Even the calmest one, Billy, was getting caught up in Tommy's enthusiasm.
Luna and Astoria were cheering loudly too, wearing some rather striking outfits, with a visibly embarrassed Ginny standing beside them.
Luna was wearing something that looked like a Red costume, complete with an enormous dragon head as a hat. Ginny had a full princess outfit. Meanwhile, Astoria was dressed like a warrior… for some reason.
Harry couldn't help smiling.
Those outfits were obviously Daphne's doing.
As Harry walked toward the center of the arena, he suddenly stepped on something that crunched beneath his foot, so he looked down.
There was a rock there.
A very familiar one.
One he hadn't seen in a long time.
The Resurrection Stone.
It was still cracked. And lying beside it was the Elder Wand.
Harry frowned in confusion before his expression shifted into mild understanding. He knew perfectly well where those two destroyed objects had ended up.
And judging by the saliva still covering them… it was pretty obvious.
Harry crouched down, picked up both items, and stuffed them into his robes with a slight look of disgust before standing again to wait for his opponent.
He wasn't even paying attention to Ludo's commentary anymore. After all, he had a bet to win against his friends.
He stared straight at the entrance on the other side of the arena.
Waiting.
"Alright then! Let our dangerous beast enter the arena to face our champion!" Ludo shouted, while the crowd was already excited after seeing the previous creatures, none of which had looked particularly normal.
Even by magical standards.
Just like Harry, everyone turned their attention to the arena entrance, waiting for something to come out.
But after several seconds… nothing appeared.
Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the judges' section. They looked just as confused. The professors too.
The only one who still looked perfectly calm was his mother.
Wanda.
She still had that amused smile on her face. The same smile she had whenever she was about to punish one of the three brothers for something they had done… right before turning them into babies or taking pictures of them in ridiculous animal costumes.
Seeing that expression, Harry immediately began looking around more carefully.
Then he suddenly felt something strange in his robes.
His hand went straight to the pocket where he usually kept his wand.
Harry's eyes widened instantly when he realized it wasn't there anymore.
Even after the last time it had been stolen, he had added several anti-theft protections.
But it was gone.
Harry looked around carefully.
Only one person; or rather, one very small person, could disappear right in front of someone's face that easily.
And Harry found her.
She was floating just above the chest, looking at him with a small smile while her wings fluttered softly. In her hands, almost twice her own size, she held Harry's wand.
The wand was glowing faintly with a dark red color that wrapped around the tiny fairy.
"Terra?" Harry said when he saw her.
"Wait, Terra, drop that!" Harry shouted.
But it was already too late.
Suddenly, the red aura of chaos surrounded the fairy, just like it had once surrounded the house-elf before. Even the clouds in the sky began to spin, covering the sunlight completely as they turned red and swirled above the arena.
Everyone stared at the small fairy in confusion.
Then they looked up at the sky.
And then back at the fairy in the center of the arena.
She was now covered by a completely red cocoon. It looked like a beating heart, and it began to grow as Harry tried to approach with a panicked expression.
But the air around the cocoon seemed to repel everything.
It pushed Harry backward, forcing him to cover his face with both hands as chunks of earth and pieces of the ground were torn loose and thrown into the air, shaking everything around him.
Leaving only the chest at the center.
Harry looked back toward his mother.
She seemed to open her mouth to say something that he wouldn't be able to hear from that distance.
But by reading her lips, Harry understood it clearly.
"You can do it. Good luck."
Harry couldn't help looking at his mother. And just like Draco when he saw Red, Harry couldn't stop himself from putting on a truly forced smile before turning back toward the cocoon, which had begun to crack slowly.
The cocoon opened like an egg, the broken fragments falling toward the ground for a moment as if they were solid magic. But before touching the floor they suddenly stopped, floating in the air before rushing back toward the center of the egg.
An absolute red light flashed, blinding everyone for a brief moment.
When it faded, all eyes turned back to the center of the arena.
And then they widened in surprise.
A woman stood there.
And she was truly beautiful.
Her red hair flowed down in a bright cascade that almost touched the ground, moving softly as if the air itself obeyed her presence. Behind her stretched two enormous wings made of pure scarlet magic; they did not look like feathers, but like soft flames burning without heat.
The dress she wore had formed from the fragments of the cocoon, pieces of magic joining together until they became a long, elegant gown of deep crimson. It was very different from the small dress Terra used to wear.
This was the dress of a queen.
A scarlet crown rested upon her head, simple yet impossible to ignore.
Her face was delicate; red lips, a fine nose, and intense blue eyes.
Terra's eyes.
But now they shone with a clarity and authority that had never been there before.
Her ears were slightly pointed, and in her hand the wand had changed shape, transforming into a slender staff made of intertwined roots with small red flowers growing along it.
Everything about her radiated power.
Not the kind of power that destroys cities.
But the ancient kind of power that makes the world itself listen.
The presence of a queen.
For a moment it seemed as if the true queen of the fairies had appeared in the middle of the arena.
Or perhaps… that was exactly what had happened.
For several seconds, no one in the stands said a word. Absolute silence had fallen over the arena.
Only Harry opened his mouth.
"Terra?" Harry asked as he looked at her.
"Harry," she said softly, a gentle and joyful smile on her face.
Her voice sounded like that of an angel, slipping directly into the hearts of everyone present. Even though she had barely spoken above a murmur, the sound seemed to travel across the entire arena, filling the air with a strange and absolute peace.
"You…" Harry didn't know what to say as he looked at his little friend.
Now turned into… this.
"It is Titania," she said again.
"Sorry?" Harry asked.
"Titania. My name. Terra, nickname," she said with the same soft smile. Then she added naturally,
"Queen of the Fairies."
Harry completely froze when he heard the real name.
And the title.
He had never expected the little Terra to be hiding something like that.
"Well then, Harry," Titania said as she lightly moved the staff in her hand. "Are you ready for your test?"
Suddenly red flowers began to sprout from the ground, spreading quickly until a massive field of blossoms covered the area around them. Even the edge of the Forbidden Forest seemed to grow slightly closer, while the fresh scent of nature filled the entire arena.
"Can I say no?" Harry asked, looking at the fairy in front of him.
"No," Terra replied with a gentle smile.