Chapter 25
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The bears were the first to go on the mission. Just ten minutes later, the other champions who were waiting for their turn in the tent heard applause. This meant that Krum and his team had completed the task. A few minutes later, the bell sounded and the Frenchwomen headed for the exit. Fleur smiled sweetly at her lover and left the tent with the rest of the girls.
All Harry could do was wait and pray that nothing would happen to his beloved. He was sure, of course, that Mademoiselle Delacourt was a strong witch and could handle the Chinese fireball alone. After all, in THAT life, she had been. But still, the dragoness set fire to her robe that time. What if something like that happens this time? If Fleur got even half an inch closer, it wouldn't just be her robe. Time dragged on interminably slow. A minute seemed like an hour. Unable to bear the torture, Harry jumped to his feet and spun around the tent. His friends understood his excitement. Neville thought that if it had been himself in Harry's place, and his favourite Fleur in his place, he would not have been kept in that tent by a giant.
NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM'S POV.
No, I wouldn't be able to be anywhere else while my beloved fights a monster. Harry, on the other hand... Harry can. He's nervous, of course, he's worried, but he's hanging in there. Yeah, I don't have the willpower of my friend and leader. That's why Harry can lead us. We made the right choice back then, in Azkaban. Harry was the only one who could lead us. And I'll never be that. As my grandmother would say, I've got the wrong leaven. And Ron and Draco aren't really leaders either, they're wingmen. They're looking pale and nervous. Merlin, I dread to think what would happen if Fleur got hurt, or more to the point.... died. Harry would rip the dragoness' throat out with his teeth. He couldn't bear it, he'd go mad with grief. Losing the one he loves a second time. A second time. Harry loved her THEN, even though he said Fleur was just a friend. Okay, he lied to us, but he lied to himself. Why? Well, let's say he lied to us so we wouldn't worry about him. What about himself? Why himself? Maybe it was for the best. Surviving the death of a loved one. Who's going to be normal after that. Snape? He didn't even really live, he just existed after Mrs Potter died. He was scary to look at. We were fools to think Snape was a natural scum, but he was... And Harry. How did he get through it? Did self-deception help? Fleur was never just a friend to him. He loved her. And the red-haired bitch was just a pale substitute... Merlin and all the saints, help. May nothing happen to Fleur....
THE END OF NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM'S POV.
Neville sighed heavily as he looked at his friend flailing around the tent. Tracing the trajectory of his movement with his eyes, Longbottom ran into Granger's unkind gaze. Shoving Draco in the side with his elbow, he gestured at the newly minted punk. Malfoy's eyes immediately squinted unkindly. The Gryffindor's gaze did not bode well for Harry, and Draco's gaze boded trouble for herself. Granger's intense focus on Potter was fraught with consequences. The boys remembered it too well, as if it had been yesterday. And it didn't matter that they knew everything ahead of time now. What if something changes and they're not ready for it? Then they need to be proactive. Draco, watching this mutt of Dumbledore's, began to make a plan on how best, it would be to get Granger out of the way. And not just off the game board, she was already off it, but out of life in general.
The applause came as a surprise to the Tigers. They were too deep in their thoughts and worries, and therefore all four of them shuddered at the same time. Five minutes later, a radiant Fleur and her partners burst into the tent. Harry immediately scooped his favourite into his arms and patted her down, checking for injuries of course. Fleur laughed happily at how worried her boyfriend was about her. Only then did a calm expression appear on Potter's face. Well, the Chinese Fireball could sleep easy tonight, and so could the tournament organisers. Fleur was unharmed, which meant that they would not be in danger of a violent massacre. The signal announcing that the dragon was waiting for the Tigers did not allow them to enjoy the embrace of Fleur and Harry. Fleur gave her lover a quick peck on the cheek and wished him good luck. After that, the team exited the tent.
The four young mages entered the fence that enclosed a huge area that resembled a volcano crater. The dragoness fidgeted restlessly on her clutch, raking her eggs deeper under her. She clearly didn't like the fact that those who smelled threatening were around. Animals are much better than humans at sensing the essence of those around them, and magical animals have this ability almost perfectly. All of the draconess's instincts were screaming that there was a predator much stronger and more dangerous than she was. She hissed menacingly. Harry amplified his voice with a spell and hissed back. He did his best to get her out of his mind so that her attention was completely focused on him. At the same time, Draco, Neville and Ron summoned their brooms that Sirius had given them before they left for school. The brand new Flurries Extra, not yet on sale but somehow acquired by Lord Black in a quantity of four, appeared a dozen seconds later and hovered in the air.
Saddling their brooms and sending one to Potter, the boys flew upwards. Ron hovered directly above the dragoness so that he could hit her in the wing with a powerful, painful curse. Neville hovered behind her, while Draco hovered a little to the side, away from Harry, rising higher as their leader took off. Potter hissed something threateningly, and when the draconess was about to spit a blob of fire at him, stepped aside. At that moment, Malfoy and Longbottom each released a curse - a powerful water stream and an explosive one, respectively. The draconess twitched and coughed. The incipient fire in its mouth was extinguished by the rush of water. Somewhere below came the cries of draconologists worried not for the participants, but for their pets. The dragoness took a few clumsy steps forward. Now Neville could, without fear of being hit by its tail, go downstairs. Which he did, summoning the pouch of seeds left in the champions' tent. After the pouch flew into his open palm, the young man poured out the seeds of magical ivy. Another quick growth spell and the seeds gave off sprouts that began to grow at an alarmingly high rate. This variety of ivy was valuable in that it could hold even a giant when braided with its stems, so strong were the shoots. When the plant reached a couple of dozen feet in length, Longbottom waved his wand like a conductor, directing the stems of the plant towards the dragoness's tail. Draco, noticing that Neville had managed his part of the plan, hit the ground right under the magical creature's feet with an explosive curse, and Harry, not stopping hissing, used the same stream of water that Malfoy had used earlier, once again putting out the fire ready to burst from the dragon's mouth. The dragoness coughed again, releasing puffs of blue smoke. She stepped back, glaring fiercely at her two enemies, Potter and Malfoy. It was only then that she realised she had been trapped. The creature's tail was braided tightly around the ivy. The dragoness jerked once, then again, but couldn't break free. A desperate roar swept across the arena. Harry waved his hand, anticipating victory. Ron, seeing his leader's sign, pointed his broom towards the nest. Two seconds and the golden egg was in his hands. At the same second a signal sounded, signalling that the task was over.
The four boys flew to the arena exit and descended from their brooms. Harry realised with annoyance that they had spent an inordinate amount of time on this task. It had been worth it, though. Not everyone could drive a dragon mad, steal an egg from it, and still be unharmed. And, in fact, they were within the allotted time, so it was all right. Having passed into the tent for champions, "tigers" still had time to notice pale to blue "phoenixes". And then they came out. A challenge awaited them. Harry had just turned to look for Fleur when the blonde hurricane practically knocked him off his feet and nearly strangled him in a hug. Potter laughed merrily, it was his Fleur, that was what she was all about. Strangled to revive in his arms, knocked down only to be kissed. What could he do, she was a Veila, and he was the one to whom the Veila had given her heart.....
Casting distraction charms on the part of the tent they were in, the boys and Fleur went outside. They had the patience to watch the 'phoenixes' go about their tasks. Shifting into their animagic forms, and by the way Fleur could transform too, she was a snow white blue, they headed towards the arena. None of the people present paid attention to the strange group of animals that had crept under the bleachers and were watching the arena with obvious interest. No one except the two professors who knew who they were looking for. But they would not say anything to anyone, because they were on the same side.
Meanwhile, a drama was unfolding in the arena. The Phoenix team, as it turned out, were powerless before the enraged dragoness. Granger had experienced what it was like to be burned by dragon flames from the second minute of the ordeal. She was squatting with her back against one of the many boulders that acted as shelter for the participants. The girl clutched the hand that had been scorched by the fire to her chest and sobbed bitterly, desperately. A small coal was lying nearby - it was all that was left of Granger's wand. Behind another boulder, the rest of the team sat huddled together, staring at their partner in horror. Suddenly Parkinson snapped out of her seat and ran towards the dragon. In the next second, the stands erupted into an aghast gasp. The dragon flame struck directly at the girl. For a few moments afterwards, Pansy could still be seen squirming in unbearable pain, and then the fire completely consumed her... The time trial was stopped. Granger was sent to the hospital wing, and Parkinson.... There was nothing left of her. Moreover, the family of which she was heir no longer existed. Lord and Lady Parkinson, present for the second part of the first trial and sitting on the guest podium, had died. Seeing their daughter burned alive, their hearts couldn't take it. The remaining team members refused to continue with the task. In the tragic atmosphere, Ludo Bagman's voice was unpleasantly loud as he read out the teams' scores. "Phoenixes" received 0 points, "Bears" received 40, "Salamanders" received 38 and "Tigers" received 40. Thus, at the end of the task, Harry's team was first, Cram's team was second, Fleur's team was third and Chang's team was fourth. Walking back to the castle, Malfoy said softly: - Parkinson did it on purpose. She saved her clan from disgrace by undergoing purification of herself and the clan magic with fire. No matter what, no one will ever speak a bad word about her clan now...