The First Task

Chapter 53. The First Task

"Gather around, children." Dumbledore ordered, barging into the champion's tent, the others trailing behind him.

The anticipated day finally came. And it was this day that was supposed to distract the Wizarding World from their new terror.

Red Grim.

The time following the demise of the Death Eaters was eerily silent and uneventful, the entire magical community holding their collective breath after the mass killings, waiting for the other shoe to drop, dreading the rise of another power-hungry monster.

The Ministry's strong Auror force was deployed freely and abundantly throughout Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and Hogwarts to offer a sense of false safety. Even Dumbledore hadn't made any fuss when Madam Bones assigned tens of Aurors in the castle for the students' security, knowing how severe the situation was. Knowing that the wards had been breached twice already.

But surprisingly, Red Grim never made another appearance.

It should have been a blessing. A cause for celebration and relief.

Alas, people were hardly ready to believe that this disappearance was permanent. Because Red Grim wasn't just a 'good' extremist who only killed Death Eaters. No, this was the same villain who decapitated several Hogwarts students and stuck their heads on the castle wall. Even though many were secretly—or not so secretly—glad of the recent killings, they still despised this 'benevolent' killer for murdering schoolchildren.

Only if the public knew that those dead students got killed because they attempted to hurt the then second year, Daphne Greengrass. But since they didn't, the majority of the population was leaning more towards fear and apprehension when thinking about the 'reasonable' serial killer.

This tournament should allow the people to relax and focus on something else, or so everyone hoped.

Presently, the three teams got off their sofas and converged towards the approaching group.

Being a champion really came with lots of privileges. Although this tent was temporary, the management had gone full out in making it lavish and comfortable. The floor was covered by thick blue carpet and the tent was divided into four parts. Three equal areas for the three teams, parted by thin violet curtains. And one big area acting as a common room. Furthermore, each team area was provided with a single bed, a cosy sofa, and a table laden with platters of food and drinks.

Dumbledore and the others came to a stop in the common area before the champions.

"It's time to reveal what the first task is. Listen carefully, today, each team is going to face a dragon. A Hungarian Horntail to be specific." The Headmaster began, relieved when he saw that none of the kids acted too surprised. Meaning, they already knew and should be sufficiently prepared. "Your task is to retrieve the golden egg placed in the dragon's nest. And the golden bell wrapped around the dragon's neck."

Cedric went pale at hearing that. Getting the egg was already difficult, but snatching the bell from the dragon's neck was nigh impossible without risking their lives. And the way Dumbledore scowled in displeasure meant that it wasn't his idea either. Even the other champions became stiff at the revelation barring Harry and Daphne who merely looked intrigued.

"You must be joking, Professor." Cedric mumbled aloud, giving words to what everyone was thinking, calling them out for their unreasonable demands. "You can't expect us to go near the dragon's head to get the bell. That's suicide."

Before Dumbledore could explain, Crouch spoke up. "It's no joke, Mister Diggory. But you can still advance to the second task if you get the egg. Retrieving the golden egg will grant you 30 points while the golden bell will award you additional 70 points. And if you fail to acquire even the egg then your team will be disqualified."

Many of them exhaled and offered their Headmasters reassuring smiles when Dumbledore, Aleksander, and Maxime requested them to be safe instead of foolishly ambitious, advising them against it. The option to skip retrieving the bell was greatly appreciated.

"Yes, yes, be safe and all that. But try to be entertaining too. The entire world will watch your performance." Bagman piped up, seeming ready to jump up and down like a stupid young boy.

"But if you get in any precarious situation and fear that your life's in danger then you must use the built-in portkey stitched at the side of your trousers. And while these battle robes are sturdy and offer numerous protections, don't overestimate them. Before the dragonfire, they'll melt just like anything else. Your life is more important than this tournament. Don't risk it." Dumbledore said in a clipped tone before Bagman could offer any more 'advice'.

"Yes, Professor." The nine champions nodded.

"Good. Now to decide the order in which you'll participate. Captains, step forward." Crouch dipped his head, agreeing with Dumbledore on this one. The lives of magical children were far more valuable than this competition.

Elitsa, Daphne, and Cedric moved towards the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. The three were then asked to pick out cards from the bottomless bag.

"Team A will go first. Then Team C. And Team B will go last. You have fifteen minutes to get ready, Team A. Come out of the tent once you hear the sound of cannon fire."

Harry and his team returned to their space, pulling the violet curtains shut. And he raised privacy charms to discuss their strategy in solitude. Elitsa plopped down on the purple satin sofa, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together in a thin line. Even Fleur seemed troubled as she sat beside the older girl.

"What's with the long face?" He asked, popping a grape in his mouth from where he was leaning against the table.

"Zis task is dangerous. More dangerous zan we thought it would be." Fleur responded, fiddling with the cuff of the dragonhide jacket. Oh yes, as Dumbledore said earlier, each champion was provided a battle robe to participate in the tournament. It consisted of a stylish pair of buttoned dragonhide jackets and trousers. And each team's uniform was in a different colour. Team A's uniform was deep red with stripes of black here and there. And they weren't just fashionable but also acted as a sort of armour.

Harry's lips spread in a wide mocking smile. "Oh? Don't worry then. I'll just one-shot it if you two don't wanna participate. Just cower behind me and give me a kiss when we're done. A shiny knight saving the damsels from a dragon deserves that much at least. It'll make a fine story."

"I will kick you in ze nuts if you take ze spotlight from me." The silver-haired Veela barked instantly, prompting him to chuckle. Even the black-haired girl broke a smile at that, the nervousness vanishing abruptly.

In the last two weeks, as he had shown more of his power and displayed how outclassed they were against him, the girls had stopped seeing him as a prodigal third-year but young inexperienced boy and began treating him as an equal. And to allow each of them to shine in the tournament, it had been voted that Fleur would be given the central role in the first task, then Elitsa in the second one, and Harry in the last.

"I don't think you two vill agree to ignore the golden bell."

Harry and Fleur shook their heads. If there was a chance to get a perfect score then they were going after it. He would have quickly taken the responsibility of procuring that bell from the dragon's neck if it didn't risk overshadowing her. But since the French girl was going to play the main role in this task, it befell on her.

"Okay. Ve vill keep it simple then. I vill try to take the golden egg from the nest and Fleur vill go after the golden bell. Harry, you vill watch our backs and keep the dragon's tail and fire away from us. Can you do that?"

"Sure. I won't let the dragon hurt you." He declared, popping another grape into his mouth, scrunching his face when it tasted too sour. The two girls relaxed at his assurance. It was telling how much they trusted his strength to saddle him with the responsibility of keeping them safe.

The sudden boom of cannon startled them.

The three shared a determined look and pushed the curtain aside before striding into the common area where the other two teams were waiting anxiously. Their uniforms were of the same design, but instead of red and black, Team B had white overalls with blue linings and Team C had dark green with yellow linings.

"Good luck." Daphne said curtly, stepping towards him, looking mightily alluring in the leather jacket and snug bottoms. If it wasn't for the task he might have whisked her away for a passionate make-out session.

He smiled and gave her a short searing kiss, pulling her tight enough to feel her soft chest squashed against his, to sense her thumping heart against his. It seemed she was worried for him. He could understand that. The heart rarely agreed with the mind when it came to perilous situations.

It was a sign of his persistence that she merely folded into him instead of blushing, kissing him back in front of the others, and splayed her fingers across his back.

Before she could steal his breath and plunge her tongue down his throat, a cough from Fleur made them pull away.

Ignoring the Veela's amused stare, his girlfriend planted one more kiss on his cheek before withdrawing and moving back towards her teammates.

"Good luck, Harry." Cedric said as Team A walked out of the tent.

~xXxXx~

Iris sat with her mum in the stands.

It was a ginormous colosseum-like structure that was built overnight on the Hogwarts grounds. Currently, it was overflooded. Students, parents, and even some people from Hogsmeade had come to attend the prestigious tournament.

She looked around with an open mouth and wide eyes, just realising how big this event was. Her shock just grew some more when a large screen unfurled in the sky above the stands like a fluttering paper kite before taking a solid unmovable shape and hovering in a fixed place. The announcement from Bagman that the tournament would be broadcasted in every magical country felt unreal and impossible.

Well, Harry was definitely going to lose his anonymity if he performed extraordinarily here, which she knew he was going to.

The roar of the dragon brought her out of her ruminations. Dozens of wizards herded an angry black monstrosity into the arena. It was big enough to occupy a quarter of the arena. And there were deadly spikes growing on its long tail. She could very well imagine the punctured human body when struck with that. Once the scaly monster saw its eggs huddled in the straw nest, it willingly flew in and perched on the rock beside it, its claws making a portion of it crumble beneath it, licks of flame and smoke flaring out of its nostrils. It snapped its maw filled with dagger-like teeth at the wizards who bound its limbs with thick iron chains. Iris wasn't the only one who shuddered at that.

"What the fuck are those brainless nincompoops thinking? Pitting a dragon against the students? What if something happened to Daphne and Harry?" yelled Astoria, clutching her mother's arm. Proserpina didn't even scold her for the crass language, thinking the same thing. She knew Harry was strong enough to kill a dragon, and yet goosebumps covered her flesh and a niggle of worry slipped into her mind.

Iris, who was sitting between Lily and Astoria, smiled at the younger girl, patting her head. "Don't worry, Tori. Harry and Daphne are strong enough to handle a dragon."

Even she had been frozen in fright at the sight of the fire-breathing lizard before the knowledge of her brother and sister's true strength freed her from the fast-creeping fear. Neville, Hermione, and Tracey who were seated between Lily and Alice could only look on dubiously at the redhead, not knowing why she was so confident in those two's abilities. While Harry and Daphne were indeed bloody brilliant, they were still only third-years. How was it fair that they had to confront a dragon, a beast that needed dozens of adult wizards to subdue?

Further discussion was interrupted by the firing of the cannon.

"They do look good in battle robes. At least, the Ministry is providing them good armour." Proserpina noted with an approving nod, deciding to focus on the screen that displayed the zoomed-in image.

~xXxXx~

"Zat is a big dragon." Fleur gasped as the trio entered the arena, gawping at the giant reptile on the other side. Grey and black rocks grew on the fringes of the arena with a couple of large ones strewn on the grassy ground between them and the beast.

Loud cheers welcomed them and various encouragements blended into a single incoherent noise. Only Bagman's jovial commentary stood out. "Here comes our incredible champions from Team A. Let's see how they manage to overcome this hurdle."

They quickly hid behind the nearest boulder and sneaked glances at the dragon perched atop a demolished rock further away. Even from here, they could feel the overbearing heat of the dragon. They could only imagine how hot the dragonfire would be when just the temperature of its body fused within the air caused them such discomfort.

"Distract the dragon from the right side. I vill sneak towards the nest from the left." Elitsa commanded, applying a cooling charm and gesturing them away, already crouching and slipping towards another boulder ten feet ahead.

Harry and Fleur followed her instructions and ran, ducking behind another rock that lay in the opposite direction from where Elitsa went. The dragon didn't seem too interested and merely gave them an unimpressed look before idly looking up at the sky and puffing up smoke.

"So, what to do?" He questioned her as they sat side-by-side with their backs flushed against the rock. He wouldn't have minded taking care of the dragon by himself, but since the girls wanted to contribute too, he could only follow their previously laid agreement. According to this, the girl beside him was to be given the chance to show off her skills in this task.

Fleur bit her lip in contemplation before taking a long breath. Turning to him, she announced confidently. "I will bolt towards ze dragon. You will watch my back and use big shield charms to keep away ze fire and ze spiky tail. Once I get close, I will jump on its back and climb towards its neck. And zen I will take ze golden bell. Simple."

Harry snorted. "Too simple. But I can make it work."

"Good. Let's do it zen." Saying that she jumped on her feet. Harry slowly rose too and gripped his wand.

"As soon as I get up on this rock, run. Run as fast as you can towards the beast. I'll provide cover." He told her, glancing one more time at the placid dragon.

Grabbing the edge of the boulder, he heaved himself up. "Now!"

Fleur sprinted forward and leapt over a small stone, keeping her speed and closing the distance between her and her objective.

The dragon noticed the Veela's threatening approach instantly and reared its head, its maw opening wide and its many rows of sharp teeth glinting blue from the scorching brightness bubbling in the back of its throat.

Blue dragonfire rushed out of its mouth and blanketed the entire area where Fleur was, the flames melting even the farther stones into a soupy puddle, steam hissing and rising from them. And it wasn't just fire. There was a surprisingly powerful force behind it that mercilessly decimated the rocks in its path.

Silence fell over the entire arena once the Hungarian Horntail ceased spewing its deadly fire, everybody sitting on the edge of their seats and staring in horror at the crater where the silver-haired girl was. They impatiently glowered at the copious amount of steam, dying to know if their worst fear came true.

Harry stabbed his wand forward. And the noise of a strong gale replaced the silence. It swept away the steam to reveal a strange sight.

Towering in the middle of the crater was Fleur Delacour, perfectly healthy with not a single hair harmed from coming face to face with the magical flames. A golden translucent shield throbbed in the air around her like a protective bubble. Within the confines of the shield, everything was fine, even the grass was green and fresh unlike everywhere else.

Fleur smirked.

The dragon roared in rage.

And the audience went wild with cheers.

She resumed her run and went to the right side of the arena, acting as bait, taking the dragon's attention away from her nest, and pulling her to the other side. With a wave of her wand, an enormous slab of stone rose from the ground before her. It was whooping fifteen feet tall, and stairs formed on its side to lead her up to the top. Nimbly skipping the steps, she stood on the high rock and whirled around, instinctively closing her eyes as the dragon once again shot a booming wave of fire at her.

A second later, she opened her eyes and smiled at the golden barrier trembling around her, keeping her safe from death. She couldn't help but take a moment to admire the beauty of the dragonflame as it rushed past the protective bubble. If she squinted, she could almost make herself believe she was underwater. Such was the colour and the volume of the fire.

The fire abruptly stopped, and the dragon towered over her even when she was standing on a fifteen feet tall rock. The sound that came out of the beast was a squawk of disbelief that turned into a blind rage. It slammed its spiky tail multiple times against the barrier to no effect before smashing the side of its head on it and peering at Fleur with its colossal red-slitted eye.

"Elitsa has the egg. Take the bell and get away." She heard Harry's voice inside her head while her gaze was transfixed on the rabid beast that was trying to shatter the translucent barrier by snapping it between its jaws.

As it drew its snout away, preparing to slam against the barrier once more, Fleur mustered her courage for what she was going to do. "Remove the shield at the count of three."

She was glad that she didn't hear any arguments. She didn't have the time to convince him of this dangerous plan.

"1… 2… 3!"

Dodging its jaw by stepping aside— whoosh—and teetering at the edge of the boulder, she grabbed the chain hanging around its neck as the head passed her by and collided against the ward. As soon as her fingers touched the chain, it shone with a flash of light and disappeared from its neck, and reappeared in her hand. Apparently, the organisers had a little bit of mercy left in their hearts and all that champions needed to do to get the bell was to touch it.

With the bell in her grip, she leapt on the back of the dragon and ran along its spine stumblingly before turning to the side and jumping on its wing that was inclined towards the ground. Doing a front flip just because she was crazy, she hurried towards the exit where Harry and Elitsa were already waiting.

The rumbling of the ground told her that the dragon was still pursuing her. Her heart trying to escape through her throat, she closed her eyes and ran towards her teammates, the near proximity of the dragon roars causing her anxiety to skyrocket. Why was bolting away from the dragon more frightening than running towards it?

She opened her eyes when arms coiled around her and pulled her into the tunnel. Harry was laughing and teasing her for being a showoff. Even Elitsa was giggling as they ran through the tunnel and exited the arena.

~xXxXx~

"That girl is mad. Did you see that?" Alice exclaimed, shaking her head, and getting nods of agreement from Hermione, Neville, and Tracey.

Lily instead laughed in glee. "You say mad. I say daring. Who else can say that they went for a jog on the dragon's spine?"

"Why am I not surprised? You Gryffindors really do possess only a single brain cell." Proserpina smirked playfully, ribbing her, unaware of how similar she sounded to her elder daughter.

"We Gryffindors are the best." Astoria squawked indignantly, butting in their banter.

Proserpina merely smiled at her younger daughter instead of arguing which only incensed her more.

"Don't worry, dear. They're just jealous of us magnificent Gryffindors." Lily leaned over Iris—who was sitting between them—and patted her. Astoria smiled triumphantly at that and let Mrs. Potter rub her head, pacified for the moment, pondering how awesome Fleur looked tricking that big fucking dragon. Maybe the Frenchie hadn't been that bad and she was just letting her British blood take over. She would try to get a grip on her scorn for the Frenchie and be more amicable, not that they had been properly introduced yet.

"For the record, I'm a Gryffindor too, and I wouldn't have done that." said Alice, causing her to make a face. Tch, fake Gryffindors.

"Neither would I." Hermione piped up, not wanting to be generalised as a brainless caveman.

Iris just smiled amusedly at her family's byplay, content in remaining silent as she watched the dragonologists take the dragon away just to replace it with another of the same breed.

~xXxXx~

After getting checked up by Madam Pomfrey for any injuries, the trio happily left the medic tent behind.

"Good work, Harry. Good work, Fleur. Although that flip wasn't necessary." Elitsa praised, her grey eyes shining with satisfaction.

"Right? That was so extra. The entire magical world saw her doing a front flip from the dragon's wing. I can't imagine what they must be thinking." He snickered, ducking under a swipe from the embarrassed Veela.

"Please, stop reminding me. I don't know what came over me." She groaned as they walked towards the stands, now allowed to observe the first task since their turn was over. Although they wouldn't have minded getting a shower first. But the cleaning charms were good enough if they got to see how their fellow champions would do.

Harry and Elitsa laughed at her expense. He sidled up to her and slung his arm around her neck. "It's fine. At least you landed on your feet and not on your face."

The way she flinched told him that she was picturing her mortified expression while the entire world laughed at her.

"Thank you for giving me a new fear, 'Arry." She grumbled, elbowing him, vowing not to show off her acrobatics in these types of circumstances ever again.

The walk from there was filled with jokes and comebacks, Harry and Fleur goading one another while Elitsa looked over them with a mirthful smile.

"I will see you two later in the champions' tent. 'Ave to go see my family." Fleur slipped away as they neared the stands, hurrying towards her family with happiness written all over her face. Then Elitsa did too, giving his shoulder a squeeze before ambling away.

He saw his own folks on the upper tiers, eagerly awaiting his arrival. But it took him considerable time to slip past the enthusiastic crowd who patted and complimented him for shielding his teammates.

It was the second cannon fire, signalling the resuming of the first task, that got everyone off his back. As soon as he reached his family, he was engulfed in bone-crushing hugs and affectionate kisses. In the end, when everyone was done, he was pushed between Iris and Astoria on the bench as they plopped down to spectate Team C's attempt. He just smiled as the two cuddled into his side, placing his arms around them and holding them tightly.

~xXxXx~

"We'll distract the dragon. You sneak towards the nest." Cedric proposed, asking Juliette to go after the egg. The graceful blonde was visibly shivering, with no deception skill able to help her in the face of fear, to hide the terror that took hold of her, but she nodded nonetheless and applied Invisibility Charm and Scent Cloaking Charm upon herself.

They had wasted the last half an hour in the tent arguing about what to do. Stefan demanded a more aggressive approach while Cedric argued against enraging the beast that could effortlessly turn them into ash. As a result, here they were with no concrete plan other than 'you go left and I go right'.

Cedric and Stefan forged ahead bravely, the distance between them and the dragon enough to instil a little confidence in them.

"Don't attack it. Just keep its gaze on us long enough for Juliette to do her work." He warned when he saw Stefan aim his wand at the big reptile. They swiftly stepped behind a rock when the dragon detected them and made a loud rumbling noise in its throat. Thankfully, no dragonfire came to fry them.

The Bulgarian grunted reluctantly, acquiescing, knowing that now was definitely not the right time to fight each other. "Ve should injure its eyes at least. Then ve should try to box it in and limit its movements."

Cedric's eyes gleamed, a brilliant idea gracing him at this needful moment. "That's a good idea. But let's not gouge out its eyes. That would just make it needlessly aggressive."

Then they had a whispered conversation in which he relayed his detailed plan. At the end of which the surly Stefan couldn't help but shoot him an admiring look. It really was a good plan. Although it depended on if the dragon would take the bait or not. It was fine anyway. If it worked, then they did good, but if it failed, then it was Cedric Diggory's fault.

With planning done, the duo slinked forward from rock to rock until they were hidden behind one that was only a short distance away from the intimidating dragon.

Stefan sneakily pointed his wand at the nest while Cedric sat on the ground and did his own thing.

Slowly but gradually, the nest holding the eggs lost colour and became transparent. It became invisible. It wasn't perfect work with how far the target was from him. But it would have to do.

"I am done." He hissed under his breath. Cedric shushed him and focussed on his task, creating an intricate but strong object. Stefan frowned and waited impatiently, crossing his arms and glancing at the dragon that glared at the rock behind which they were hidden with suspicion.

"Ready." Cedric smiled, holding the thing that would save them.

Stefan's eyes gleamed with excitement and he twirled his wand, beginning the next step to pass this test, pointing it in the corner far away from the nest and them. Sweat rolled down his forehead as minutes passed, as he conjured a fake nest containing replicas of dragon eggs. Again, it wasn't a perfect imitation, but it would have to do.

Now, to see if the dragon would take the bait or not. Their entire plan hinged on it.

Cedric picked up a small pebble and climbed over the large rock, grabbing the beast's attention. The dragon regarded him angrily before looking puzzled when he threw the pebble far in the right direction instead of at it.

It struck the fake nest and the dragon looked at it. Then it stared at Stefan who began running towards the fake nest.

It stupidly looked at the real nest and found nothing. It sniffed and surprisingly found that the eggs were somehow still there. But since it couldn't see them and was wary of the man sprinting towards the nest that it could see. It shrieked and flapped its wings and flew towards the visible eggs. It let out a proud roar when the man abandoned its task and fearfully ran away.

The dragon landed near the fake nest, sniffing and nudging them, hissing when it found no warmth emanating from the eggs. It released a deafening screech, realising it had been tricked, and tried to fly back to its original position.

But it never got the chance.

Cedric hadn't been standing idle on the rock, he used a spell to shoot the object—that he had made—over the head of the dragon. And when it fell down on the beast, it suddenly grew to a gigantic size and blanketed its body.

It was a net. A net big enough to cover the dragon's head and wings.

"Now!" He yelled and ran towards the exit with Stefan close behind him. A little distance behind them was Juliette with the golden egg in her arms, scurrying after her teammates.

The dragon snapped its jaws and spewed its fire. It flapped its wings and tore through with its claws. But by the time it disentangled itself from the trap, Team C was already gone.

Juliette was sobbing in relief and clinging to Cedric, talking to him in French as they entered the medic tent. Which he didn't understand a bit. But he just held her close and let her babble incoherently, unable to hide his delight at finishing the task without suffering a single scratch on any of them.

"Here." Madam Pomfrey handed them calming potions which they gladly drank. They didn't complain when the matron guided them to the bed and began checking them.