18

Chapter XVIII: The First Task

(Daphne P.O.V)

Daphne marched slowly by Harry's side as Michael, Neville, Tracey, Blaise, and Astoria all followed at a short distance behind them. The mood was morose and for a moment, it had reminded her of what she had felt like in the presence of the Dementors last year. How do you do that? She wondered to herself as she looked up at her boyfriend, How do you always look so brave even when facing down such danger? She glanced quickly behind her seeing a similar look of resolve in Astoria's eyes as she shook her head gently, You Gryffindors are unbelievable sometimes.

Daphne swallowed hard as she and the group approached the newly constructed pit that seemed to have sprouted from nowhere in the center of the Forbidden Forest. Even approaching the forest had given her flashbacks to Pettigrew and the nightmare that followed his defeat, and Daphne was beginning to believe that the Forbidden Forest would be a place that would forever haunt her dreams as it seemed like once more Harry would be putting his life in danger at the center of it.

"You know," Michael said in the calmest voice he could muster, "If you think about it, it's kind of impressive that they managed to build an entire arena here without anyone knowing." She watched as the blue-haired boy tilted his head, "Maybe it was hidden under the Fidelius Charm?"

"Yeah, that's great and all," Tracey said the tension in her eyes, "But I'm more concerned about the fact that these idiots are attempting to place a fire-breathing dragon in the center of a forest." Daphne watched as her friend rubbed her temples in aggravation, "Is anyone else starting to get the feeling that every wizard seems to get dumber as they age?"

"That's been my theory for years," Michael said with a sigh, before reaching out for Harry and patting him on the shoulder, "On the bright side, Rook," Michael started, "If you end up facing the dragon, there's a good chance we'll all die with you."

"Lucky us," Harry replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as they pushed along down the trail towards the arena finding themselves before a tent much larger than the ones they'd seen at the World Cup. "Well," Harry said with a groan, "Looks like this is our stop."

Daphne glared at the tent which sat in the foreground of the large pit she knew was bound to change in environment depending on the beast. It's smaller than I thought it would be, She thought to herself grimly, There's no way to effectively dodge something as fast as a Chimera in an arena like this. She pushed the thought out of her head though as she felt Harry grip her hand. She looked up at the gentle smile Harry was giving her and couldn't help but reciprocate it as she heard Harry whisper, "It's going to be fine Princess, I promise."

Daphne nodded, swallowing her fear as the gang proceed towards the entrance, only to be stopped by two rather large goons that guarded the door, "Family only beyond this point."

"Good," She heard a familiar voice call out that filled her heart with relief, "Then it looks like we're all in the right place."

"Sirius!" She heard her boyfriend say, a jolt of happiness filling his voice as he rushed his godfather hugging him tightly.

"What are we," Daphne heard Remus call out as he stood beside Andromeda and Ted, "Chopped Liver?"

"Don't be jealous Moony," Sirius said teasingly, "Of course he's more excited to see me, I'm the most fun out of all of you."

Daphne shook her head in amusement as she watched Harry embrace the other members of his family, a feeling of peace rising to his face. However, as Sirius stepped forward, the rather stern-looking goon wearing an Auror badged stopped him once more, "You and Mr. Potter may enter, the rest of you aren't allowed past here." Daphne and the others stood firm as the Auror's face became even more callous, "Leave now, or I'll be forced to escort you off the premises."

"Try it," Neville and Michael said in unison stepping towards the guard, "Harry's family to all of us, we're not going anywhere."

The standoff had sent Daphne's heartbeat into overdrive, but from beyond the curtain of the tent she heard another familiar voice call out, "That's enough Jones, Taylor. Let them through."

"But ma'am, the rules say-," One of the men spoke out as from the curtain Tonks emerged.

"I'm the superior officer here, you'll do as I say," Tonks barked in an authoritative voice that seemed to even catch Harry by surprise, "If you have an issue with it, you can take it up with Madam Bones, but I wouldn't recommend it, the Auror Department owes Mr. Potter a great deal."

The Aurors, Jones, and Taylor looked away in dismay as Tonks led Sirius, Remus, and the rest of the gang into the tent while Emmeline, Ted, and Andromeda all left to find seats in the arena for them. "Someone calling you ma'am," Harry said with a snicker, "That's not something I'd ever imagine hearing in my life."

"Laugh it up, kid," Tonks quipped back playfully, "Don't forget I've been an Active Duty Auror that was trained by Mad-Eye himself for three years now. Madam Bones finally seemed to take notice of that and gave me control over this operation."

"Wait," Daphne heard her younger sister say, "Mad-Eye, like the Mad-Eye, our DADA Professor?"

"The very same," Tonks said proudly, "I was the only one of my Auror class that he passed, nobody else got through his training. 'Course, then Madam Bones had to reverse the decision claiming they could just have one Auror from the academy graduate, but still, it's something I'm proud of."

"Woah," Astoria said her eyes wide with wonder, "So you must be like, really strong, right?"

"Duh," Harry said teasingly, "You think I would have let her boss me around when I was a kid if she was a weakling?"

"I didn't boss you around," Tonks said but a gently glance from Harry had forced her to relent, "That much."

"Sure Tonks, sure," Harry said as he playfully rolled his eyes. Yeah, Daphne thought to herself, They're siblings alright. She smiled as she looked at the way Harry and Tonks teased each other, Sometimes, it's hard to remember that despite being the Hero of the Wizarding World, there are people that even Harry looks up to.

However, as Daphne had learned a long time ago, nothing good lasts forever, and just as she had felt her body relax with the peace of knowing that Tonks would sooner die than allow any harm to come to Harry, the tent opening flapped loudly in the wind and deep chill filled her body as who was possibly one of her least favorite people on the planet entered. "Do you remember our strategies, boy?" She heard a rather crusty voice hiss out.

"Yes, Headmaster," Krum said his eyes firm and hollow-looking, to an extent, Daphne felt as if his eyes looked completely unfeeling.

If she felt tense before though, it was nothing compared to the pressure that filled the room as Harry locked eyes with the Durmstrang Headmaster, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks at his back. "Death Eater scum," She had heard Sirius whisper angrily beneath his breath. The air in the tent felt cold, but almost as if the world was trying to make her feel as uncomfortable as possible, Krum began to walk towards her, as if taking the cold expression on her face as an invitation to approach.

She dug her fingernails into her palm that was trembling with anger at the look the Bulgarian boy was giving her a look that Harry seemed to notice as well, as just before Krum had gotten any closer, Harry had stepped in between them. "Leave," Harry said coldly, "Now."

"No need for the aggression, Potter," Krum said his accent as thick as ever, "I just came to say hello to Daphne. I'm sure you are aware we converse regularly."

"Oh," Harry said, "I'm aware. And I'm also aware that those conversations are one-sided."

"For now, perhaps," Krum said, "But perhaps once she realizes the difference in our potential, she'll change her mind."

"Not going to happen creep," Daphne said firmly from behind her boyfriend's protective shield, "Never."

"Never is a strong word beautiful," Krum said with a wicked smile. At the last word, she watched Harry's hand curl into a fist, his arm trembling. As quickly as she could, she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and the grin on Krum's face grew wider, "See, she won't even let you attack me, perhaps she likes me more than she's letting on."

"Get out of my face," Daphne growled, "Or I'll flatten you myself."

"Very well," Krum said in what Daphne assumed was his most charming smile, "I suppose I do have to prepare myself for the task at hand. Until next time, Daphne."

Daphne watched Harry as his eyes burned a hole through the back of the Bulgarian Seeker's skull as he whispered beneath his breath, "I'm going to kill him, I swear I'm going to tear him apart."

"Harry," She whispered, attempting to bring her boyfriend back to reality, but before she could continue, she watched as Tonks tapped her fingers against Harry's forehead in a similar manner he'd done to Astoria a few times before.

"Kid, listen to me," Tonks said, and Daphne watched as Harry seemed to break out of his bloodlust at his sister's touch, "You need to focus. I know he was a tool, but remember what I told you about getting distracted. Karkaroff isn't exactly a clean man, chances are that he had Krum talk to you in order to throw you off your game. If you don't get yourself together, you've let them win. Calm down."

Slowly, she watched as Harry turned his hands into a meditative position, breathing deeply as he returned to a less irate state, "I'm okay, I'm good. Thanks, Tonks." Tonks nodded, but the newly achieved peace didn't last long as almost in an onslaught, person after person entered the tent. Cedric along with his father, Bagman, Fleur, Claire, Madame Maxime, Dumbledore, and a girl that could only be described as a miniature Fleur, and a blonde lady her hair a mop of elaborate curls which contrasted against her heavy-jaw. Daphne had seen her before at one of the Malfoy Galas when she was younger. She was a reporter who had done in a number of wizards' reputation, Rita Skeeter.

Looks like everyone's here. She thought to herself grimly before a momentary shock filled her mind at the kind wave Claire had shared with none other than Michael, a wave the normally uninterested wizard had returned with a surprising level of enthusiasm. Cedric approached as well giving us all a nervous smile, but any semblance of calm had vanished as Bagman called for each of the champions' attention.

"Gather round, gather round!" Bagman called as he herded Harry along with the other champions towards them, "I'd like you all to meet Ms. Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet. Ms. Skeeter will be tracking the events of the Triwizard Tournament for the Prophet and has requested that the champions gather around to take a photo to demonstrate the long-held comradery amongst Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang."

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman," Skeeter said her voice riddled with excitement which worried Daphne, "Now, everyone, if you'd please squeeze together a little closer." She shot her boyfriend a sympathetic look knowing Harry would rather be far off in the background rather than at the center of the photo where Skeeter had placed him, but nonetheless, the picture was taken.

"Splendid, absolutely splendid," Rita said clapping her hands with excitement. "I hope none of you will mind that the ministry has promised me exclusive interviews with each of you so that the public can get to know more about each of you." Daphne noticed the predatory look Rita had given Harry, "Though, I suppose the whole world already knows about you, Mr. Potter. Perhaps instead you can tell me the story of how your name ended up in the Goblet."

"I've made it as clear as I possibly can," Harry said with a growl, "I don't know how it ended up in there. If it wasn't for this bogus magical contract, I wouldn't even be competing in the first place."

"Ah, I see, I see." Daphne then flinched as Rita whipped her body around to face her, the floating notepad she had following her around barely avoiding her nose, "And how about you, Miss Greengrass, it must be dreadful watching your beloved have to take on such monumental tasks he couldn't possibly be prepared for."

"I'm not worried," Daphne said looking Rita firmly in her eyes which brought a smile to Harry's face, "Three years younger or not, I'm sure Harry's more than capable of standing his ground in this competition."

"Fascinating," Rita said warmly, but thankfully, before she could go on, Bagman had returned the focus upon himself. Daphne watched curiously, as, from his olive-colored work bag, he removed a heavily bound, yet rather small pouch.

"Now then, Champions if you can all give me your undivided attention, it's time for me to explain the first task." She watched as Bagman puffed his chest out proudly for Rita's photograph, "Beyond this tent, our team of wizards have scoured the globe obtaining four Class-Five beasts." Rita gasped, but as Daphne had expected, the task itself was a surprise to no-one.

Bagman had looked a bit put off at the lack of reaction, but still remained steadfast in his tone, "The beasts are; A Chimera, A Horned Serpent, An Acromantual, and a living, breathing Chinese Fireball Dragon!" If it wasn't so tense, Daphne may have snickered at Bagman's expression as not a peep was heard from the contestants who were busy focusing their minds on the task ahead. "Each of these beasts have been given golden eggs to protect, you're objective is to retrieve the egg. Points will be awarded on the speed and manner in which the Champion retrieves their egg. Are there any questions?"

Once more, the tent was silent as Bagman felt the words stumble around in his mouth before speaking once more, "Very well, within this pouch," He said trying to regain his confidence, "Are for miniature statues of each of the previously named beasts. The one each champion draws will be the one they will face within the arena. Now, then, Miss Delacour, ladies first."

Daphne watched through split vision. While her focus was indeed on Fleur, part of her mind was busy watching the soothing expression Michael had been sending Claire as the pink-haired girl watched her older classmate reach into the bag. Fleur dug around for a moment before lifting her statuette, and for a moment, a wave of relief washed over Daphne as she saw the beast Fleur had chosen.

"Ah, the Chimera, native to mountainous areas, I'm eager to see how you perform." Bagman said as Fleur glared down at the figurine, "Next, Mr. Krum, if you would be so kind." Daphne glared heavily at Krum who confidently reached into the bag, Please be the snake, please be the snake, please be the snake, She thought to herself desperately, but to her great irritation, he'd removed a statue with flapping wings and Krum's fate had been decided.

"Ah, the Chinese Fireball, quite a tricky opponent if I do say so myself," Bagman said with a sickening smile, "Mr. Diggory, you're next." Daphne watched as Harry gave the Hufflepuff Prefect a friendly nod which Cedric returned before like the others, he reached into the sack and wrapped his finger around his opponent. "The Acromantula, rather frightening beasts, but I'm sure you'll do spectacularly."

"No," Daphne whispered in fear as she looked down at the ground, All of the planning, and he gets the one beast we couldn't figure out. Damn it all.

"Mr. Potter," Bagman said pulling Harry over who Daphne noticed was glaring angrily at the pouch, "Please, reach in and grab your challenger." Daphne watched as with venom lacing his eyes, he reached down, wrapping his fingers around the tiny model of a black horned serpent and removed it from the bag. "Ah, the Horned Serpent, considered by many Magizoologist to be even smarter than man. Your trial shall most certainly be an interesting one, Mr. Potter."

"Now then," Bagman spoke loudly, "I must ask all of you not competing to return to the spectators stand. The Triwizard Tournament will begin shortly."

As Daphne watched the other Champions' families begin to disperse, she couldn't stop her legs from bounding towards Harry. She crashed into her boyfriend before wrapping him up in a desperate hug as she fought as hard as she could to keep the fear from encroaching into her mind. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We failed and now you have to go out a face that thing with no plan. I'm sorry, I-"

"Princess," She felt Harry whispered into her ear, "Go and find some good seats." She looked up into Harry's calm eyes as he smiled down at her, "Because I don't want you to miss a thing when I wipe the floor with that overgrown snake."

She swallowed hard as she looked up at Harry once more, "You better," She said trying to match her boyfriend's grin, "Because if you let some snake take you out, I'm never going to forgive you, Flyboy." She smiled as she felt Harry squeeze her hand gently, "Win, okay? Win and come back to me- to us in one piece. Promise me."

Before she could say another word, Harry leaned down, trapping her lips with his for a fleeting moment before he pulled away at the irritating flash of Rita's camera, "I promise," She heard him say, "Now go on, get out of here." Daphne nodded as she began to walk away, along with Sirius, Remus, and silently she thought to herself, Go get em', Flyboy.

(Astoria P.O.V)

Astoria had felt sick to her stomach as she left the tent. It was her job to figure out how to deal with the Horned Serpent and she had failed. Now, she had damned her older brother to face a monster that he had no preparation for, and despite the warm glance she had received from Harry, her stomach still churned with feelings of guilt. "Harry's going to be fine, Astoria," Michael had said with a look of determination blazing in his eyes, "Rook's too stubborn to die."

I hope you're right, Astoria thought to herself meekly, before she heard another voice call out to her, "Astoria!" Quickly she turned seeing the curly-haired blonde boy walking towards her, "I was wondering where you were," However, one glance at her face had seemed to change Damyan's tone as his expression hardened with concern, "Are um, are you okay?"

"Not really," She said glumly sinking into her seat.

"Worried about Harry?" Damyan had asked softly, a question which she simply responded with a nod, "Don't be," Damyan had said with more confidence, "I may not know him all that well, but Harry seems like a tough guy, he'll be able to handle anything. I just know it."

She smiled gently, scooting over so that a spot between her and Michael opened for Damyan. The boy nodded gratefully as he took a seat beside her, "I'm guessing you were out helping Harry all this time, am I right?" Once more Astoria nodded, but a smirk grew on her face as Damyan unleashed a soft sigh, "Thank goodness, I thought it was because you'd already gotten tired of me and my comics."

"I don't think I could ever get tired of your comics. That one about your dad cracks me up every time I think about it." This time, it was Damyan's turn to smile, but the smile hadn't lasted long as suddenly the focus had shifted from sidebar conversations to the rosy skinned blue-eyed, blonde man that had entered into the arena. Bagman, Astoria thought angrily, How can he have a smile on his face while students are about to risk their lives against absolute monstrosities?

"Astoria?" Damyan asked kindly, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She said before looking down at her hand releasing she'd been gripping Damyan's in frustration. Immediately, Astoria had felt her face become a crimson red before pulling her hand away from Damyan's, "Yes, yes I'm okay, sorry about that."

Damyan nodded politely, and once more Astoria's attention turned to Bagman who'd raised his wand to his throat in preparation, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Instantly, a roar of applause erupted through the stadium. "Today our four champions will show their skills as they face off against some of the most dangerous beasts known to wizardkind! Their objective, to steal a golden egg from the clutches of the beast assigned to defend them!"

The cheering of the crowd grew louder and Astoria couldn't stop a sneer from rising to her face, Maybe Hermione was right, the wizarding world is pretty barbaric. "Each of our champions has already chosen the beast they are destined to face, and now it's time for the games to begin! So, without further ado, please welcome the Beauxbaton Champion, Fleur Delacour!"

From the back end of the tent that Astoria herself had previously been in, emerged the silver-haired beauty to the applause of nearly every boy in the stand save Michael and Neville who simply eyed the girl cautiously. "Now! Transfiguration Team, if you'd be so kind as to make our arena more appropriate!" Astoria watched in shock as a myriad of Ministry Officials rose, changing the rather neutral environment of the arena to one full of hills, dirt, rocks, and cliffs. "And now, Magizoologists, release the Chimera!"

With a wave of their wands, a cage that had once been disillusioned had become visible, and within the rather large cage standing over a cradle of eggs was one of the most terrifying creatures that Astoria had ever seen. The beast's lion head roared with fury as its snake-like tail bashed the sides of the cages aggressively. She watched as the beast's goat-like body rubbed its hoof against the ground demonstrating its desire to charge before Bagman shouted, "Ms. Delacour! Are you ready!"

Astoria had watched the French Champion swallow hard as she placed her hand to her chest in an attempt to slow her drumming heart before she wrapped her hand firmly around her wand and nodded, now with a predatory look in the girl's eyes that could have rivaled the beast itself. "Very well!" Bagman called out with glee removing himself from the arena and into the commentator's box, "Begin!"

With the wave of the Magizoologists' wands, the cage dematerialized and like a charging bull, the beast rushed the French Champion. Fleur jumped back entering a defensive position as the front hoof of the beast crushed the ground she'd be standing on only moments before, It's fast, Astoria thought to herself as she watched Fleur get as tight as she possibly could narrowly avoiding the jabs from the beast's snake-like tail. "Confringo!" Fleur roared at the beast's face, a loud explosion erupting right at the beast's eye.

Astoria had to give the French Champion credit, she never would have believed that Fleur had as much courage as she was displaying as she rolled beneath the half-blind animal, her eyes set on the egg. Clearing herself from beneath the Chimera, she aimed her wand at the beast's hind legs before cursing, "Diffindo!" Instantly, a black sludge-like substance gushed from the creature's leg and Astoria for a moment felt as if she was going to be sick from the atrocious smell emanating from the wound.

Clearly, the Chimera wasn't happy about the cut it had just received, and faster than Astoria had ever seen anything that size move, the Chimera whipped around, lunging from Fleur, it's jaw hanging open. Astoria turned away as the crowd gasped in horror, but just before the jaws of the beast fell upon the silver-haired girl, Fleur used a wind summoning spell to push her back, only the sleeve of her TriWizard Jumpsuit getting torn by the monster's teeth.

Astoria assumed that the Fleur had learned there was no more time to waste, and with her focus now locked upon the golden egg, she watched as the girl booked it across the arena as fast as she could traverse the difficult terrain. However, a terrain that had proven adverse to her was a home-field advantage to the Chimera as even with a wounded leg, the beast chased after her with ease. "Tonks!" Astoria yelled at the order, "Step in! She's going to die!"

"I can't! Not until the Headmistress of her school gives me permission to interfere, and judging by her face, Madam Maxime doesn't seem all that worried yet," The pink-haired Auror responded through gritted teeth. Astoria watched, her pulse beating rapidly through her body before with a cry of anguish, she watched as the French Champion was batted away by one of the Chimera's legs down towards the ground.

Come on! Astoria thought to herself as she glared at the French Headmistress, Give the Aurors the signal to step in! Slowly, Fleur rose to her feet, a defiant gleam in her eyes as she once again tightened up trying to weave between the barrage of strikes from the beast's tail, until, with a look of horror, she was too slow, and despite her best efforts, the tail had clipped and cut through her cheek, the Chimera's venom was now in the girl's system!

Finally, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons rose from her seat, but before the half-giantess could even lift her hand, Astoria watched in amazement as Fleur stumbled to her feet, her normally perfect hair in shambles obstructing the view of her face. Just barely, Astoria heard the girl whisper, "De la merde." Then, the arena began to get hot, incredibly hot. Astoria watched in complete confusion as steam seemed to rise from the girl's body before it amazement, she watched as the French Champion's body explode into an inferno of white fire.

Fleur had allowed her wand to fall to the ground, and as her silver-hair rose to flicker in the flames, the look on Fleur's face had been enough to convince Astoria that roles of predator and prey between the witch and the chimera had shifted. In complete bewilderment, she watched as Fleur opened her hand forcing balls of burning white fire to appear in her palms as she cursed out loudly in french, "Brûler en enfer!"

Nearly faster than Astoria's eyes could follow, the balls of white flames jetted towards the Chimera, and unlike the Black Flames that she knew Harry could conjure, these didn't just emit heat, these burned. The Chimera roared and screamed as it fell to the ground, desperately trying to put out the flames as it rolled around. But almost as if Fleur was completely heartless, she turned from the wailing animal as she walked towards the golden egg at a much calmer pace. She extinguished herself as she reached down to grab the egg, and instantly, the first round was over.

Despite Fluer's success, the shocking display of her white flame had kept the arena silent until to the left she watched as Claire and the Mini-Fleur clapped proudly for the french champion while everyone else began to join in slowly. As Astoria watched Fleur leave with a score of 9 only dodging a ten from Karkaroff who'd given the girl an 8, her mind wandered at the display she'd seen below, What kind of power was that?

Time had seemingly stopped functioning in Astoria's world as her mind flashed back to the fight she'd seen below as the Aurors and Magizooligist re-caged the Chimera before the Magizooligist began doing what they could to treat the creature's injuries. Maybe it had been ten-minutes, maybe it had been an hour. Honestly, she wasn't sure, but eventually, the Aurors had reentered the stands and the chimera had been removed.

As she looked down at the arena below her, she had to admit part of her was impressed by the transfiguration specialist the Ministry had brought with them. As now, instead of a rocky mountainside, the pit had been transformed to mimic the forest that the arena itself had been built in the center of. I guess this means that Cedric is next? Almost as if on cue, the Hufflepuff Prefect entered the arena to an adoring audience as Bagman took the mic once more, "Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for the second Champion, Cedric Diggory!"

The applause continued as Bagman pointed back over to the zoologist, who like before unveiled the caged Acromantual from the invisibility spell. "Just like before, the Champion is tasked with retrieving the golden egg from the nest of their opponent, which in the case of Mr. Diggory, is none other than an Acromantual! Mr. Diggory!" Bagman called out, "Are you ready!"

With a smirk of confidence, Astoria watched Cedric nod, and with a shout of glee, Bagman spoke, "Begin!" Unlike the aggressive nature of the Chimera, the Acromantual lept from its cage into the thick foliage that had been created by the transfiguration team. However, despite the fact that a class-five predator was no longer in view, Cedric remained calm as he lifted his wand.

"Accio, Basilisk Model!" From inside the tent, the small figurine modeled after the most dangerous snake on the planted zipped to his hand.

"Honestly Harry," Neville said as he shook his head, "Don't you ever think you're being too nice?"

I see. This is what Neville planned if Harry had to face the Acromantula, Astoria said in realization, Harry just gave it to Cedric then just to make sure his friend would be safe. However, before Astoria could even begin to continue pondering the thought, she heard Cedric's voice echo once more through the arena as he pointed his wand at the figure, "Engorgio!" Astoria watched, unable to pull her eyes from the arena as the model that was once the size of Cedric's palm had grown large enough to reach up to the stands. "Mobilicorpus!" Cedric said and instantly, the large model of the Basilisk had come to life. "Chase him!"

Without even a moment to waste, the large model basilisk began encircling the arena, and Astoria watched as, in a panic, the Acromantula fled from its hiding spot amongst the tall bushes towards the largest tree it could find. With a flick of his wand, Cedric commanded the model snake towards the tree, forcing it to circle the tree consistently turning the large pine into a prison for the large spider. Cedric smirked triumphantly and Astoria watched as Cedric confidently marched up to his egg, lifting it to the arena earning himself a loud applause before turning to the judge's table to receive his score of 9, with Karkaroff once again being the only holdout. Cedric bowed playfully to the crowd before shrinking the snake once more, calling it back to him, and walking back towards the tent leaving the arena speechless as Bagman's voice rang through the silence, "What an amazing group of champions we have this year! Truly remarkable!"

The crowd applauded wildly once more as she watched the Magizoologist, along with the transfiguration team begin to wrangle the Acromantula and change the terrain until, to her amazement, what was once a deep and lush forest had become a rocky pit with a deep basin, as a terrifying roar erupted overhead. She turned up towards the sky and watched in horror as what looked to be at least sixteen wizards on broomsticks guided down an extremely large dragon towards the pit.

She wasn't quite sure how it was being done, if she had to make a deduction, she'd have guessed that it had something to do with the type of cuff the dragon had around his neck and hind legs. Magical restraints? Astoria question, It must be some enchantment if it's able to keep a dragon. The Dragon keepers landed, and Astoria turned to face Tonks who'd shifted forward against the railing to get a closer look. Astoria had assumed that the Pink-Haired Auror's look would have been one of concern, but her confusion only grew as she watched the smile grow across Tonks' face as she stared down at the red-haired dragon keeper that had entered the fray.

"Well, well, would you look at that," She said with a grin, "It really is a small world." Astoria watched as the neck cuff was locked down to the arena, preventing the dragon from a rapid escape before the red-haired man turned around and instantly, she thought, Ron? Quickly she shook the thought out of her head as she glanced over at the freckled-face dragon tamer. The man was short and stocky with muscular arms. His face was weather-beaten from working outdoors and was so freckled that he looked tanned.

As the dragon tamers began to vacate the arena she watched in intrigue as Tonks waved down the red-head shouting out, "Charlie! Down Here!" Upon hearing her voice, the man named Charlie stopped mid-flight looking down at Tonks before, just like the Auror, a wide grin appeared on his face as he descended into the stands.

"Well, well, look who we have here," Charlie said as he landed in front of them, "Strange place for a reunion, wouldn't you say, Tonks?" Astoria, now along with Michael, Neville, Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise watched on in confusion as what started to look like a friendly hug turned into a quick wrestling match which had been won by the red-head who had wrapped his arm around Tonks' neck, though in her defense, it didn't exactly look like Tonks was trying to escape.

"Uh, Tonks," Michael called out, "Care to introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh right, you haven't met before," Tonks said as she adjusted her robes after being released from Charlie's grip, "This man right here is Charlie Weasley, he was my best friend back in my school days. He actually graduated alongside me."

"Weasley, huh?" Michael said warmly, "You must be the one that Fred and George talk about constantly as one of Gryffindor's greatest seekers."

"From the way I hear it, Gryffindor doesn't have such a bad seeker right now either, but yes, I'm that Weasley." Charlie smiled gently at us once more before he turned back to face Tonks, "I wish I could stick around, but Ron wrote to me and told me Bill was here as well. I haven't seen him in quite some time so I'll be off to find him, but after the task, what do you say you and I go down to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, just like old times?"

"Sounds good," Tonks replied warmly.

"Alright," He said in a teasing tone as he scanned the arena for the other Weasleys, "It's a date."

Instantly, Astoria watched as Tonks' face became a gentle red before without another word Charlie Weasley walked off leaving Astoria completely befuddled, Did I just see a Weasley be charismatic? She quickly turned to face Daphne who judging by her expression had the same exact thought. However, the levity of the situation couldn't last for long, and Astoria had felt herself cruelly returned to the less enjoyable realm of reality as she heard Bagman call out Krum's name.

Instantly, every Bulgarian student aside from Damyan stood at attention, stomping their foot down in unison over and over until the arena echoed with the sound of rolling thunder. "Where's the enjoyment in this?" Damyan said sadly as he looked down at the dragon pit, "Class Five Beasts or Not, why are we applauding such violence and harm towards these animals? What kind of stupid game is this where either the wizard or the beast gets hurt? At least Diggory had the decency to retrieve the egg without hurting the Acromantula, I doubt Krum plans to be as peaceful."

Yeah, Astoria thought to herself as she looked down at the Bulgarian Champion, his eyes cold and full of malice, I don't think so either. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have already seen two spectacular performances, but the first task is still far from over! For the third round, Mr. Krum, Seeker extraordinaire, will be forced to test his mettle against the strength of one of the most fearsome beasts of the wizarding world… A Full Grown Dragon!" Astoria snarled to herself as the march of loud thunder continued to shake the arena while Draco led the remaining contingent of Potter Stinks! Badge Wearers in a round of applause for the Bulgarian Seeker.

She felt a chill race down her spine, as almost like he'd placed a tracking charm on her older sister, Krum had spotted Daphne among the crowd and winked at her causing Daphne to roll her eyes heavily in disinterest before turning away. Merlin, now I really wish Daphne would have let Harry knock his lights out. The sound of applause died down as Bagman roared out with enthusiasm, "Mr. Krum! Are you ready?" Krum nodded firmly and instantly, Bagman's voice boomed through the arena, "Begin!"

Despite her disdain for the Bulgarian, it was clear by every movement he made that he certainly was a fantastic seeker. Every swipe of the dragon's tail, every funnel of fire that erupted from the dragon's nostrils, every slash of its winged arms, was ducked, dodged, and rolled away from with an extreme measure of grace. Krum moved in a fashion quite similar to Harry, his agility working at peak performance levels, but Krum's face was nothing like Harry's. Even when they dueled, Harry had kept his face composed, but Krum's looked vicious and yet full of glee. Astoria swallowed her mind came to a frightening conclusion, he's enjoying this.

Krum lifted his wand as he launched curse after curse at the Dragon who batted them away with its protectively scaled wings. Watching Krum operate had made Astoria feel incredibly split, on one hand, she felt relieved as while Krum was certainly talented with a wand, she had no doubt in her mind that should it come to a duel, Harry could still defeat him handily. But it was his face, the way a toxic grin grew on it as one of his cutting curses landed just below the dragon's eye. It was like Damyan had said, this wasn't a game, it looked to her like Krum was actively trying to harm the Dragon, and more sickening than that, it looked as if he was enjoying it.

Astoria wasn't certain how long she watched Krum take up a defense positioning, not even bothering to make a move for the egg while he cast horrifying Dark Curses at the beast from behind cover. In reality, it had most likely only been a few minutes, but hearing the Dragon roar in both anger, and in some cases, pain, as it tried desperately to protect what it believed to be its eggs, had made Astoria's heart hurt. "Krum!" She heard a voice roar from the judge's table, her eyes instantly falling before Karkaroff who'd risen from his chair in frustration, "Stop playing around and get the damn egg!"

Instantly, she saw Krum's eyes harden before taking a deep breath his face turning from a vicious smirk to a sulking expression. With frightening accuracy, Krum lifted his wand casting a Conjunctivitis Curse at the Dragon's eyes forcing it to wail in pain as it stepped backward crushing a collection of the fake eggs. Karkaroff had remained quiet, but to Astoria, it looked as if the vein in the man's forehead was about to pop from a feeling of unyielding rage as Krum rushed towards the remaining pile of eggs grabbing his golden egg due only to sheer luck that the Dragon hadn't crushed that egg instead.

Instantly, the Dragon Tamers returned to the arena, and the glare she saw Charlie send Krum had made her own blood run cold as he began treating the Dragon's eyes while Krum turned to face the judge's table. She smirked as she watched Dumbledore, Crouch, and Maxime all put up a rather unenthusiastic six, whilst Karkaroff held up a ten. She wasn't exactly sure what it was that Krum said, but judging by the way Damyan's jaw hung open from hearing the Bulgarian rant, she assumed it wasn't anything pretty as Krum walked off with a meager score of seven, the lowest of the champions so far. However, Astoria swallowed hard as she watched the transfiguration team begin working on the arena once more. There was only one more contestant, and Astoria could feel her heart wanting to leap out of her chest as it pounded wildly with fear. Harry, She thought to herself as her fingers curled into towards her palms, Please be okay.

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry sat back in the tent nervously as he tapped his fingers along the wooden table as he sat beside Cedric who had given him a comforting look. "You're going to be fine Harry, you're one of the strongest wizards I know." He nodded at Cedric's compliment, but it hadn't changed the fact that Harry had felt a certain tightness in his stomach, A seven, He thought to himself fiercely, I just have to beat a seven.

Easier said than done, another part of his mind echoed, You don't even have a plan, and the Horned Serpent is considered by many to be even smarter than humans. Harry growled in response to his thoughts as he focused his mind elsewhere, primarily, on Daphne, I need to calm down. I promised her I'd be safe, I refuse to fail. Slowly, he turned to face Cedric who smiled at him kindly as Krum reentered the tent a sneer of dissatisfaction on his face, "You're going to be alright Potter, I have faith in you." Cedric smile grew, "After all, there's no way an overgrown snake is taking out my rival."

Suddenly, a french voice spoke from behind him, and instantly he turned to face the silver-haired beauty that was Fleur whose eyes seemed to be struggling at the words she wanted to release, "The jewel in their foreheads," She started, "There's no concrete evidence for it, but many believe that since the jewel radiates magic many believe that it is the most sensitive part of the Horned Serpent. If you have to pick a spot to try and attack, it's probably the best bet."

"Uh," Harry said his eyes wide in confusion, "Thanks."

"You did me a favor giving me the Chimera antidote," Fleur said as she turned away from him, "It's the least I can do."

Harry nodded before the sound of Bagman's voice vibrated through the packed arena, "We have had three fantastic displays from our champions, but we still have one more to go, please give a warm welcome to the Boy-Who-Lived himself, Harry Potter!" Harry snarled at the announcement, but knowing there was no other choice, he gulped down a deep breath before he walked towards the back exit of the tent as calmly as he could, pushed forward by an encouraging nod from the Hufflepuff Prefect.

As he pulled back the curtain, he felt the boots on his feet become soaked as he looked down at the marsh-like arena. His eyes scanned the swampy arena as he tried to still his rapidly moving mind, It looks like my speed isn't going to be much help here, the deeper I get into the arena, the thicker the swamp. However, concentrating was becoming harder than Harry had first imagined as, despite the fact that he was about to clash with a beast more than capable of killing a man, the loud boos from the crowd were relentless. Yet, from the corner of his eye, he saw Daphne, along with everyone else leaning on the railing cheering for him as loudly as they could. His eyes looked with Daphne's Icy-Blues and he smirked as he placed his hand to his chin cracking his neck. Impossible or not, I made her a promise, I'm going to win no matter what.

Distantly, Harry had heard Bagman speaking to the spectators, but Harry's focused rested upon the cage serpent that looked black as night, Once it gets into the marsh, it's going to be difficult to see. If I stand a chance, I have to play this defensively. His mind rested, now focusing solely on one objective, survival as he heard Bagman call out, "Mr. Potter, are you ready!" Harry closed his eyes once more as he flicked his wand from his wrist holster and nodded, "Very well! Begin!"

As Harry had suspected, the second that the serpent had been released from the cage, it had dove into the deeper areas of the marsh. Like most other snakes, the Horned Serpent preferred sneak attacks, and as Harry wandered a bit further into the marsh, his senses entered a state of overdrive as ever whisper of a movement had caused his body to tense. Hastily, Harry pointed his wand to the ground as he whispered, "Ventus." Instantly, the ground beneath him cleared as the water was forced out from beneath his by his focus wind tunnel.

He felt the eyes of the entire arena fall onto him with confusion as he cast rapidly at the ground, demolishing what little solids he could until a pile of fractured rocks surrounded him. Magic is about intent, he had remembered Remus lecturing and despite the fact that he didn't know the spell, he knew what he wanted and with a wave of his wand, he forced the dislodged rocks to move and spiral around him creating a wall of jagged and dismembered rocks. He smiled at his success before pointing his wand at the rocks and whispering, "Tenimago."

Instantly, his makeshift fort had erupted in black flames and while he wanted to celebrate his plan's success, doing anything that could result in breaking the concentration that held together his collection of stones was something he couldn't afford. Okay, Harry thought to himself as he glanced over the top of his wall, Now to bait out the snake, "Pluvia Corvi."

From Harry's wand sprang a murder of crows that at his command swooped low over the marsh. Harry's eyes jumped rapidly along the swamp, desperate to find anything that would give away the beast's location. Like a moth to a flame, the Serpent lept from the marsh jumping desperately at the crow. Harry smiled at his luck pointing his wand at the snake, "Petrificus Totalus." A direct hit, Harry thought to himself before his eyes widened in shock that the snake had brushed off the attack almost as if it had been nothing but a gust of wind.

But as the snake locked eyes with Harry, he knew all he'd done was irritate the beast as it slithered towards him at astonishing speeds. The snake hissed angrily but Harry steeled his mind as he lifted his wand, " Tenebris Vincula!" From the marsh, he summoned his black chains as he willed them forward. For as smart as the snake was, Harry imagined that without knowing what to expect it could be as susceptible as anybody else to a sneak attack and he watched with a grin as the snake coiled itself among Harry's conjured chains.

"Incredible! Absolutely Incredible!" Bagman shouted, "Harry Potter, despite his young age not only created an adequate defensive position but has managed to restrict the Horned Serpent's movements. Anyone who thought they could write him off because of his age must be feeling pretty foolish right about now."

Shut up. Harry thought to himself, angry at Bagman's comments. I'm not going to be able to hold this fort together much longer. "No point in waiting then," Harry replied grimly as he allowed his fort to fall, "Got to move fast."

As quickly as he could, Harry pushed forward through the deepening marsh as his wind blasts were struggling more and more to push the thick fluid aside. Come on, come on, Harry shouted in his head, the golden egg now so close Harry dared to think he could smell it. One step, and then another, and then another, each feeling like he was dragging a hundred pounds behind him until a sharp pain filled his mind as he gripped his forehead in agony. Harry wailed as a feeling of extreme pain overcame him, and it felt as if blood was leaking from his scar before from the depths of his mind he heard a voice whisper, "I know it's painful my lord, but you know that it's necessary!"

"Silence!" A voice hissed in a voice so distraught Harry could only assume that the man who'd spoken was in the same amount of agony that he was.

"Master, please!" A sultry voice called from inside his mind, "It's just a little longer, this rudimentary body will make your return to your full power easier."

Despite Harry trying everything in his power to force the source of the pain out of his mind using his occlumency, the intense anguish he felt in every cell of his body had made it nearly impossible to even think. "Harry Potter is down!" Bagman called from the distance, "He seems to be in some kind of pain."

The sounds of snapping chains registered in some corner of his mind and he heard Daphne scream in a panic, "Harry! Behind you!" But he didn't feel quite like himself at the moment. As the sound of hissing approached ever closer, an unbridled rage erupted in his chest as he met the snake's glare with one of his own, ~One more move and I'll skin you alive~ Harry hissed as he met the serpent's eyes.

~You speak?~ The Snake replied in a shocked voice ~How can this be?~

~Beat it~ Harry hissed angrier than he'd ever felt before in his life ~Or you'll die in this pit!~

The snake froze almost as if Harry had the eyes of a basilisk himself. Fear shone brightly in the serpent's eyes, and slowly it nodded before bowing down in his direction ~Yes, Of Course, Master.~ Without another word, Harry watched as the snake dove back into the marsh in another direction as Harry returned his focus to the golden egg. Without any resistance, he marched forward, lifting the egg, but despite his success, the crowd was silent, and to his own shock, he watched a drop of blood fell from his forehead onto the egg's shiny surface. Before he could even question what was happening, he felt a presence by his side and a fire erupted in his chest as he met the man's eyes, ~Dumbledore~.

Quickly, he felt his body fall to the ground stunned by Dumbledore's magic as he felt the Headmaster place his hand to his forehead, channeling magic into his mind, "Harry," Dumbledore whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, "He's in your mind, you need to push him out. Remember your training, focus!" Once more Harry wailed in pain as he felt like his body was being corrupted by acid, "Focus Harry. Fight Back."

With the presence of Dumbledore's magic in his mind, Harry had found the pain becoming more manageable but the torment his mind was going through still felt beyond severe. He felt as if he was drowning in a lake of molten lava until distantly he heard Dumbledore shout, "Ms. Greengrass, don't get any closer! It's not safe here!"

"Not a chance!" Daphne screamed back in defiance. The pain was so excruciating, Harry couldn't even see, but suddenly, he didn't just feel throes of misery, he felt a strange warmth from Daphne's hand connecting with his as he body began to glow in a calming white light. "You're going to be okay, Harry. I"m right here. Just stay with me. Just stay with me a little longer."

Harry felt his hand grip Daphne's tightly as the feeling of teardrops fell atop his face. This is Daphne's magic, Harry thought to himself as a calming glow began to overcome the pain, It's so warm, and I'm- I'm just getting so tired. Harry turned, his eyes taking in one last look at Daphne before he felt himself slip away from reality, hitting the ground with an unconscious thud.