A/N: I'm updating about 12 hours early because holy smokes reviews. It seems as though team Brittany is fighting back! I'm pretty sure team Santana is still winning though. Anyway, I'm blown away by all the response to this story. I'm sorry for another short scene. It wasn't the shortest but it was still short and I feel bad. The next few will be a lot longer so don't worry.

So I want to point out that there will be no change of champion in this story. It's very different from the book. Quinn is the champion and she will remain the champion. No plot twists there (sorry? lol).


Just over three weeks later Santana found herself staggering her way towards the library along with the rest of the students and faculty. Brittany hadn't said so much as a word to her since throwing Santana out of her room. The blonde Ravenclaw hadn't even looked at her and now Santana was making her way towards the first task without her.

Santana sighed, wondering what it would have been like to be in Quinn's place. She had talked to the champion briefly over the last few weeks. She couldn't help play the words they exchanged over and over again in her head. They had settled in the pit of her stomach and forced Santana to consider the choices she had made. It was evident that Quinn had made up with Brittany somehow, making her even more jealous of the girl. Even with the few words they exchanged, Santana could tell Quinn was trying to remain neutral. She was a Ravenclaw too, after all, and Brittany's friend first. Not to mention the girl seemed slightly stressed.

The classrooms and corridors of the school buzzed with wild theories of what the first task would entail. But, really, no one had an inkling. The event had been kept extremely secret to ensure the champions were unable to prepare beforehand. To say Santana was surprised upon hearing the announcement for the location of the first task would be an understatement. She had expected a huge arena of some sort, riddled with booby-traps and monsters but instead she was making her way to the fourth floor, just above the Hogwarts library, clueless as everyone else.

Santana nearly toppled into a group of Hufflepuffs as she strode with her head turned down. She threw them a sympathetic look which was greeted with a flurry of puzzled brows before she turned and continued the rest of the way into the room. What she saw floored her, quite literally.

What had once been dozens of classrooms that occupied the floor above the library had been converted into one giant room. Seats were set up as stands that lined the room as throngs of students filed their way in. But what caught Santana's attention the most was what lay beneath her feet.

She instantly took a step back in surprise. The floor no longer seemed to be there, yet she was standing on it, finding herself suspended above the shelves below. Upon first glance it seemed completely invisible but as Santana stood rooted in what appeared to be mid-air, she noticed the slight shimmer that rippled below her feet. The floor was bewitched to allow a clear view of the library below, rows and rows of bookshelves in the familiar places Santana had come to know over the last seven years.

Her first few steps further into the giant arena-like room were tentative once Santana convinced herself it was safe to move. She gazed around the floor below her in awe. It took her several moments to drag her eyes up from the floor and avert her attention elsewhere. When she finally looked around the room again she noticed that there were dozens of the same floating orbs that had been present during the name submission. But these were slightly different. Images appeared in each one of them, and they drew Santana closer, enchanting her.

When she drew near enough to focus, the images became clear. They were detailed pictures of the library below; projections of a sort that allowed alternate views of the aisles and shelves that lined the room. Santana could almost make out the writing on the spines of some of the books. She dropped her gaze back towards the bewitched floor and noticed smaller yet similar orbs scattered in the library beneath her feet. They would be able to see everything from this one room.

As more students entered, Santana finally tore her eyes away from the magical devices and tried to find a seat that would allow for the best spectating. As she was doing so, her eyes immediately began scanning the room for a certain blonde. By the time the professors were closing the doors to the room, Santana had been unable to spot Brittany in the crowd. It punched some of the excitement out of her gut and she turned her gaze towards the third-floor entrance of the library.

The champions were waiting just outside in the corridor one floor down. She could just make out Quinn with her ruffled-short, blonde hair and her Hogwarts jersey, blue and bronze to represent her house.

She sighed and decided to finally take a seat, making her way over to some first years who were taking lots with Jacob Ben Israel, a rather hapless Slytherin whom Santana despised.

"Get lost, Puffskein-head," Santana snapped, pushing past the afro-baring boy with a hard shove and scattering the first years.

"Santana Lopez, just the witch I wanted to have a chat with. Is it true that you and the one Brittany S. Pierce have split? Is it true she decided you weren't fit enough for her and sent you packing?"

Santana felt her blood boil.

"You have two seconds before I hex you and hide you somewhere fiendfyre can't even light," she hissed, drawing her wand in emphasis.

She didn't have to threaten twice and the boy went sprinting across the room with his bets. Santana gritted her teeth, swallowed her pain and took a seat at the edge of the bleachers, her feet resting on the transparent floor that separated her from the first task.

The images on the globe nearest Santana changed to show the bust of Professor McGonagall and all the students around her settled down, growing quiet.

"Welcome to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament," McGonagall's voice wafted from the globes. "Many of you may find yourselves wondering why we have gathered around and atop the library this morning. The answer is simple. In these books live lives immortalized, knowledge waiting to be learned and keys to your futures. However, this library has changed from the last time any of you stepped foot within it.

This library is now unlike any other. The task is simple: find the book with the key, a clue you will need in order to succeed in the next task. But to do so you will need to defeat the immortalized stories these books hold, overcome your fear and find the book in the section you dread the most."

Santana furrowed her brow as she listened to the headmistress explain the first task. She heard the students around her whispering about the possibilities the library could hold, trying to figure out what McGonagall was saying.

"The order of champions has been chosen at random, Sophie Larocque, you are up first."

As McGonagall's voice and face faded, Sophie's face replaced it where she was waiting at the entrance of the library along with the rest of the champions. If she was shocked she didn't show it and simply nodded her head and looked around at the other champions. She gave brief nods to both Quinn and Greger before stepping forward.

Santana was expecting the sound of an exploding canon or something extravagant to acknowledge the official start of the competition but was only met with silence. It put her on edge with the anticipation of what was to come. She felt herself growing nervous and cursed herself for it. If she was champion she wouldn't allow herself to be nervous so she couldn't understand why she was beginning to sweat now.

She held her breath as Sophie entered the Library with her head and wand held high.

It took Sophie forty five minutes to complete the task and Santana was on edge for all forty five of them. She never knew where to look, whether it was through the floor at her feet or flickering between several of the projections closest to her, Santana's eyes were constantly darting back and forth.

The initial anticipation had nearly driven her crazy but by the time the secret of the library had been revealed, a sense of dread had already begun to grow in the pit of her stomach. She tried to remain calm and not let any of her rapid-fire emotions show through on her face but as she watched Sophie battle her way through the task, Santana found herself double-guessing her original desire to partake in the competition. She was nervous and confused, misguided by her own desires and Brittany's absence in her life had turned into a dark and looming cloud that had settled over her.

Brittany's words began to float through her head as she watched the Beauxbatons' champion work her way through the library. It had almost been as though Santana was possessed by the need to prove herself to Brittany, or rather to herself. She had watched Brittany grow into a beautiful and talented witch, one who would be remembered for years to come no doubt. It just seemed that along the way, Santana had forgotten about herself.

When Jesse St. James had cornered her on the Hogwarts Express and told her there wouldn't be Quidditch this school year, Santana had felt as though she lost her one chance of being remembered when she left the school. She had invested so much into her Quidditch playing, next to studying for the O.W.L.s, that is. A quick ride around the pitch had always been able to clear her head, especially before Brittany and her made the transition from friendship into lovers.

This year was Santana's hardest by far. Not only did she not have Quidditch but she found herself without Brittany for the first time since starting at the school. She had blamed the blonde, spited her for not seeing where Santana had been coming from when really Santana was the one who was blind.

Without this last year to make a splash, Santana felt her legacy slipping away into nothing. This tournament had come at the perfect time and had first felt like a calling, as though it had been made for her to participate in. Santana was initially mad because she hadn't understood why Brittany didn't understand.

Her brain began to sort out her thoughts, previously segregated and highlighted by her acute stubbornness as she watched Larocque dive behind a bookshelf. Brittany's reaction at her desire to join the competition hadn't been what she expected but now that she thought about it, it was what someone who cared about her would have done. It hit her in the stomach when Santana realized that Brittany had merely been worried for her safety, not that she didn't support her.

Santana was sure Brittany would never leave her hanging but now she understood. The tournament unravelling in front of her was nothing she could have ever imagined. Brittany had been right. This tournament is dangerous. People die in this tournament. Cedric would always be remembered, never forgotten or erased from history books, but Santana felt bile rise in her throat at the thought of leaving Brittany in this world alone. That wasn't the glory she wanted for herself.

Her head dropped into her hands and Santana ran her fingers through her hair. She swore at herself for being so blind to Brittany's fear and realized she had risked the greatest thing she ever held: Brittany's love.

All for a trophy and her name on a piece of paper. It made her feel sick remembering her last words towards Brittany.

Forty five minutes later and Santana was dreading Quinn's entrance into the maze of books, for she knew the other Ravenclaw she actually cared about had no idea what was waiting for her within.

Her eyes found Quinn's image the second the first champion has finished the task. The Ravenclaw was waiting patiently at the entrance of the library.

The first step in was tentative, Santana could tell by the wary look on Quinn's face. She watched as hazel eyes scanned the shelves around her as she progressed further into the large room. She glanced towards the ceiling for a second and searched. Quinn must have known where her audience was and Santana wished for a second that she had found the girl before the task.

Santana held her breath, counting the steps her friend took. Brown eyes flicked back and forth between the floor below and the projections in front and around her. Perhaps if Santana could spot the danger first, it would help Quinn. Santana scoffed at her own obvious stupidity, released a shaky breath and sucked in a new one until her lungs hurt and strained.

The room watched as Quinn briefly investigated the projection globes nearest her, as though trying to get a feel for her surroundings before walking more firmly through the rows of shelving.

The enchanted room Santana found herself sitting in mimicked the atmosphere of the enchanted library below. Every footfall and creak of the floorboards beneath Quinn's feet could be heard as though Santana herself was the champion. So when the first wisp of wind echoed through the shelves, Santana and all the students around her heard it just as Quinn did.

A furrow of a cloak, heavy and old.

The sound prickled in Santana's ear and Quinn reacted, raising her wand and spinning on her heels.

"Hello?" Quinn's voice sounded around the room, echoing slightly. The champion took a few steps backwards between two shelves of towering books.

She didn't receive a reply and took another step backwards. Another gush of wind caused the champion to spin back around and raise her wand higher. Santana saw Quinn shiver slightly to her left and imagined the feel of the wind against her own skin.

"Who's there?" Quinn said solemnly.

After a pause, a thick voice filled the air, "Hello?"

A light could be seen as it peeked from around the end of the row. It glowed as though it was silver, casting tiny shadows amongst the faded leather bindings on the shelves.

Santana watched as Quinn took steady steps towards the glowing light and she wondered if Quinn's first encounter would be the same as Sophie's had been.

"W-who's there?" Quinn barked louder than before.

The low grumble she got in return was enough to tell Santana that this one was new, different than the ones the rest of the students had already seen. Her deduction was confirmed when Quinn finally rounded the corner.

A figure stood in front of her. Its cloak appeared heavy, the hood drawn up and covering its head in entirety, if it even had a head beneath it. Though a different embodiment, it once again was comprised of a silvery-blue mist that moved with the stale atmosphere of the stuffy library.

It sent shivers down Santana's spine as she slid slightly forward in her seat.

A look of confusion fluttered across Quinn's face and Santana saw her wand falter breifly. The cloaked figure stepped forward causing Quinn to jump slightly. When it moved again, the blonde took a step back.

The figure spoke. It was a language Santana did not recognize, never having heard it before in her life. But judging by the way several students around her shifted uncomfortably in their seats, she figured the words were not very welcoming.

When it moved again, Quinn was quick to act.

"Stupefy!"

The spell passed straight through the creature as though it were a wisp of cloud, the blue smoke circling back to complete the figure once more.

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed noticeably to her audience as her wand hand dropped slightly.

There was a scream in the back of Santana's throat that she forced herself to swallow as the hooded figure took off in Quinn's direction. It was at full speed and Santana saw the panic and surprise fly through hazel eyes. She stumbled backwards but not fast enough to escape the advancing phantom.

When it hit her, Santana could tell Quinn was as surprised as Santana had been throughout Sophie's task. Though they appeared to be nothing but a gaseous and transparent entities, the phantom-like creature that had attacked Quinn was in fact very, very solid.

Quinn went flying backwards into a stack of books, hitting it with a dull thud as dozens of tomes scattered across the floor.

When Quinn rose to her feet, her breathing was labored. Another spell was fired at the figure, passing through it harmlessly.

Santana wondered how long it would take Quinn to figure out the secret to defeating them.

The blonde Ravenclaw took off running when her spell failed yet again. She sprinted through the shelves and around bends as she was continually pursued.

And then the shelves began to move. It had taken three minutes and twenty five seconds before the first change. Santana had been counting in her head.

It caught the champion off guard and Quinn nearly went careening into another pile of books.

She turned a corner, sprinting down another row and barely missing the opening that had remained at the end before her path of escape was shut off completely. Books clattered down from the shelf as it snapped into place, leaving Quinn at the dead end of a very long row.

Santana's eyes flicked down again, searching.

It seemed as though Quinn wasn't going to wait around to be caught. The other girl started moving again right away and barely made it out of the row before she was being followed again.

The Slytherin watched as Quinn darted in between shelves, throwing useless spells behind her back until finally she managed to slip between a closing shelf, locking the phantom behind her. It dissipated into a cloud of blue mist and Santana heard Quinn take a deep breath.

It was shaky, and as it settled Santana knew Quinn was listening to the shelves around her. The girl had come to the same conclusion that she had.

As Santana listened intently, determined to hear what Quinn was hearing, she focused on the quiet sounds that had filled the room. Whispers floated from the floor below her feet. Tales of mystery and woe, voices of the dead but forever immortal filled her ears.

The look on Quinn's face mimicked her own: the library was alive.

The whispered words from the pages only grew louder as the shelves groaned, sliding across the scathed floor.

But as the dreary sounds echoed up through the floor boards, Santana saw the determination that grew on Quinn's face. The champion worked her way through the library, the hooded phantom not her only guest.

Santana cringed as Quinn continued to fail in her defensive maneuvers. By the time she was met face to face with the full-embodiment of a dragon, Quinn was out of breath from dodging and fleeing everything the books sent forth.

She wanted to cry out as blue flames burst down a row of shelves. The Ravenclaw dove for her life but wasn't fast enough. The right leg of Quinn's pants erupted in a flame that took no time at all to rise and engulf part of her robes. Her wand scattered down the aisle.

The champion rolled and batted at her charring uniform until finally scrambling over to her dropped wand and picking it up. Water spewed from its tip, quenching the flames. She barely had time to catch her breath before the dragon was on her once more.

Quinn tried the water spell on the creature itself but it didn't work.

The fire must have sparked something in Quinn's mind, or perhaps Santana had managed to send her a telepathic message because the next thing the brunette Slytherin saw was red hot flames bursting out of Quinn's want towards the shadowy dragon.

The gaseous smoke was torn apart and consumed instantly by the flames and Santana watched a moment of relief wash across Quinn's face, matching her own.

She continued to watch as Quinn advanced with renewed determination. The champion was close; that much Santana knew. There was one thing that was left in Quinn's way, however and it would be the last to overcome.

Santana had pondered what hers would have been after watching the first champion battle the boggart. If truth be told, Santana had no idea what her greatest fear might be. She was certain that before today's task, she would have considered mortality to be her greatest fear but she was no longer sure. Not mortality in the essence that Santana wished herself to physically live forever, but that she hoped somehow her name would be immortalized. But that fear seemed rather juvenile to her now. She supposed it would be obvious if she ever encountered one though, enough to the point of naivety. Santana didn't know what her fear was but knew it would all make sense if she was ever unfortunate enough to come across it.

Santana held her attention on Quinn, anxious as ever and waited along with her peers.

It was evident when the creature appeared. Its appearance was unlike the spirits from the books. On reflex, Santana watched Quinn shoot flames out of the tip of her wand but the Slytherin paid them no mind. Her eyes, along with everyone else's, were focused on the embodiment the creature had assumed.

Her brow furrowed in confusion and she cocked her head to one side.

The boggart was only there for a moment but it was long enough for dozens of questions to flood through Santana's mind. At least it had taken Quinn less time to figure out what she had been facing that time. When laughter floated around the room, she knew the fear had been defeated.

Santana barely paid attention as Quinn worked her way to the end of the task. It was over shortly with Santana deep within her own thoughts. She shivered at the anticipation of danger to come in the following tasks and hugged herself at the notion that it could have been her below the floorboards at her feet instead of Quinn.

Would she have been able to figure out the task? What if she wasn't able to recognize her greatest fear? Watching her friend compete raised so many questions in Santana's mind. She was starting to question her motives for wanting to join the tournament. She was questioning what she was truly afraid of.

These last few years at Hogwarts had been some of the most magical she had ever experienced and one thing stood out among them: Brittany.

Silently Santana cursed herself for being so blind. The months since starting her seventh and final year at the wizarding school had been torturous because she had lost the one thing she had ever truly cared about.

And that was when it hit her. Santana wasn't afraid of not being remembered, she wasn't scared of being forgotten. She was petrified of losing the most amazing and magical love anyone could ever ask for.

The sudden need for her estranged girlfriend became overwhelming and caused Santana to rise to her feet. The movement attracted some of the students around her but Santana paid them no mind. She was out of the doors before Greger could even lay a foot inside the immortalized library.


A/N2: So what did you think of the First Task?

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask either here or on my tumblr.