The Junior And The Prefect.
Chapter
Nine: Tricky Spells And Burns.Monday
morning came way too fast, only a day until I have to face dragons;
Cedric Diggory doesn't know anything about them yet, because I
haven't been able to get him alone and the only idea I have on
beating dragons s from Sirius.
'A
simple spell', he says, but
Hermione and I had been researching all day yesterday and we didn't
come across any simple
spells to defeat dragons with!
I poke at my bacon before deciding
that I'm probably not going to get anything else down and push my
plate away.
Hermione and I stand to head towards the greenhouses
for our Herbology lesson; Cedric stands and leaves to get to his own
class.
'Hermione, I'll see you in the greenhouse,' I'll
have to tell him now, I've got no choice. 'Go on, I'll catch
you up.'
'Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring
–'
'I'll catch you up, okay?'
I rush out of the
Great Hall and chase after Cedric; of course he's surrounded by
other Hufflepuffs again.
The group is walking towards the Charms
corridor.
I pull out my wand and point it at Cedric's
bag.
'Diffindo!'
Cedric's bag splits
open, spilling out, parchment, quills, books and a few bottles of
ink.
Cedric bends down, looking annoyed. 'Don't bother, tell
Flitwick I'm coming, go on…'
His friends leave him and walk
ahead; Cedric and I are once again, left in an empty corridor
alone.
I walk over to him, and he looks up, brushing hair out of
his face.
'Hi,' he says, picking up his now, ink splattered
copy of A Guide to Advanced
Transfiguration. 'My bag
just split… brand new and all…'
I blush slightly. 'Cedric,'
I frown at him, now isn't the time to get all embarrassed or feel
bad for ruining his bag – 'the first task is dragons.'
'What?'
Cedric looks up, dropping a bottle of ink, I bend down to help him.
'Dragons, they've got four, one for each of us, and we've
got to get past them.'
Cedric's eyebrows raise, fear evident
in his eyes.
'Are you sure?' he whispers.
'Dead sure,
I've seen them,' I pick up a few quills.
'But how did you
find out? We're not supposed to know…'
'Never mind,' I
look around, I hope no one is listening in… 'But I'm not the
only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now – Maxime and
Kakaroff both saw the dragons too.'
Cedric stands up, his arms
full of his belongings, ink staining the sleeves of his robes; he
eyes me suspiciously, looking a little hurt as if I made it up to
scare him.
'Why are you telling me?'
A blush graces my
cheeks. 'It's just… fair, isn't it? We all know now… we're
on an even footing, aren't we?'
Cedric frowns slightly and I
open my mouth to say more, but a familiar clunking is heard behind me
and I close my eyes. Just my luck… I balance the rest of his
belongings in his arms and hold his shoulders.
'Just believe
me, okay?'
I turn around to see Professor Moody standing there,
his usual scowl on his face, both eyes surveyed me.
'Diggory,
off you go.'
I glance at Cedric, and even though he didn't
really seem to believe me, he gave me a sympathetic smile before
leaving.
'Er – Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology
–'
'Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please…'
I
follow the limping man to his room; maybe he'll punish me, by
turning me into a ferret like he had done with Malfoy; it'll
certainly help me get past the dragons…
Professor Moody closes
the door behind me and turns; both his eyes on me once again.
'That
was a very decent thing you just did, Potter.'
Well I certainly
wasn't expecting that.
'Sit down,' said Professor Moody, and
I obey quickly.
I look around the room, inspecting everything;
I've been here in two different years. My second year, when it had
belonged to Lockhart and the walls were decorated
with his own portraits, and again in my third year, when Remus lived
in it.
Back then it usually contained a variety of different
creatures that the class would study, but now, dark and mysterious
objects were scattered around the room.
'Like my Dark detectors,
do you?' Professor Moody brought me out of my thoughts.
'What's
that?' I ask, pointing at what looks like a great big squiggly
golden aerial.
'Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects
concealment and lies… no use here, of course, too much interference
– students in every direction lying about why they haven't done
their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable
my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's
extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it
could be picking up on more than kids' stuff.'
My eyes land
on a large mirror, but instead of reflecting the room, it held
shadowy, blurred figures beneath its silvery surface.
'And
what's that mirror for?'
'Oh, that's my Foe-Glass. See
them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I
see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk.'
Laughing; he points at a large trunk with seven keyholes under
the window.
'So… found out about the dragons, have you?'
I
stiffen, I knew this was coming.
'It's alright,' Professor
Moody sits with a groan and stretches out his wooden leg. 'Cheating's
a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has
been.'
'I didn't cheat.'
Professor Moody grins. 'I
wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from
the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old
Kakaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions
everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore.
They'd like to prove he's only human.'
Professor Moody
laughed again. 'So… got any ideas how you're going to get past
the dragon yet?'
'No.'
'Well, I'm not going to tell
you. I don't show favoritism, me, I'm just going to give you some
good, general advice. And the first bit is – play
to your strengths.'
I
frown. 'I haven't got any.'
'Excuse me,' growled
Professor Moody, 'you've got strengths if I say you've got
them. Think now. What are you best at?'
I frown a bit more,
thinking. What am
I best at? Well, the only thing I can think of is –
'Quidditch,
and a fat lot of help –'
'That's right,' Professor Moody
fixes me with a hard stare. 'You're a damn good flier, from what
I've heard.'
'Yeah, but… I'm not allowed a broom, I've
only got my wand –'
'My second piece of general advice,'
said Professor Moody loudly, interrupting me, 'is to use a simple
spell which will enable you to get
what you need.'
I blink.
What do I need?
'Come on, boy… put them together… it's not
that difficult…'
I frown… oh! I'm a good flier, I need to
pass the dragon through the air, so I need
my Firebolt. So that means I have to use a Summoning Charm!
I grin
up at Professor Moody, he reaches over and claps me on the
shoulder.
'Better get to class now, Potter,' he grins back at
me.
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
I
rush into greenhouse three ten minutes later, apologize to Professor
Sprout and stand beside Hermione.
'Hermione – I need you to
help me.'
Hermione's eyes bulge. 'What d'you think I've
been trying to do, Harry?'
'Hermione, I need to you learn how
to do a Summoning Charm properly by tomorrow afternoon.'
o~O~o~O~o~O~o
Hermione and I practiced the Summoning Charm
every chance we got. I only just mastered it by two o'clock this
morning. I only hope that I'm not too tired when up against the
dragon now.
Professor McGonagall escorts me down to the grounds;
she stops me and places a hand on my shoulder.
'Now, don't
panic, just keep a cool head… we've got wizards on hand to
control the situation if it gets out of hand… the main thing is
just do your best and nobody will think any the worse of you… are
you all right?
I nod. 'Yes… yes, I'm fine.'
We continue
walking towards where the dragons are waiting; we stop again, this
time in front of a great tent on the edge of the forest.
'You're
to go in here with the other champions, and wait for your turn,
Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there… he'll be telling you the – the
procedure… good luck!'
There's fear evident in her eyes as
she stares at me.
'Thanks,' I say a little feebly, not really
feeling the effects that the words 'good luck' are supposed to
impose.
Professor McGonagall turns quickly and leaves.
I enter
the tent; Fleur Delacour is sitting in a corner on a low wooden
stool, not looking as composed as she usually does. Viktor Krum looks
as moody as ever and Cedric Diggory's pacing; he stops to smile
nervously at me, I return the smile with difficulty. It just seems
like a very stupid situation to smile in.
'Harry! Good-oh!'
cried Mr. Bagman eagerly. 'Come in, come in, make yourself at
home!' this also seemed like a very stupid thing to say; but of
course, we're not supposed to know about the first task.
'Well,
now we're all here – time to fill you in!' Mr. Bagman smiled
brightly. 'When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be
offering each of you this bag,' – he holds up a small, purple
silk sack and shakes it – 'from which you will each select a
small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different –
er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too…
ah yes… your task is to collect
the golden egg!'
Cedric
gave a short not in acknowledgement, but nobody else did anything.
It
feels like a seconds only past when the sound of feet and laughter
fill the air.
'Ladies first,' said Mr. Bagman smiling and
holding out the bag to Fleur.
She reaches out a shaking hand, puts
it inside the bag and draws out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon –
the Welsh Green, with number 'two' around its neck.
Krum pulls
out the scarlet Chinese Fireball with the number 'three' around
its neck.
Cedric receives the blueish-grey Swedish Short-Snout
with the number 'one'.
That leaves me with the Hungarian
Horntail and the number 'four'. Brilliant.
'Well, there you
are! You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the
numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons,
do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment,
because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out
into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now… Harry…
could I have a quick word? Outside?'
'Er… yes,' I follow
him out of the tent and behind a few trees.
'Feeling all right,
Harry? Anything I can get you?'
'What? I – no,
nothing.'
'Got a plan?' Mr. Bagman lowers his voice a great
deal. 'Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd
like them, you know – I mean,' he glances around and leans in
closer. 'You're the underdog, Harry… anything I can do to
help…'
'No,' I say quickly, 'no – I – I've decided
what I'm going to do, thanks.'
'Nobody would know,
Harry,' Mr. Bagman winks.
'No, I'm fine,' I really need to
stop telling people that… 'I've got a plan worked out, I –'
a whistle blows, interrupting me.
'Good Lord, I've got to
run!' Mr. Bagman rushes off.
I head back to the tent in time to
see a very green Cedric Diggory emerge from it.
I place my hands
on his shoulder and he faces me, but doesn't really seem to see me;
fear is etched into his face,
'Good luck, Cedric,' my voice
wavers, and Cedric nods, swallowing hard, he pulls away from mw and
heads towards the enclose.
I take Fleur's seat, seeing as she
took to retracing Cedric's pacing steps and Krum just stared at the
floor.
The crowd whooped loudly outside as Cedric obviously
entered the enclosure.
'Here we have the Hufflepuff, Hogwarts
champion, Cedric Diggory! All the champions have to do for the first
task is get past the dragon and capture the golden egg on the dragons
nest! Lucky Mr. Diggory gets to be the first champion out on the
field and he shall be up against the Swedish Short-Snout!'
There
were loud cheers and gasps amongst the crowd; before it was drowned
out by a dragon roaring.
'Oh, excellent move,' called Mr.
Bagman, 'Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow! I wonder what he's
going to do next! This is very exciting! A brilliant competitor! Oh!'
the crowd gasps and I stand to my feet, staring at the entrance of
the tent; my heart pounds dangerously against my chest. What just
happened?
'He's taking risks, this one!' I sit back down,
and tap my floor nervously against the floor, what is going on out
there?
A loud 'awww' flows through the crowd.
'Clever
move – pity it didn't work!' commented Mr. Bagman.
Fifteen
minutes pass and there's a loud roar from the crowd.
'very
good indeed!' Mr. Bagman screams over the crowd. 'And now the
marks from the judges!'
There were a few cheers and boos from
the crowd, but Mr. bagman didn't read out the results.
'One
down, three to go!' Another whistle sounds.
'Miss Delacour, if
you please!'
Fleur was shaking from head to foot, with her
head held high, she exits the tent; Krum and I sit in silence.
'Now,
we have the beautiful, Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion,
she'll be facing the Welsh Green. I have to say this dragon looks a
little friendlier than the last one, but then again, looks can be
deceiving!' Mr. Bagman seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
'A
wonderful start on Miss Delacour's –' there was a painful 'ooo'
through the crowd. '- Oh… Never mind, never mind.'
The
crowd gasps. 'Oh, I'm not sure that was wise! Not wise at all!'
I stare at the entrance of the tent again.
'Not very friendly!'
a loud screech and a rumbling thump echoes. 'Oh… nearly! Try
again, love!'
A loud crash. 'Careful now!' the crowd yells
out.
'Good Lord, I thought she'd had it then!'
Ten
minutes later and the crowd erupt with applause and cheers.
'Well
done, Miss Delacour, very well done! Give a hand people! I'd go get
that cleaned up now if I were you… Now, what do the judges
think?'
There was more clapping. 'I like the look of those
scores!' the third whistle is piped out and Krum exits the tent, I
stiffen in my seat. I'm next… I think I'm going to be
sick…
'And here comes Mr. Krum! Our Durmstrang champion, we
should expect great things from this young man. His dragon's the
Chinese Firebolt! This dragon has a very nasty fire breath, not that
I really needed to tell you, I'm sure you would have guessed by the
name.'
The crowd cheers loudly.
'And he's getting
straight into it! He must have thought a strategy through while
waiting!'
My heart pounds faster, threatening to jump out of my
throat and my fingers tingle; it's only been a few minutes and Krum
sounds like he's going to be the fastest time.
'Very daring!'
cries Mr. Bagman excitedly, a powerful shriek shushes the crowd.
'Ooo! He'll lose points for that, I'm sure!' a gasp. 'That's
some nerve he's showing – and – yes, he's got the
egg!'
Applause breaks out and I stand, my legs wobbling
dangerously.
The final whistle shrills and I take a deep
breath.
'And here is the final and youngest champion, Harry
Potter from Hogwarts! The odds seem against this young lad, being
paired up against the most ferocious of the dragons! The Hungarian
Horntail!'
I swallow hard. You have to concentrate Harry… I
point my wand high in the air.
'What's he going to do?'
shouts Mr. Bagman.
'Accio
Firebolt!' I
scream.
'Ah, a Summoning Charm! Interesting choice! But I'm
not sure that it worked, nor, and I sure a broom will do the youngest
champion any good!'
I try to drown out Mr. Bagman's words,
straining my ears for the sound of my broomstick.
The Hungarian
Horntail growls menacingly and then I hear it; the distinct whoosh of
a broom piercing the air.
I turn to see the Firebolt fly over the
trees and dive down to stop in mid-air beside me.
'Would you
look at that!' screams Mr. Bagman, as I mount and kick off the
ground.
As soon as I feel the wind rush by me, it seems to have
taken my fear along with it.
I fly high above the Horntail and
stop; looking down for the golden egg, as if in search for the golden
snitch.
This is going to be easier than I thought!
I dive low
as the Horntail's head follows me, her cheeks bulge dramatically
and a huge jet of fire explodes from her jaws.
I swerve out of the
way easily.
'Great Scott, he can fly! Are you watching this, Mr.
Krum?' called Mr. Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped.
I
circle the Horntail's head, in hopes of making her dizzy.
Her
cheek's bulge again and I dive low in an attempt to escape the
fire; but her tail collides with my shoulder, grazing it and tearing
my robes into ribbons.
The Horntail certainly seems reluctant to
move away from her post above the nest of eggs.
I need to make her
seem threatened so that she leaves.
I fly swiftly, this way and
that, her neck swaying, she roars impatiently and attempts to hit me
with another shot of flames.
She glares at me and unfold her
large wings; flapping them, she rears herself up, claws outstretched
I dive under them before she can figure out what's going on I
snatch the golden egg from her nest and soar past her hind legs and
tail.
'Look at that!' Mr. Bagman cries. 'Will you look at
that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is
going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!'
I zip through the air
and above the crowd, the Hungarian Horntail cries weakly and I land
beside Professor's McGonagall, Moody and Hagrid; they're
smiling.
Professor McGonagall claps her hands excitedly. 'That
was excellent, Potter!' she then points a shaking hand at my
shoulder. 'You'll need to see Madame Pomfrey before the judges
give out your score… over there, she's had to mop up Diggory
already…'
'Yeh did it, Harry!' Hagrid said hoarsely, 'yeh
did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know
Charlie said that was the wors' –'
'Thanks, Hagrid,' I
say loudly, interrupting him before he had a chance to let slip that
he had shown me the dragons.
Professor Moody's blue eye seemed
to be dancing in its socket. 'Nice and easy does the trick,
Potter,' he growled.
'Right then, Potter, the first-aid tent,
please…' Professor McGonagall smiled, pointing towards a tent.
I
walk over to the enclosure, panting still from the thrill.
'Dragons!'
Madame Pomfrey looked disgusted as she ushered me inside. She sat me
down and examines my shoulder closely.
'Last year Dementor's,
this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school
next? You're very lucky… this is quite shallow… it'll need
cleaning before I heal it up though…'
She dabs a smoking
purple liquid to my cut and pokes the wound with her wand, healing it
instantly.
'Now, just sit quietly for a minute – sit!
And then you can go,' she bustles out of the tent, muttering
furiously to herself.
Cedric Diggory leans across his bed and
smiles at me; he has a burn on his arm and cheek.
'I've been
listening… sounds like you did brilliant, Harry,' he scratches
the back of his head with a bandaged hand. 'Thanks, for telling me
about the dragons, I owe you,' he blushes and Madame Pomfrey
re-enters.
'How does it feel now, Diggory?'
I get to my
feet and head towards the door to leave, but, I'm almost bowled
over by Hermione and Ron.
'Harry, you were brilliant! You were
amazing! You really were!' Hermione squeaks, looking
stressed.
Ron's as white as a ghost. 'Harry, whoever put your
name in that Goblet – I – I reckon they're trying to do you
in!'
'Caught on have you? Took you long enough,' I frown at
him Hermione looks nervous and Ron opens his mouth, blushing.
I
sigh. 'It's okay,' I smile at him. 'Forget it.'
Ron
shakes his head, guilt etched into his face. 'No, I shouldn't've
–'
'Forget
it.'
Ron
grins and I grin back.
Hermione bursts into tears.
'There's
nothing to cry about!' I say a little shocked at the sudden water
works.
'You two are so stupid!'
she cried louder and jumps on us in an awkward hug before running out
crying harder still.
'Barking,' Ron shakes his head. 'Harry,
c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores…'
I
honestly couldn't care less about the scores now.
I survived
against a nesting dragon, have my best mate back and I feel more
alive than I've ever felt in a long time!
It certainly does seem
like my life is finally getting back on track.
Things will be a
lot
easier now that Ron and I are talking again, I know that whatever
comes my way in the Tournament now will feel like nothing with my two
best friends by my side.
A/N.
Wow!
Nice and long! Thanks for the reviews! They really do complete my
day!!
One or two reviews and I'll get the next two chapters
up.
Love Mister Jackkkk. ^_^
