It was known that Harry wouldn't have it easy after the selection, but Veronica didn't realize how bad it would be leading up to the first challenge.
His classmates had turned on him, even Ron Weasley, almost out of spite in favor of his fellow Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory. Crude Button flashing vulgar phrases and Harry's face were passed around by students until the poor boy could walk down a hallway without someone sneeringly flashing him an enchanted image of his head melting into a green puddle. Veronica did all she could to help, but McGonagall stopped her from overstepping her bounds.
"If you do too much, it will just single him out even more." Minerva explained over tea. "Many students already believe he is receiving special treatment because of who he is, we don't want to give them more reason to think he is favored."
"If we didn't them to think that, we shouldn't have allowed him to compete." Veronica muttered pointedly and Minerva nodded.
"I agree, but we can't change that now. Now all we can do is try to control the damage."
To make matters worse, the Daily Prophet's own Rita Skeeter had been assigned to cover the tournament, and she seemed determined to make everything as dramatic as possible starting with the Champion's starting interviews.
"This article is so fabricated; my novels are more based in reality." Veronica spat with derision dripping from her tone. "She can't even bother to get the poor boy's age right."
"Put it down." Severus pushed the paper aside. "You know it will only upset you."
"But it's awful the way he's being treated Severus, and you know it's not his fault."
Severus didn't respond, partly because other teachers began to enter the Great hall and he didn't want to be heard discussing Potter's victimhood, but also because He didn't know what else to say.
She was right in that Potter was being treated unfairly.
But there was little they could do about it, and Severus could understand why the other students were shunning the boy. No body likes someone who receives special treatment for doing basically nothing and considering this sort of thing had been happening for over three years now it was almost a miracle that Potter hadn't been ostracized before this point.
It only got worse as the first task drew closer.
A week before the task, Veronica had been passing through the courtyard and spotted Potter and Malfoy approaching each other with murder in their stride.
"Jesus!" Veronica stopped what she was doing and approached, the argument growing louder and clearer as she got closer. "Malfoy, Potter!" She called, but she was beaten to the punch by Professor Moody when Malfoy drew his wand.
Moody didn't have to utter a single word as his wand spat a gust of wind that blew Malfoy back and engulfed him in a blur. When the whirlwind disappeared, what remained was a pure white ferret scrambling in the dirt as Moody levitated it off the ground and bounced it up and in the air.
Veronica was horrified, "Professor Moody!" She cried, rushing to the scene and parting the group of students that gathered and laughed at the show. "What in heaven are you doing?!"
"Teaching, Madame Largo." Moody laughed, hoisting the rodent in the air once more before letting it drop and catching it once again.
"Is that a student?!"
"Technically it is a ferret, Madame."
Veronica drew her own wand and whipped it at Malfoy, who returned to his normal, now properly disheveled state. He scrambled in the dirt, taking one look at Moody and bolting in terror. "My Father will hear about this!" He wailed as he ran, backed by his goons.
Moody's face twisted as he began to lumber after the boy. "Is that a threat?! I could tell you stories about your father that could curl even your greasy hair, boy!"
"Professor!" Veronica growled.
"It doesn't end here!"
"Professor!" She nearly shouted, going red in the face. "If I remember correctly, it is strictly against school policy to used transfiguration as a punishment! Surely the Headmaster told you that!"
Moody shuffled sheepishly and shrugged. "He might have mentioned it."
"Well I will be mentioning this to him." She promised and turned to the students who had go silent during the telling off. "Don't you all have studying to be doing? Away with you now." She ordered them and they quickly disbanded. Veronica threw a final withering scowl at Moody before storming off to find the headmaster.
"Headmaster Dumbledore?" She knocked on his office door, which swung open for her and she slipped in quietly. The old man was sitting at his desk in lavender robes and looked up at her curiously.
"Madame Largo, can I help you?"
"I just wanted to make you away for the fact that I just caught Professor Moody using transfigurations on a student in front of a crowd just now." Veronica crossed her arms sternly and Albus raised a brow.
"Is that so?"
"On Draco Malfoy to be exact. Turn him into a ferret and threw him in the air in the courtyard."
Albus shook his head with a sighed. "I will address this at once, madame. Thank you for letting me know."
Veronica shuffled awkwardly and sighed. "Headmaster, with all due respect, may I be frank?"
"By all means." Albus motioned to the seat across from his desk, "Sit, you look tired."
"Headmaster are you sure Professor Moody is a proper fit for his position. I understand he was a great Auror, but I'm afraid I fit his methods of teaching concerning."
"Alastor's methods are unorthodox, I will say that" Dumbledore nodded, "And perhaps the skill of an Auror do not seamlessly transfer to that of an educator. But the student's grades demonstrate that he must be doing something right."
Veronica wanted to ask what the student's grades had to do with their wellbeing, but it felt impertinent to do so, so she remained silent and stood.
"I just wanted to make you aware Headmaster." She nodded, "Good day."
As she descended the narrow staircase, she winced in pain and stopped, placing a discreet hand under her robes to feel her breast. For the past few days, they had ached as if they had a bad sunburn. Every brush of semi-rough fabric or light jostle making them burn dully. She also tired easily these days and lacked an appetite.
But as the colder seasons approached, she figured it was the early touches of the flu and simple tossed back a wellness potion to nip it in the bud.
The week went on without further disruption, until the weekend came, and the First Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament was at hand.
All three schools crammed themselves into the converted Quidditch pitch, which had been equipped with high iron fences and a mockup of mountainous terrain. Students and staff alike jostled their way to their seats as the champions waited into a brightly colored tent with their Heads and Barty Crouch.
The morning it had been announced what the first task was to be. To obtain a Golden Egg guarded by a fully-grown dragon. Each competitor would have a different dragon to face, so that they could not watch those before them and learn from their mistakes.
Veronica sat in the stands, anxious as cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Thankfully she was not sandwiched between Severus and Karkaroff this time, as Karkaroff was in the box with the other Heads.
"This is insane" Veronica whispered, "This is absolutely mad."
"Will you relax" Severus rolled his eyes, "Worrying about it won't solve anything."
Veronica groaned and bent over slightly. "I feel sick."
"Are you really that nervous?"
"I suppose." The woman swallowed at the nausea passed over her and then faded away. "You're right, I just need to relax, no one would allow them to get hurt. Surely safety measures have been taken."
"Exactly" Severus glanced around before slipping his hand over hers. "Now just try to enjoy the show, alright?"
"Alright."
The crowd went wild as the first dragon was led into the arena and then went silent as the first champion eased their way through the rocks.
It was Cedric Diggory, who proved himself a nimble lad as he bounced behind rocks to avoid the dragon's gaze. He didn't even have to use his wand as he approached the egg and scooped it up, only a meter or two away from the Dragon's own foot before sprinting away. But to his misfortune, the dragon wasn't as deaf as he had hopped and Diggory barely dodged a blast of blue fire that erupted from the creature's maw. Cedric found himself all but cornered, but not far from his exit. In an attempt to draw the Dragon's attention away, Diggory peered from behind the rock and finally pulled out his wand.
He levitated one of the larger boulders across the area into the air until it nearly passed the iron fence before dropping it and letting it fall with a deafening crash that distracted the Dragon long enough for him to book it to the exit, followed by the roar of the crowd.
Next was Fleur, who beat Diggory's time but nearly five minutes when she froze the tip of the Dragon's tail into a shell of ice and allowed it to chase its own rear in distress as she grabbed the egg as the Beauxbatons students howled and cheered for their champion.
Krum did not have such luck, taking nearly double the time Diggory had as he at first tried to defeat the dragon and then go for the egg. Veronica watched him with her heart in her throat.
"Dear God, that boy is going to get himself killed."
"He'll be alright" Severus whispered, wincing as Krum was nearly crushed by a boulder reaching for the egg.
And he was, reaching the egg and making it to the exit safely, if not timely.
Which left only one more champion.
Potter did not start off well, scrambling around the arena until he finally remembered he could use his wand. He shouted something that could be heard over the Dragon's roar and at first it seemed that whatever spell he had tried to cast was a dud, until a sharp whistle sound was heard over head and the crowd looked up to find a broomstick barreling towards the arena.
Potter grabbed the egg and, with the skill of a quidditch professional, hopped on the broom as it passed.
The Stadium was on its feet with excitement, chanting Potter's name as he zoomed over the iron fence and out of reach of the dragon.
The victory did not last long however, as the Dragon would not take this sitting down. Before anyone had time to intervein, the dragon had snapped the chain tethering it to the rocks and stormed after the broomstick, nearly hitting the stands as it did so.
As the two flew out of sight, the crowd fell silent, unsure what to do next as the heads began to gather together and debate whether something should be done. Technically Potter HAD gotten the egg from the dragon, but how far would they allow the dragon to go to get it back.
They didn't have much time to decide however, as soon Harry was back insight, flying over head as the crowd rushed too it's feet in excitement and he landed, holding the egg aloft over his head.
The results came back in record time, though not to satisfaction of the crowd.
Diggory, who had the fastest time, was in the lead.
The Fleur, and then Krum.
Harry, despite his spectacular display, came in last, with the longest time of the four.
No one could argue that Potter was being favored now. But at this point, he was simply happy to be alive.