Alex was calm as he took in the relaxing morning air and exhaling his stress at the same time. He strolled towards an unmarked and slightly tattered tan-colored tent sitting far enough from the stands to not catch attention, if any. He opened the flap and took a seat where he saw his name was. The other three corners of the tent were occupied by the other three champions and their families. He saw Longbottom and his ancient granny sitting in a corner, talking about something. To the other corner, he saw Viktor happily talking with his parents, who had arrived to watch their son perform in the First Task. To the opposite side of the tent, he saw Fleur talking with a tall, lithe woman with blonde hair and a man that was shorter and was nowhere near the beauty of the women surrounding him standing next to the woman. A little girl no more than ten was sitting on Fleur's lap, laughing as she pulled on Fleur's hair. Alex then looked at himself and realized for the first time… he was alone. He never bothered to look at himself; he had self-consciously known that he was always alone. But not lately. He hated to admit that the presence of that pink-haired Auror was something he actually yearned for now. Damn her! But still… what about him? His own parents? They were only some distance away in the stands… it was so tempting. Mum… Dad… Alex squashed the thought in an instant and hardened himself. He could withstand five years of hell. He could withstand a further five years of pain. He wasn't going to crumble due to some damned emotion in only a couple weeks. Alex walked to Viktor intending to break off his thoughts and to greet Andrei and Valentina.

Alex slung an arm around Viktor's neck, "Good morning Viktor!"

Viktor shot up slightly before giving Alex a now quite-routine death-like glare.

Alex merely smirked at Viktor and talked in Russian, "Sorry Viktor, you're going to need to do something better than that to make me run with my tail tucked between my legs."

Viktor shook his head in annoyance knowing that if he talked, he was simply going to dig a deeper grave.

Alex then focused on the fur-clad man and the woman standing next to him. Alex bowed, "Greetings Lord Krum."

The man shook his head and clapped a firm hand on Alex's shoulder. He looked at Alex and told Alex in a disapproving tone, "Alex, Alex. What did I tell you about calling me that name?"

"Lord Krum?"

The man shook his head again, "NO! Alex, its Andrei! A-N-D-R-E-I! Can you repeat that?"

"Lord A-N-D-R-E-I Krum?"

The man sighed, "If it wasn't for the fact we owe you a life-debt, I could invoke some arcane pure-blood law against you right now."

Alex smirked, "But isn't that out of the question Lord Krum?"

The man decided to leave the issue at rest, "Moving on, how are you Alex?"

Alex pointed at himself, "Still in one piece and no broken bones. As good as it could be Lord Krum."

The woman shook her head, "Alex, why could you not try to lead a normal life? You know that Durmstrang is always open to you."

Alex shrugged, "Why should I Lady Valentina? I completed the courses a lifetime ago. Anyways, I'm happy with the way it is. See? Not even a scratch on me right now."

The woman pointed at a bruise on Alex's neck, "Now what is that Alex?"

Alex almost thought that she went crazy when he remembered about yesterday. Oh… crap. Last night was… pretty passionate.

Alex sheepishly looked at the woman, "Err… hit my neck on a tree branch?"

The answer came out more as a question rather than an answer.

Viktor at this point took a good look at the couple of lip-shaped bruises on Alex's neck and Viktor immediately snickered, "Oh Alexia, I didn't know you were in love! Alexy-poo in's love! A-"

Alex pointed a wand at Viktor's temple and growled, "Say that again Viktor and you will find out why I'm a hitwizard. I always like my meat brainily rare."

Viktor immediately stopped ranting and slid off the seat slowly in his panic-state. Unfortunately, the seat does not extend to the side forever and he fell ass-first onto the ground. Alex at this point laughed as he saw Viktor on the ground clutching his ass.

"Got you now!"

Viktor grunted in response and seated himself again, "Whatever. Now Alex, tell me, who's the lady that marked my precious untouchable Alexia eh?"

Alex was tight lipped, "Nope."

Viktor rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmm… that girl that clings to that blonde snake-boy what's name again? Yeah! Malfoy right? Yeah, you know, that girl that-"

Alex shook his head.

Viktor continued, "How about that pink-haired girl…. that's it! It's that girl Tonks!"

Alex shook his head.

Viktor at this point shook his finger at Alex, "Now, now Alexia, it's VERY bad to lie you know that right?"

Alex was stoic and didn't say a word.

Valentina coughed to break the awkward tension, "Alex, are you going out with somebody?"

Alex slumped and lay his head on a table, "Alright, it's her."

Viktor laughed in triumph, "I knew it! Finally! Someone has cracked the impervious Alexia-shield! Oh man! Armageddon has finally been averted ladies and gentlemen!"

Alex tuned out the noises his friend made as he exclaimed how he was happy that his friend turned out to be a straight guy instead of a gay... Now that's something Alex didn't need to hear twice.

Valentina again coughed, "Viktor!"

Viktor looked sheepishly at his mother, "Yes mother?"

Valentina glared at her son, "Now that is not how you are supposed to talk to anyone, am I clear Viktor?"

Viktor glanced downwards slightly, "Yes mother."

Alex smiled slightly at that, "Now who's the one silenced?"

Viktor discreetly pointed a finger at his mother, "Don't tell me that you can resist that glare of hers. It's creepy AND damn scary AND it's my mother."

Alex looked at Valentina, who to his eyes, looked only slightly hellish with her red hair splayed all over the place; her brown eyes ablaze and her arms crossed tightly over her chest that was clearly showing signs of impatience. Alright, it's hellish, but it's not that bad. Nothing is smoldering right? Alex then pointed at the Delacour's, "Andrei, Valentina, I need to go now."

They both shook hands with Alex. Valentina was first, "Good to see you are in good hands now Alex. I hope that it will last."

She winked at the end, but Alex didn't catch it.

Alex then shook hands with Andrei, "Remember Alex you are always welcome to our home in times of need."

Alex nodded, "Of course Lord Krum."

Andrei rolled his eyes; not again! While Alex shook Andrei's hand, he felt a piece of paper was thrust in his hand. Andrei nodded at Alex and Alex nodded back. Alex pocketed the paper; he will read it when he gets home later on.

Alex walked up to the chattering group of French people and said, "Hey Fleur."

The talking stopped as they turned around to face the newcomer.

Fleur was the first to respond, "'Ello Alex."

Alex replied in French, "So how are you Fleur? Viktor over there's perfectly fine."

Fleur smiled, "As good as always Alex."

Fleur shared a glance with her mother about something.

Alex then felt that wave of "allure" wash over him. Double-time this time. He quickly shook it off and looked at Fleur impassively, "What?"

Fleur shook her head in disbelief. Even TWO Veela, one that is fully mature, could NOT topple Alex. Grr!

Fleur replied, "How?! My mother and I both subjected you to the allure!"

Alex looked at the six foot something silvery-haired woman, "Are you hitting on me Mrs.? I recall that your husband is standing right there."

The man looked slightly bemused at the scene, not commenting at all. He should be cursing Alex at this moment… this confirmed to Alex this had been planned beforehand. Well, guess what? Plan foiled!

The woman shook her head, "We were just testing you. You are just as how Fleur said."

"And what may that be?"

The woman smiled and extended a hand, "Apolline Delacour, pleased to meet you."

Alex shook her hand, "Alex Groza, Champion of Hogwarts and hitwizard at your service."

Apolline slightly gasped. Even Fleur raised an eyebrow. The man meanwhile was impassive. Somehow the man had struck a memory in Alex somewhere but he couldn't place it where he had met this man.

Apolline spoke first, "A hitwizard?"

Alex slightly grinned, "Indeed Mrs. Delacour."

Alex made his robes shimmer and they turned into a dark dragon-hide suit. A cross pinned to the upper pocket on the suit with the letters "DMLE" and "LAW ENFORECEMENT" could be clearly seen emblazoned onto the cross.

He turned them back into his normal looking robes and grinned, "Do you believe me now Mrs. Delacour?"

She mutely nodded. The little one that was sitting on Fleur's lap hopped up and greeted Alex with a smile, "Hello Alex! My name is Gabrielle Delacour!"

Alex had to slightly chuckle at the little girl's behavior; how he wished he could be so carefree… no Alex, don't go there. Alex squatted down and was eye-level with the girl, "Hello Gabrielle, here to see your sister?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yep! I can't wait to see my sister kick some dragon-ass!"

Alex again chuckled and ruffled some of the girl's hair. He looked at Fleur, "I presume she is your sister?"

Fleur nodded, "Yeah, more like an ENERGETIC little furball sister."

Gabrielle turned to Fleur and pouted, "Its Gabrielle! And I am no furball!"

Fleur rolled her eyes, "Make that an energetic insanely cute little furball."

Gabrielle was somewhat pleased with that, but still insisted, "Yes sis, I am cute! But it's Gabrielle!"

Alex smiled as he saw the banter between the siblings. He shifted his attention to the parents, "So, Apolline, may I be introduced to your rather stoic husband next to you?"

The man smirked, "Greetings Alex, remember me? Cyril? The Minister?"

Alex immediately berated himself. He had dealt with the French Minister of Magic before and he couldn't even remember! Blame it on the pink-haired Auror; she's the cause of this mess up!

"Hello Monsieur Cyril."

Cyril cracked a small grin, "Still the same as always Alex?"

Alex shrugged, "Don't know what you mean by that. But here I am standing here without anything broken or injured, so I think this is not the norm."

Cyril pointed at the bruises on Alex's neck, "So Alex, have you been out on some midnight escapade? Traipsing with the ladies now? Oh my! Alex growing up!"

Alex sighed dejectedly, "No Monsieur, I have not been doing that."

"Then what are those?"

Alex didn't really know what to say. He actually hadn't even given the thought too much about Tonks. Yeah, he appreciated the "sessions" that he had… but what did it amount to? What is it to him? Was it something to try? Was it something passive? Was it out of passion? He didn't know and he knew he couldn't answer at the moment. It wasn't love though. Love… Pfft, stuff in fairy tales where there's the perfect princess, a perfect knight in shining armor, and the oh so happy ending. No… this is life and life is not a fairy tale.

Before Cyril could further probe Alex, Bagman came over, "Alex, my boy, could you come over here please?"

Alex looked at Cyril, "Farewell Monsieur Cyril and Mrs. Delacour. Bye Fleur, bye Gabrielle! Good luck on the First Task!"

Alex was literally tugged away by Bagman to the unoccupied corner of the tent. Alex was regretting every step he was taking with this ludicrous Ludo. Seriously, someone needed to bag this guy.

Meanwhile, Fleur sadly looked on; Alex could not be hers; he was already someone else's.

Apolline smiled at her daughter, "Don't worry my child; there will always be someone else that you will meet down the road. Who knows? I didn't mean Cyril until I was twenty-five."

Fleur sighed, "Why does the only one that is respectful and resistant to the allure get taken?"

"Maybe there's more than just one Veela like you looking for him my darling."

Alex smirked when he returned to the champion's tent. Ok, he pushed the thoughts of the little walk with Ludo aside. Now he was not going through that again for any reason.

The task was going to be easy. Extremely easy. Actually the harder part he thought would be the breakout. Yeah… he's going to need to do some planning on that... quite possibly… But for now, he made a deal with a dragon, so what's the worst that can happen? A deal with the devil? But isn't this the devil himself? Horns, fire, deathly scary beast…

Bagman again entered the tent, though this time with the headmasters and Crouch in tow. After saying more things about the First Task which Alex already knew, Bagman said, "Champions, the first task will be a test of your magical ability and courage. In this bag we have the objects of contention for the first task. Viktor, you will be the first to draw."

Turns out, the objects of contention are (cue in drum rolls) miniature dragons! How cute… and dangerous. Viktor managed to pull out Chinese Fireball. Fleur got a Common Welsh Green, Neville got a Swedish Short-Snout, and Alex got the Hungarian Horntail. Goodness gracious, did fate decide to throw him the biggest fireball on the field? Well, Alex didn't complain as it was all contained.

Viktor was the first to go on the field. Alex heard the roar of the spectators die down and then someone shouted, "BEGIN!" With that, Alex heard the roar of the dragon as the dragon fended off the two-hundred pound two-legged creature waving a stick at it. Alex almost laughed as he viewed the scene through the dragon's eyes. There, he saw Viktor furiously waving his wand to and fro in an effort to land some curses on the dragon. Only problem? The dragon was resistant to magic, so the curses simply did nothing except making the dragon curse at the itches it had on its hide. A quandary indeed for the champion… Viktor unexpectedly dived for cover behind a rock and pointed somewhere. Alex didn't discern what the champion did, but Alex had a feeling that Viktor summoned something. What was it? A flock of doves to distract the dragon by waving olive branches at it? Nah, they'll turn to a flock of ash in a second. A horde of arrows to rid of the dragon? Nah, where the hell would he store thousands of arrows? And conjuring that many arrows will take too much. And they'll turn to ash also anyways… A giant rock to smash the dragon to bits? Nah… that's too heavy and too far for Viktor to handle. What about-

Before Alex could further conjecture about what Viktor had summoned, a broom zoomed into his hand. Alex face-palmed. Of course… fly. Why did he not think of that before? The simplest and easiest method had completely flown by Alex's mind.

Bagman shouted, "And look here! Our champion has switched tactics! Look at him go ladies and gentlemen; the famed seeker Viktor Krum! Only this time, he had to beat the fire and catch the golden egg. Can he do it with only his wits and a Firebolt?"

Alex rolled his eyes. They made it sound so damn dramatic. All the difference was is that Viktor was on a broom and furiously flying around the dragon in a deadly dodge-the-fire-and-tail game. Ok, Alex had to admit the stakes were higher than Quidditch, but come on! Give him a break! Alex had to grin at Viktor's resourcefulness; distract the dragon to lifting off the nest. Then, just swoop in, take the egg, and made a mad dash out of there. Alex continued to view the spectacle through the dragon's eyes and saw that Viktor did exactly what Alex had thought. Viktor repeatedly dive bombed at the dragon and flew off avoiding the fire and tail. The dragon; incensed that ranged weapons were useless against this two-legged runt, took flight in an attempt to completely destroy this miscreant. Only problem; the miscreant had intended for the dragon to follow him. Viktor immediately dived for the egg and zoom well and far away from the dragon with only a couple scratches, leaving a frustrated and irritated dragon roaring in his wake.

"And look at that ladies and gentlemen! The champion for Durmstrang has set a new record for completing the first task! Unbelievable! Three minutes, forty-six seconds, uninjured, and the rest of the eggs are undisturbed! I will give Mr. Krum a firm ten! "

Bagman waved his wand in front of him and a ten appeared.

The crowd waited.

Dumbledore waved his wand.

Another ten appeared.

The crowd waited.

Karkaroff didn't even think and waved his wand.

Of course another ten appeared.

And the crowd waited…

Maxime was appearing to debate about something before waving her wand.

A neat nine appeared.`

The crowd slightly groaned at that.

And lastly, Crouch waved his wand.

Another nine appeared.

At that moment, the audience clapped for Viktor; he already 48 points out of 50. At this point to everyone; he would most likely be in first place for the first task.

Bagman spoke again, "Bravo Mr. Krum! Bravo! Mr. Krum has earned 48 points for the first task and is in the lead. Will the other champions succeed in overtaking Mr. Krum? Now ladies and gentlemen, the next champion will be… NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!"

The crowd again went ecstatic and the champion walked onto the field facing his dragon.

Alex HAD to watch this. He gleefully rubbed his hands; he was going to let the dragon do the dirty deed for him.

Of course, Alex saw the normal strutting Longbottom walk out. When Alex saw his eyes though; he saw something he had totally expected and seen so many times in other faces; fear. Irrational and rational fear all mixed in. Irrational in terms that you, a kid armed with a stick, is going to fight a dragon. Rational in terms that you are going to fight the dragon like you're going to rescue a princess. The difference? There's no princess; just a golden egg. And the egg was the pinnacle of the task.

The crowds died down and the announcer shouted, "BEGIN!"

Neville never thought that in his short fifteen year existence that he would ever face a dragon. He had heard it in tales. But when he faced one right now by himself, he thought he was going to swing a giant sword, loop the dragon's head off, and save the day. Reality? The atmosphere was hot, scary, and confusing all rolled into one. He didn't have a sword and he wasn't saving anything. And the dragon? Neville didn't think he would even compare to the majestic creature in front of him that was occasionally billowing black smoke out of its nostrils. Neville knew at that point that the Triwizard Tournament wasn't a joke or a grand privilege; it was a game that could kill him. He remembered how Alex was warning him beforehand and him scoffing at Alex.

Neville shook his head and readied himself. He was the boy-who-lived after all; no hero backs down from a challenge.

Alex crossed his legs and closed his eyes; waiting to see the strength and wisdom of the dragon pitted against the famed boy-who-lived. Neville started off by firing a few red stunners at the dragon and obviously, it failed. The dragon just sat smugly on the eggs, waiting for Neville to make a proper move.

Alex spoke to the dragon, "Don't relent on this one your highness."

The dragon sent an image of it nodding an affirmative. Alex added an afterthought, "Just make sure you don't roast him alive; that would make things rather… complicated, your highness."

Alex felt the dragon groan, "Alex, please, for the sake of all dragons, call me Martha! Jack wasn't kidding when he said you're some weirdo."

Alex didn't reply to that.

The dragon meanwhile kept a steady eye on the two-leg holding a stick, waiting for him to strike properly. After waiting minute, apparently Neville had worked up his nerves to utter some arcane curse of sorts that made a wall of dirt rise and start heading towards the dragon. Problem was the dragon easily destroyed it with a flick of her tail. A blast of fire immediately followed and Neville ducked behind a rock, which had sadly taken the brunt of the fire. Alex just kept watching, waiting for Neville to slip up.

Neville didn't know what to do. He hurled hexes at the dragon, but they were… ineffective. Actually, all it did was to piss off the dragon and make the dragon hurl even more balls of fire at him. For the first time in Neville's life, he was scared. Despite knowing that Dumbledore wouldn't let him die like this, he felt scared for his life. Neville then remembered something; his broom! Well, his reserve broom… he didn't want to risk his oh so precious Firebolt. Viktor had summoned his broom, so why not him? Neville shouted, "Accio Nimbus!"

Alex meanwhile smirked when he saw Longbottom summon his broom. So he was going to copy Viktor's idea… Alex saw that this might get interesting, depending on how talented Longbottom was on a broom, which was likely to be little to none.

Neville did one thing while he waited for the broom; run, duck, bob, and weave. Actually, that's four things, but it is one general action… alright you get the point, it's just one type of action Neville was doing; evasion.

Neville found himself on the edge of crispiness and liveliness at this point. Come on bloody broom, come! After what felt like an eternity (which was really fifty seconds), Neville finally saw a broomstick wheezing towards him.

Bagman shouted, "And look here! Our champion has switched tactics alike to Mr. Krum! Rumor is that Mr. Longbottom is a seeker for a house. Will his seeking skills prove to match Mr. Krum's superb performance?"

Neville quickly kicked off the ground and flew around the dragon. Neville furiously dug his mind out of how he should approach this. He had barely managed to catch a snitch in the past and that was flying straight. He admitted to himself he had never participated in a seeker duel; he didn't know how. And now, he needed that kind of skill to maneuver around the dragon.

The dragon didn't hesitate unlike Neville. Thanks to his slow flying due to his thinking, a tail whipped upwards and promptly smacked him and the broom. Alex sighed remorsefully, Longbottom couldn't last…

Alex didn't need to watch any further. Gasps from the crowd can be heard along with a hubbub of people talking about the unmoving Longbottom on the ground. Of course, the broomstick that shattered into untold pieces was not mentioned because… it wasn't worth a life. Except for some of the more hardcore Quidditch people, who were concerned for both Longbottom and the broom. OF course, the broom is nowhere near salvageable, so it was pointless in the first place to worry about the broom.

Alex heard the shouts of the dragon-keepers and they did their work to contain the dragon. After that, he could hear some more shouts that sounded like, "Longbottom needs a healer!" or something like that.

Bagman spoke, "Ouch! And the Hogwarts champion Neville Longbottom has been severely injured in his attempt to collect the golden egg. For his attempt and his attempt to use a broom to retrieve the egg, I will give him five points."

Bagman waved his wand in front of him and a five appeared.

The crowd waited.

Dumbledore waved his wand.

A five appeared.

The crowd waited.

Karkaroff didn't even think and waved his wand.

A two appeared.

And the crowd waited…

Maxime quickly waved her wand.

A solemn four appeared.

The crowd waited...

And lastly, Crouch waved his wand.

Another four appeared.

At that moment, the audience politely clapped for Longbottom; at least he had tried to complete the task.

Bagman spoke again, "For his attempt, Mr. Longbottom has earned 20 points for the first task. Now ladies and gentlemen, the next champion will be… FLEUR DELACOUR!"

Fleur walked out of the tent and of course, as with every other champion, the crowds roared. Alex simply sat back. No, he wasn't going to watch this match; he was going to just listen.

Alex heard the crowds go quiet and the shout of "BEGIN!" Alex was somewhat stumped when the dragon didn't roar and he did not hear the gust of fire that escaped the maw of a dragon. Instead, he heard a slight thump onto the ground, shaking the ground slightly. He reached out towards the dragon's mind and was surprised to find it in a sleep-like trance. Hmm… that's an interesting tactic. Alex withdrew and sat back, waiting until he heard an ear-splitting roar. Then, the distinctive rush of flame from the dragon could be heard and Alex shook his head slightly, he hoped that Fleur would get out without any problems. He first heard some gasps. That meant that Fleur had been injured. In a couple seconds though, Alex heard the crowds roaring and cheering, which meant that Fleur had successfully retrieved the egg. Good for her then.

Bagman spoke, "And look at that ladies and gentlemen! The champion for Beaxbatons has successfully completed the First Task! Five minutes thirty-three seconds! She is slightly injured and two of the eggs are destroyed, which will bring her score down… but she has successfully completed the task! I will give Miss Delacour an eight!"

Bagman waved his wand in front of him and an eight appeared.

The crowd waited.

Dumbledore waved his wand.

Another eight appeared.

The crowd waited.

Karkaroff didn't even think and waved his wand.

A five appeared.

Some of the crowd groaned…

Maxime quickly waved her wand.

A solemn ten appeared.

Again, some of the crowd groaned...

And lastly, Crouch waved his wand.

A nine appeared.

At that moment, the audience clapped and cheered for Fleur's achievement, which came from mostly the Beuxbaton's contingent.

Bagman's magnified voice again rang throughout the stadium, "Bravo Miss Delacour! Bravo! Miss Delacour has earned 40 points for the first task and is in second place. Will our final champion succeed in overtaking Mr. Krum? Now ladies and gentlemen, the last champion will be… ALEX GROZA!"

Alex confidently walked to the field. Yes, there's a difference between walking like a chicken, walking like an ass, and walking like there's no tomorrow. Alex just didn't do any of the above; he simply walked in a normal confident stride… or as normal as he could be facing a creature that was exponentially older, wiser, and more powerful than him.

A voice emanated in his mind, "We meet again hatchling."

Alex bowed, "We meet again your highness."

The dragon snorted, "Hatchling, you do not need to address me in such a manner. I told you, just call me Jack. As you will break us out tonight, I will go easy on you or do you have a plan?"

Alex replied, "Alright, since we have an advantage, we cannot show that to everyone else. We need to look like we are trying to fight, but at the same time, we are not to harm each other. That means that I need to keep sending jets of light at you and you need to keep sending giant fireballs and whipping your tail at me. Of course, please don't aim; I fully intend to keep my head and my pride intact. We will do this for exactly two minutes and then you will fly and act like an enraged dragon. Keep shooting fire at me as I scramble for the egg and run back inside. Is that clear Jack?"

The dragon snorted again, "You know hatchling, if you were a dragon, I would consider you as a good friend… even if you are only a hatchling and have many years ahead of you."

Alex shrugged, "What if I'm a dragon at heart?"

The dragon shook its head, although Alex sensed a little bit of longing of something Alex couldn't place, "Well said, however, I can turn you into crisp and crunchy fried chicken in a flash, so I don't think you'll cut human."

Alex grinned at that, "You ready to dance Jack?"

The dragon sent an ear-piercing roar, "Of course hatchling."

The crowds died down and Bagman shouted, "BEGIN!"

Alex started running in no given direction, and felt the dragon's fire singe the grass a couple feet behind him.

Alex immediately conjured a wall of fire in front of him. Jack sent a wave of fire at Alex, but the wall of fire Alex had created absorbed the fire and grew in size. Jack continued sending fire at Alex, whose impromptu shield had simply continued growing. Alex was running away from the dragon at this point, leaving the wall of fire to cover his back. Alex forgot though that the tail was just as deadly. WHAM! Alex flew into the air and landed onto the ground with a hard thud. He groaned as the heavens swirled around his head. His back immediately sent jets of pain as the cursed wounds opened up.

The dragon spoke, "Are you alright hatchling?"

Alex winced, "Yes Jack. Now continue your attack."

The dragon sent another withering blast of fire at Alex, whose shield was still covering him. Alex quickly got himself up and closed his eyes. Focusing on the broken ribs, he healed them. His back though… he'll have to go home to get that fixed up. Feeling fine enough, he started running around in no discernable pattern; the point was to draw out the time to make it look reasonably "challenging." Alex timed himself. Only ten more seconds 'till two minutes…

There! It was two minutes! Alex immediately told Jack, "Jack, I'm going to attack you with a bunch of hexes and you will act enraged at this point. Got it?"

The dragon let a roar to announce its affirmative.

Alex started firing random low-power spells at the dragon. To the casual observer, they were wondering if the young wizard on the field was nuts. To the more scrutinizing observer, they wondered if the young wizard on the field was going to be carted to St. Mungo's very soon for multiple reasons. To the lame observer, the fried chicken in their hand was more important.

Alex quickly casted whatever was on mind and ran around the dragon in a crazy dance of dodging the fire-and-tail. The only goal was sending a party of lights at the dragon. Of course, Jack wasn't the one suffering. It was just Alex, who had to a lot of footwork and wand movements to do. Alex was struck with an idea at that point.

Alex quickly donned a suit of shining armor (transfigured clothing of course) and hefted his primary wand of titanium coated with silver. Alex ran his hand over the wand and it quickly turned into a thin, yet sharp two and a half foot long sword that he held on his right hand. Alex quickly sent a spell and made the sword glow blue. Alex then conjured a shield made of fire and held onto it on his left hand. Alex then ran at the dragon sword-first screaming, "FOR THE JEDI COUNCIL!"

The dragon spoke to Alex, "Playing hero here, eh Alex?"

Alex grinned, "No! I'm just going to make a good show out of this. Now scoot please; Jedi Master Alex has arrived to save the golden egg!"

The dragon snorted, "Human, if you didn't promise me that it will rain chickens today and that I will be free, I will honestly consider you as a very fine meal. Hmm… cooked in a suit of armor… I need to-"

Alex cut him, "Jack, can we please concentrate! It's not the time for your bloody fantasies here!"

The dragon flew off the nest and started to rain fire on Alex from above. Of course, the shield Alex had was plenty good to cover his back. Alex held his hand out at the egg and scrunched his face in what seemed like intense concentration. Hey, the force is real; it's just not how the movies portray it! It's called wandless magic! The egg zoomed into Alex's arms and he ran to the exit.

Alex spoke to the dragon, "Now it's your turn for the festivities."

Alex conjured a good couple dozen chickens and had them flung into the air coated with some batter and oil. Yep, Alex just fulfilled half the agreement with the dragon.

The dragon grinned… or rather what could be interpreted as a grin because the lips of the dragon curled upwards very slightly. Jack blasted waves of fire at the helpless chickens in the air.

The dragon said as it started to rain slightly flaming chicken pieces, "Human, I thank you for blessing me with the opportunity of tasting fried chicken! The American dragons said they tasted really good; I'm going to see how delectable they are! Oh how brown and juicy they look! Oh, remember our bargain by the way!"

Alex shook his head as he cooled and caught three drumsticks. He sat down with the other champions in the medical tent and surveyed the other champions. Viktor had escaped any type of injury, Neville was on a cot with a couple healers over him, and Fleur sat with a bandaged arm and slightly singed hair. Of course, Alex himself was practically unmarked, except for his back.

Alex waved at them all with his free hand, "So how are we all holding up fellow champions of mine?"

Fleur slightly smiled, "Everything is alright."

Viktor pointed at his obviously unmarked body, "All is vell Alex."

Neville was still knocked out, so no comment from that corner.

Alex shrugged, "Sounds like Longbottom can't hear us…"

Alex held the three drumsticks out for them to see, "So fried chicken anyone? Hot off the flames!"

Viktor was partially amused that Alex was conjuring food right after facing a dragon and Fleur shook her head in slight disapproval. Seriously? After facing a god-knows how heavy magical creature that could tear you to shreds or burn you to ashes in a snap of a finger and all Alex can think of is food?

Alex, seeing no one was interested, shrugged and started wolfing down one of the chicken legs.

Pausing into a bite, Alex said, "You know that food can help ease the stress right?"

Viktor replied, "I recall that's the work of chocolate."

Alex stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, "So chocolate anyone? Still nice and firm!"

Viktor rolled his eyes, "Are you a food salesman or are you planning to be one?"

Fleur shrugged and grabbed half the bar and chewed on it.

Alex replied to Viktor, "Nah, I'm just trying to calm everybody down."

Viktor and Fleur then noticed the slowly reddening blot on the back of Alex. Viktor was the first to speak out, "Uh… Alex. I think you need to see a healer."

Alex asked, "Why?"

Viktor pointed at Alex's back and stated the obvious, "You are bleeding."

Alex slightly groaned, "No, I am not Viktor."

Both Viktor and Fleur were unconvinced.

Alex sighed, tore his shirt off, and conjured a handful of bandages. Using magic, he bound his entire back in… surgical pads and had them stuck onto his back. Getting his shirt, he put it back on, "See guys? Nothing is wrong."

At that point, a voice rumbled in Alex's mind, "Hatchling, we don't have much time."

Alex was a little peeved, "What do you mean? I thought you-"

The voice cut Alex off, "Not the time now hatchling. The dragon-keepers are off for a couple minutes. The two-legs are still focused on the Tournament, so the witnesses will be the lowest right now. Not to mention, we're not in a cage and there are no trees, so escaping now is easier."

Alex sighed, why him?

The voice spoke, "Because you agreed to do so hatchling."

Alex sighed again, from mind-reading phoenixes to mind-reading dragons, what's next?

The voice slightly chuckled, "Mind-reading is not all we dragons can do. We can make you humans pee at will."

Alex immediately put a mental barrier up, "Ok Jack, now that's a line that cannot be crossed."

The voice was still amused, "I promise hatchling I will never be that evil. Now how about getting the wards down and so that we will part ways hatchling?"

Alex closed his eyes and focused on the shimmering energy that surrounded the dragons. He quickly thought of the counter-curses and to his satisfaction, the wards fell in short time.

Alex spoke to the dragon, "Jack, you're free to go."

The voice rumbled in reply, "Thank you hatchling. May you prosper and succeed in the future. Good luck in your future endeavors and your next two Tasks."

Alex replied, "You too Jack, maybe we'll meet again one of these days."

The voice chuckled slightly, "Oh we will meet again hatchling… we will meet again one day. Now, goodbye!"

Alex sat back and saw that Viktor and Fleur looked at his back. Viktor pointed at it, "Uh… Alex. I think you need to see a healer."

Alex asked, "Why?"

Viktor pointed at Alex's back and stated the obvious, "You are bleeding."

Alex groaned when he realized what the dragon meant by what "dragons can do"; he had just wiped the last five minutes of activity from the minds of Viktor and Fleur. Alex heard the distinctive voice rumble in his mind again, "Hatchling, I told you we dragons can do more than just read-minds."

If there wasn't an audience in the tent, Alex would have face-palmed himself physically. Instead, he settled with face-palming himself mentally. Yes, there's a difference…

Luckily for Alex, he didn't need to suffer for long when someone shouted, "The dragons have escaped!"

Outside, the crowd went silent in practically one millisecond.

An old voice spoke up, "Could you please elaborate Mr. Weasley?"

The person labeled "Mr. Weasley" replied, "Professor Dumbledore, I am not joking. All four dragons have escaped. We cannot find them on the grounds."

Alex smirked when he imagined what the reactions would be when the fact sunk in.

Let the pandamonium begin.

No, Alex was not going to go get some Panda Express food, he was full from the chicken...

Which reminded Alex he never heard his score…

A/N: Damn the cold... got sick and am bedridden at this very moment, which explains why I had time to make this chapter. Now I got to run double errands...

And for those guys that caught the pandamonium word, I really mean it. Yes, I know it should be pandemonium. What the hell... it doesn't matter I guess.

Thanks for the reviews and support, any is always appreciated :P

Expect the next update about 2 weeks. Come on, I am sick and it sucks! And I got a pile of crap that's piling up already...

BTW: If anybody is asking, this will be a firm Harry/Tonks. I was thinking about a Harry/Tonks/Fleur, but I am not feeling like writing that right now. Maybe later on. Or a Harry/Fleur. But that's for later.

Point is: Still Harry/Tonks

Oh yeah, anybody want to beta this, feel free to PM.

BIG P.S.: Thanks azphxbrd for your reviews!