Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters, they belong to JK Rowling. I am not making any profit from this fic, it's purely for fun.

Chapter 11

"I'm sorry sir, I really can't." Draco said firmly, as Harry tugged him away.

"Come on, you're going to be late!" Harry said, watching Draco's face with concern as it turned ever paler as he pulled him away from Professor Moody.

"Harry, what does he want with me?" Draco asked, his fingers clenching so tightly on Harry's wrist that Harry thought it might snap off if he held any tighter.

"I don't know, but he looks annoyed." Harry said, feeling nervous himself. Over the last three days Moody had been ever persistent in trying to catch Draco on his own, but he'd kept to his promise of keeping Draco alive, and after the first time it had happened, he'd stuck closer to Draco than a wart plaster. The downside to this was his Slytherin 'friends' were constantly glaring at him, as was Ron. Hermione on the other hand seemed incredibly smug every time she saw them together.

"Are you going to explain why she's looking at us like that?" Harry had said hotly one day, tired of being an outsider to the goings on among his own friends, but Draco had only shrugged it off.

"Harry - what if he's trying to help me cheat?" Draco said, looking upset, and Harry was dragged back into the present. "What if Hagrid was too? I mean Hogwarts professors are going to want their own school to win-"

"You can't cheat." Harry said firmly

"Of course I bloody well can!" Draco flared up, letting go of Harry's wrist "I plan to stay alive thank you very much, and if cheating gets me there -"

"Keep your voice down!" Harry snapped, cuffing him in the arm "Now come on, you're almost there. Don't fall at the last hurdle."

"I should have followed Hagrid." Draco said, closing his eyes. "Potter, you have to help me."

"That's what I'm trying to do." Harry said, trying to sound calm and reassuring "You just need to stop panicking. If this task was something you could prepare for, they would have told you what it was. You need to just go with your instincts."

"No!" Draco said, lowering his voice as they neared the marquee in the grounds where the champions were to report to. "I mean if it looks like I'm going to fail, you need to help me!"

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Harry said

"Cheat!"

Harry massaged his forehead with his fingers. "Look Draco, I'll intervene if it looks like you're going to die, or get badly hurt, but I can't do that. They will have taken precautions against people helping, and if we get caught, people will hate you for the damage it'll do to Hogwarts' reputation."

"I don't care -" Draco began, opening his mouth to begin another rant, but Harry talked over him.

"Malfoy, I went through it in second year. Remember how everyone treated me when they thought I was the heir of Slytherin? Trust me, you don't want to go through that."

Draco remembered. It had been hilarious, but he would have paid any money not to have been in Potter's place that year.

They stopped outside the tent, now able to hear the noise of the crowd on the other side.

"Go." Harry said, giving Draco a little shove, but he resisted it.

"I don't want to die." Draco said, hearing a faint ringing in his ears. He turned to Harry for reassurance, but saw only worry reflected in his grey eyes,

"You'll be fine." Harry said, giving him a forced smile.

"Don't let me die." Draco said, squeezing his eyes shut. Shit. I'm going to die.

He waited for more empty platitudes, but instead opened his eyes in shock as he felt the rough wool of Harry's school cardigan brush his cheek.

"You'll be fine." Harry said into his ear, squeezing his shoulders before releasing him from the hug. For a moment they looked uncertainly at each other, and it was almost awkward, until Harry said;

"Are you going to get in there or do I need to hug you again?"

"Harry! Good-oh!" said Bagman happily, looking around at him. "Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"

Draco moved silently to stand beside Krum, choosing not to look at Bagman in his eye wateringly bright black and yellow robes.

"Well now you're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" he waved a small purple silk bag at them "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!"

Draco waited for more, mouth open slightly, brain whirring away. Collect a golden egg? Would this be a treasure hunt of sorts then? As Bagman turned away, his breath caught in his throat. Was that it then? Perhaps they would learn more once they'd selected their model…

He looked around to see how the other champions were faring. Cedric looked ill with nerves, but Krum and Dela-tart … their faces were stone masks. Berating himself, Draco pulled on his old Malfoy mask of blank expression, finding it rather too ill-fitting and difficult to maintain for his liking. He'd been Potter for only a few months, and already he was losing his useful old tricks.

In no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking…Draco took a breath and nearly choked on it. All those people, happy and excited, and he'd been cruelly separated from them all to be mauled, or maybe even slaughtered for their entertainment.

"Youngest first then?" Bagman's voice came suddenly, and Draco jumped, looking around and stepping back as he found Bagman's face close to his.

"Sir?" he said, confused, then looked down and saw the silk bag being held out to him. "Sorry," he garbled "I…" he tailed off, flushing as he felt the eyes of the other champions on him, and stuck his hand in the bag quickly so they wouldn't see that it was shaking.

He felt something nip one of his fingers, and hastily withdrew his hand, making sure to grab something rather spiky and squirming first. He didn't want to know what nasty kind of animal he had in his hand, but as he opened his fingers, he gasped in wonder despite himself.

Clinging to his fingers like a reptilian bat, was the most beautifully wrought toy dragon he had ever seen. It had gleaming black scales, bronze horns on its forehead, and a sinewy body with bronze spikes running down the length of its spine, it's silken wings half unfurled on its back as it climbed between Draco's thumb and palm.

It was a Hungarian Horntail, Draco knew, there was a whole chapter devoted to it in his Book of Dragons at home, that his mother had given him for his tenth birthday. As it twisted its neck around to look up at him Draco felt a grin tug at his lips as it opened it's fierce, snarling mouth and shot a small stream of smoke at him.

"…and the numbers refer to the order in which you have to take on the dragons, you see?"

"We have to kill the dragon?" Draco said in horror, unable to help himself.

"No Harry, weren't you listening?" Bagman said, frowning "Your task is to collect the golden egg, remember?"

Delacour snorted, and Draco looked away, red-faced. He'd been so wrapped up in his dragon he'd forgotten where they were, and it seemed he'd missed the others picking their dragons. He could see a silvery-blue short-snout in Fleur's elegant hands, and Krum had a fireball. Cedric was standing away from the others, but from the glimpse of bright green scales between his fingers, Draco figured he must have a welsh green.

He looked down at his Horntail. A number four hung neatly around its neck, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was last. He had time…

Suddenly a bolt of panic ran through him - he was wasting time playing with a toy dragon, whilst outside a real one awaited him! He had to collect the golden egg - presumably then, he had to get past the dragon to get to it….his mind spun into action as he racked his brains. How did dragon wranglers subdue their dragons? As far as he could remember, it took several wizards casting stunners simultaneously, but obviously that option wasn't available to him.

Unbidden, his fathers' lessons prodded at him temptingly…if only dark magic wasn't illegal, he could cast a binding and subdue the dragon to his will, and there were several other dark curses that would take a dragon down temporarily….no! He couldn't waste time thinking about options that weren't open to him.

"Mr Potter?"

"What?" Draco snapped, irritated at Bagman for interrupting his thinking time.

"May I have a word?"

"If you're quick." he said, frowning, then shook his head as Bagman gestured towards the door. "I don't have time. I have to think up a plan."

Bagman looked perturbed, and lower his voice "A breath of fresh air might give you some ideas."

Draco stared at him. It would be so easy to accept his offer…

"Sorry, no." he said, turning away. Draco knew dragons, and if he just had the time to think…he couldn't help thinking about how good it would feel to lord it over Potter because he'd completed a task on his own. If the task had been anything else, he would have taken the help, but dragons were his passion, and he'd wanted to see one in real life for so long…he remembered in first year how he'd snuck all the way down to Hagrid's hut, braving the dark grounds alone just for a blurred glimpse through a window of a baby dragon…and now he was going to see a real one up close! The problem was, he'd have to get past it unscathed, and on his own.

A whistle blew somewhere, and Draco's head shot up in alarm as Cedric left the tent with a face the colour of porridge, and the crowd roared.

"Shit!" he whispered to himself, closing his eyes.

The Horntail's fire breathing range can be up to fifty feet…

….so a shielding charm around his body wouldn't go amiss. He wondered how big the arena was. The best thing would be to avoid it opening its mouth to breath fire in the first place…he needed it to not see him as a threat…

spiked tail, used to club it's victims…

He breathed out shakily. Yes, he really needed to avoid it seeing him as a threat. Maybe if he camouflaged himself…but surely a disillusionment charm was too easy? He wasn't sure he could do a disillusionment charm…he knew the theory, but -

The whistle blew, and Krum left the tent, his face stoic.

He didn't know a large amount of spells to enable sneaking around…but did he need to? Dragons had poor eyesight anyway, so surely even a poor disillusionment charm would work. It was the sense of smell he needed to watch for…why hadn't he ever come across a smell-masking spell? He knew one for air-freshening the toilet after Crabbe or Goyle had been in, and one for perfume, but freshening the air wouldn't hide his odour, and masking it with perfume wouldn't work either because it would still be a foreign smell to the dragon…

His eyes flew open as the answer occurred to him! Snape used a charm to contain potions explosions! Sometimes even a smell could be harmful enough to do damage, and if he cast muffliato on himself as well, he would be odourless, silent, and with his shielding charm he would deflect the worst burns, should the worst happen.

Draco didn't even hear the whistle blow this time, he only saw Fleur's back retreating towards the tent flap.

Shit, shit, shit…

If only he could be invisible, his plan would be complete…he racked his brains, but the noise of the crowd suddenly seemed much more invasive. He could barely think for the cheering and roaring, and then the sudden oooh!s and aaah!s as she did something dangerous, or impressive. How could he make himself invisible?

The whistle blew, and Draco froze as an idea occurred to him.

Camouflage. He couldn't do a real camouflage, didn't know any spells for it, but he'd accidentally transfigured objects half into animals, and vice versa, what if he tried to transfigure his skin into dirt?

"Mr Potter?"

No, no it wouldn't work. What would hold his blood and veins and things in if -

"Mr Potter!"

Draco looked in panic over to a med wizard who was gesturing impatiently towards the tent flap.

"Come on then! They're waiting!"

Three steps and he was at the entrance. He lifted the tent flap, and the sun hit him like a wave, and the roaring of the crowd, a wall of mottled colours above him crowded his vision.

Looking from side to side, he could see no dragon. Only sand, and rocks. He stepped outside.

The crowd was screaming so loudly, he almost couldn't retrieve Snape's explosion containing ward from his memory.

He raised his wand - then stopped short.

Crap.

The spell only worked on a set space. Once he moved, the ward would not move with him.

"Fuck." he muttered, then wincing, he raised his wand again. "Contine!"

He felt the air ripple around him, and breathed a sigh of relief. So the dragon, wherever it was, wouldn't now be lured over by his tasty smell while he took time to think.

Did he dare to try a disillusionment charm? He didn't think he had anything else to go with, so he tried to block out the crowd and, closing his eyes, rapped himself over the head with his wand, concentrating as hard as he could.

The feeling of cold slime crawling down his body told him it was working, but around his chest the effect started to diminish and he groaned, looking down.

His lower body was visible in patches. It was one of his better efforts, but he wasn't sure if it was good enough. He could hear jeering coming from the stands.

He cast a muffliato on his feet, then wondered if he really dared step out of his smell wards. When was the last time the Horntail had been fed anyway?

But a spark of anticipation kindled inside him. He was about to see a real Horntail up close! Throwing caution to the wind, he stepped outside his ward, and began to make his way towards a sort of mountain of rocks that had been constructed at the far side of the arena.

He tried to keep close to bigger boulders, just in case he had to take cover, but he still couldn't see the Horntail.

He moved slowly, more reluctant to move between boulders as he drew close to the rock nest. Suddenly a gleaming horned head rose up from the rocks, yellow reptilian eyes blinking in the sunlight. The crowd roared.

She smells me. Draco thought, as he saw her - for, from the size of her head alone it could only be a her - nostrils flaring.

All Draco could think to do was to cast Tergeo on his clothes, and hope for the best. The dragon opened its mouth, and he could see a purple tongue, tasting the air.

His spell wasn't enough. He braced himself, before casting Tergeo again, this time on his skin, and bit his tongue as he felt every half-dead skin cell painfully vanished from his body.

Looking hopefully up at the Horntail, he waited, wondering if he had fooled it.

The great head lowered back into the nest, and he relaxed.

Collect the golden egg.

It would be in the nest, where else? He'd have to lure the Horntail out…but how? He sure as hell wasn't about to use himself as bait…he needed a diversion. If he conjured raw meat…but that wouldn't work. If one could conjure up food out of thin air, no one in the world would want for food. He could transfigure a rock into an animal, if he knew how. He thought he might be able to manage a rabbit, but nothing bigger. But even if such a small animal drew the attention of the Horntail, it would still smell like rock.

As he thought, he hear the crowd buzzing and jeering.

Great, he thought bitterly.

If only he had some meat, he could multiply it.

Suddenly the answer occurred to him.

He pointed his wand at the nearest rock, and focussing his mind as much as he could, said "Ferreverto!"

The crowd burst into laughter and more jeering as a half-formed rabbit lopped forwards, dragging its lower half, still rock-shaped behind it.

"Engorgio!" he cast, ignoring them, and cast it again until the rabbit-thing was nearly as tall as his waist. He heard the crowd oooh, and turning around he saw that the Horntail was peeking its head over the rocks to see what the odd noise of movement that the rabbit-thing was making was.

This had better work.

He pointed his wand at his hand, praying that this didn't work quite as well as it did on his potions ingredients. "Secate!"

Pain shot through his hand as a deep gash appear eared, and suddenly everything was a blur as a horrible howl echoed around the arena and blood spurted onto the ground. Draco could only see something black moving out of the corner of his eye as he swiped his hand along the back of the rabbit-thing, and stumbling away, pointed his wand at his hand again, said "Curo!", then cast Tergeo at himself again and his skin burned as the clothes-cleaning spell did its harsh work on his skin. For good measure, as he retreated behind the nearest rock, he cast an air freshening spell around him so that any remaining odour of blood around him would be vanished.

The ground shook, and there was a crash and a wave of heat, and in a panic, Draco shouted "Defendo!" expecting to be immolated in a plume of fire at any moment.

Behind his rock, he could no longer see the Horntail, but he could see the nest, and by the nasty crunching sound behind him he gathered that the dragon was discovering that the monster rabbit didn't taste as good as it smelled, and Draco knew he didn't have long.

Looking up at the nest, he doubted he'd make it in time without being seen…he could only hope that the dragon wranglers would jump in the moment his hands closed over that damn egg, or he'd be fried.

Another loud crunch, and Draco, cursing himself, bolted out from behind the rock.

He didn't bother looking behind him, only praying his faulty disillusionment charm would confuse the dragon enough to give him a head start. He clambered up, throwing himself in between the cracks between the stones where he could. At one point the nearly screamed as his knee cracked against a rock, but he didn't dwell on the pain, but forced himself onward and upwards.

A crash sounded nearby, and Draco looked around wildly and, despite knowing the dragon couldn't see his head at least, found himself locking eyes with the creature. The Horntail's eyes narrowed, and Draco threw himself off the last rock, and fell down into the nest with a thump and his breath was knocked out of him, but he had landed beside something gold.

There were three blood-splattered eggs in front of him, and one of them was slightly smaller and gold. Draco snatched it up, dimly registering that the blood was his own, and turning, screamed "Defendo!" in the direction of the scrabbling which he knew was the dragon coming for him. Standing, he looked around in panic for an escape, and spied a gap between rocks three feet away from him. At that moment, the huge black head of the horntail reared above him, and Draco flung himself into the gap as as his world turned red.