Morning of the First Task 10:00am
Annie was pacing back and forth outside with Juliet and Olivia sitting on a nearby bench watching her pace. They were outside the Carriage waiting for Madam Maxime.
"Just trust your heart Annie and you'll do great." Olivia said. Annie nodded, but didn't verbally respond. She was fiddling with her necklace like crazy. For some reason she wasn't able to keep her hands off of it.
"You know every counter curse to darkness, you will be fine." Juliet said. Annie nodded. She finally took a deep breath and nodded again.
"It is too simple, that is my problem. Opposite of dark, well obviously it is light, but I feel like there is more meaning to the light."
Olivia shrugged.
"Maybe they want you to think it is too simple." She suggested. Annie sat down on the grass and then she lay down. She held her necklace close. She looked up at the clouds and watched them move. She hoped there wasn't another meaning to it, but something was telling her there was more.
Albus's Office 10:00am
Minerva was pacing back and forth outside her and Albus's private quarters with Albus watching her pace. They were waiting for the Minister to arrive with Melinda.
"I don't understand why you are so nervous my dear." Albus said as he sipped his hot cocoa. Minerva didn't stop to look at him. She was fiddling with her necklace more than she usually did. For some reason she wasn't about to stop.
"I don't understand it either Albus, but I am just nervous." She finally answered.
"I am sure Jonah will do just fine. He is a smart boy. That's why he is in Ravenclaw."
Minerva nodded, but instead she didn't feel she was nervous for him. The doors to the office then opened. Albus and Minerva moved to his desk. The Minister walked in with Melinda and Arthur Crouch.
"Ah Arthur, nice to see you again." Albus said and shook the man's hand.
"The Quidditch Pitch has been redone and is all set for the first task." Arthur said.
"Excellent!" The Minister stated. Melinda simply smiled, but not because of that. She in plain view could see Minerva holding a Phoenix necklace almost identical to Annie's.
"Then we shall proceed to the Great Hall Courtyard where we will meet the rest of the schools. Our students should already be filing into the stands." Albus said. Everybody nodded. Minerva tucked her necklace under her robes and walked close next to Albus as they exited the office.
Quidditch pitch stands 11:00am
The champions, heads, Melinda, and Arthur were all in one of the towers at the Quidditch pitch. They were standing where Gryffindors prepare to fly out. Annie was in front of Madam Maxime.
"You need only to find the Golden Star and you shall win the task." Arthur said. It sounded simple to Annie. None of the champions had seen the field yet.
"However, you have a creature blocking your path." Albus added. Arthur nodded.
"You will not know your creature until you step foot out of this stand," Arthur spoke. All the champions looked at each other. "Each was selected at random by me. The order will be Andrei, Jonah, and then Annie. Annie took a deep breath. Everybody but the champions left the stand. They all stood there in silence.
"Good luck." Annie said softly. Jonah nodded and Andrei did the same. The door opened for Andrei and in a flash he was gone. Annie could hear the cheers for him. After about ten minutes, Jonah went out. Annie crouched down against the wall and held her necklace tight. She closed her eyes.
"Think light, think light." She whispered. She could have sworn she felt the Phoenix get warmer. She was startled by it and was going to examine it when she heard the crowd cheer. Jonah must have gotten it. This was it. Annie tucked in her necklace. The doors opened and she stepped out. She looked down and saw many vines, trees, and all sorts of plants. It was freezing cold. She blew her breath. She could see her breath.
"Dementors." She whispered. She had her wand gripped in her hand that was shaking a lot. Everybody was looking at her. It was so dark and the jungle below her was so thick she couldn't spot a star anywhere. Everything was cold, but her chest… where her necklace was. There was only one thing she could think of. She needed more light.
The cold swept over Annie and she felt her mind go somewhere else, to a terrible memory. Her heart began to race.
"Shhh don't cry baby girl…. Hey who are… stand back or I'll!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Flash of green light.
The dementors were close, probably about thirty or more. She couldn't see the star anywhere so it must be in the jungle.
"Avis." She says and sends birds down into the plants. One lands on a branch and the branch surrounds it. Devil Snare.
"Devil Snare!" Annie yelled. "Lumos Solemn!"
A bright light erupts from her wand and the devil snare screams as it begins to shrivel up and disappear. That got rid of the majority of the plants. She could see a Gold Star in the center on a silver table. She jumped down from the stand and levitated so she wouldn't smack the ground. It was colder than up on the stand. The dementors were close. She looked up and sure enough from every angle about fifty dementors were coming at her. She took a deep breath and pointed her wand in the air.
"Expecto Patronum!" she yelled. A light came from her wand, but wasn't even close to the power she needed. She began to run toward the star when vines came from the ground and pulled her down. One caught her ankle and twisted it. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Her necklace came out from under her robes. She looked at it. It was no longer gold, but red instead. She grabbed hold of it, somewhere in her head she believed it would help her.
"Help me, please!" she said softly with the tears streaming down her face. Her ankle was killing her and the dementors were coming. She yelled Expecto Patronum again and a brighter light came from her wand. She looked and saw fog began to surround her. She kept her wand raised and her mind on her and Olivia when they were little. She felt the vine snap off her ankle. She looked down and saw something had torn it apart. She got up and looked at the dementors surrounding her. She raised her wand with pride.
"Expecto Patronum!"
She pictured one of her dreams when she spoke it. The faces were still a blur, except for one thing. On the woman was wearing a Phoenix necklace, just like hers. A phoenix erupted from her wand and cried out as the rings of the patronus came from it. The crowd gasped at the Phoenix. It began to fly all around the Quidditch pitch. Annie smiled as the wind blew her hair backwards. She found the key. The opposite of dark was love. She continued to picture her dream where she assumed it was she with her mother and father before her father died. The crowd began to cheer as the dementors were pushed out. Annie ran for the star and once her fingers touched it, all the dementors were gone. The crowd cheered as she picked up the star. Annie held her head high with pride and the star above her. She would never forget this moment.
