AN: Hello lovelies! So here we have it, the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament! I hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Everything related to Hogwarts!verse belongs to J K Rowling, all of the Dalton!verse characters belong to Mamma CP and the OCs are thanks to one of three things: my friends volunteering, my brain making them up or the special guest I have dropped in because I can ;) Also, the title was inspired by 'Magic Works' from the OST of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', so credit goes to whoever wrote it.
The stadium was built, the Champions' Tent erected and their wands had been tested.
The First Task was upon them.
Reed had managed to tip off Dwight and Shane- who in turn told Casey- that they would be fighting dragons, after Professor Abrams had allowed Reed to help take food to the dragons. (Reed didn't feel too bad about telling them; it was practically tradition to help the Champions.) The three, naturally, knew to play dumb when they were told, but had decided their strategies accordingly.
Dwight was in his dorm, pulling on the shirt he had been provided with- a pullover that was half red, half black with the sleeve on the red side black and the red half having a black sleeve, the Hogwarts crest resting over his heart. With the shirt, he had a pair of dark grey pants with a red stripe down each leg, and he wore his black Converse.
Blaine clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You ready, Dwight?"
He exhaled deeply, voices rising from the Common Room. "Ready."
The two headed downstairs, the voices growing louder and louder as they approached the Common Room. Everyone parted to allow the Champion through, before he led them all out of the Common Room, and when the time came, Dwight's voice rose above everyone else's.
"They told him don't you ever come around here,
Don't wanna see your face, you better disappear,
The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear,
So beat it, just beat it,"
Meanwhile, Shane was undergoing his preparation for the First Task, dressed in a cream jumper with the Durmstrang crest emblazoned on his chest, black pants and boots, covered by a brown robe lined with red. Once ready he nodded at the mirror, his face set with determination before he turned on his heel and exited his cabin, joining his peers before they made their way off the ship, led by Shane, singing lead as the rest provided the backing music.
"You better run, you better do what you can,
Don't wanna see no blood, don't be a macho man,
You wanna be tough, better do what you can,
So beat it, but you wanna be bad,"
Casey had finished her preparation, dressed in a pale gold jacket with a navy collar sleeves and hem, her initials stitched on the chest in gold and navy pants with a protective pale gold padded vest under her jacket and a navy turtle-neck under that. She knew she was up against dragons- something she was not looking forward to, given her fear of the large, scaly, fire-breathing creatures- so she had decided to dress accordingly. She exited the tent, her fellow girls behind her as they joined the Durmstrang and Hogwarts students, Casey walking with Shane and Dwight at the front as they made their way to the arena, and the three Champions singing at the top of their lungs with their peers continuing to provide the backing music and vocals.
"Just beat it, (beat it) beat it,
No-one wants to be defeated,
Show them how funky strong is your fight,
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right,
Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)"
Dwight and Casey joined the others in singing the backing music as Shane sang. "They're out to get you, better leave while you can,
Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man,
You wanna stay alive, better do what you can,
So beat it, just beat it, (beat it)"
Casey took over as Shane took her place vocally. "You got to show them that you're really not scared,
You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare,
They'll kick you, then they'll beat you,
Then they'll tell you it's fair,
So beat it, but you wanna be bad,"
The three sang together again, their harmonies blending as they made their way across the vast grounds. "Just beat it, (beat it) beat it,
No-one wants to be defeated,
Show them how funky strong is your fight,
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right,"
The boys sang the main vocals whilst Casey took the backing, their peers singing the background music. "Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it)"
The arena came into sight as Dwight sang out. "Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it,
Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, uh-uh,
Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, uh-uh-uh-uh,
Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it,"
The Champions sang together once more, the Warblers and Terpsichores providing the backing vocals and the others the acapella accompaniment. "Beat it, (beat it) beat it,
No-one wants to be defeated, (no-no)
Show them how funky strong is your fight,
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right, (who's wrong or right)"
They approached the arena en masse, the crowd still singing at the top of their lungs. "Just beat it, (beat it) beat it,
No-one wants to be defeated,
Show them how funky strong is your fight,
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right,
Just beat it, (beat it) just beat it,(beat it)
Just beat it, (beat it) just beat it, (just beat it)
Just beat it, just beat it,
Just beat it, just beat it, Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it." Their voices faded as they stopped outside the arena before the crowd roared into cheers, passing the Champions with hugs and patted shoulders to go with their words of good luck as they entered the arena, before the three headed to the Champions' Tent to get the full details of their first task and prepare themselves.
They arrived together to find Professor Ramsey, Madame Maxime, High Master Bernhardsson and Minister Wright were waiting for them, stood together from obviously conversing to pass the time. Upon their arrival, the four adults turned to them with overly-cheery grins.
"There you are!" The Minister called out, his grin the widest and most unnerving (particularly for Dwight, who knew of his relationship with his Ravenclaw son.) "We were wondering where you've all been." He strode over to the three, kissing Casey's cheeks before shaking hands with Dwight and Shane, clapping them on the shoulder as he did so. "Are you excited for your first task?" They all nodded and responded with affirmatives and he grinned again. "Excellent, if you'd just like to join us, we can begin explaining what it entails."
The three followed the Minister over to where the other three adults stood, before he picked up a velvet bag from a nearby table, before turning to face the three again. "I want you to each reach into the bag, one at a time." He leaned the bag towards Shane, who was closest to him. The brunet dug his hand in, turning his head away before his hand curled around something- it was moving- and pulled it out, holding in his hand a small, scarlet dragon, golden spikes surrounding its snub-nosed face with yellow eyes blinking up at him.
"The Chinese Fireball." The Minister nodded and High Master Bernhardsson nodded also, his face emotionless as the bag was held in front of Casey, who, after taking a deep breath, dug her hand in, quickly pulling out another miniature dragon, this one silvery-blue in colour with large wings. "The Swedish Short-Snout. Watch its flame." He stated before the bag was finally held out to Dwight who pulled out the largest dragon of the three, lizard-like in its look with black scales and bronze horns on its head with matching coloured spikes running along its long tail.
"The Hungarian Horntail." Dwight nodded, his face set in determination.
"Indeed it is." The Minister nodded again. "These are the dragons you will be facing. In the arena is a golden egg amongst your chosen dragon's own eggs that she will be guarding. Your task is to retrieve the golden egg; it's vital that you do so if you wish to be successful in the rest of this tournament. Points will be deducted for any damage to the dragon's own eggs and any injuries you receive. The order you will go in is indicated by the number hung around their necks." He looked between the three as they checked the tags before speaking again. "Are you ready?"
They all nodded and replied with an affirmative.
"Alright. Shane, you're first. If you'd like to follow me." He strode between the three for the exit of the tent, and after a nod and two wishes of good luck from his fellow Champions, Shane followed, High Master Bernhardsson behind him.
He moved to walk alongside the Sixth Year, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this, Anderson, just remember your defensive spells and you'll be alright." They reached the Champions' Entrance and he patted his shoulder. "Good luck." And with that he left for his place in the stands.
"Wait here, and I'll introduce you." The Minister stated before entering the arena through another entrance. Shane could hear the uproar of cheers a minute later as the tall man came into their view and the brunet's stomach crunched with nerves. He could hear Minister Wright clearly from where he stood. "Welcome, everyone, to the one-hundred-and-thirty-first Triwizard Tournament!" The crowd cheered again. "And now, we have our first Champion, from Durmstrang Institute, Mister Shane Anderson!" The audience roared again and with a deep breath, Shane walked through the walkway and into the arena.
Rocky terrain stretched out in front of him and everything was quiet, just the distant cheers of his supporters, and glinting in the late November sun, he could see it: the golden egg.
He darted forward and with a roar the dragon appeared, flying from a dip in the terrain before a mushroom shaped flame shot his way.
"Shit!" He raced out of the way, finding cover behind a rock and pressing his back against it as his mind raced.
'Come on, focus. You can do this. How are you going to get to that egg without getting scorched by that dragon?'
He was pulled from his thoughts as the dragon screeched, suddenly appearing above him before blasting another stream of fire his way, causing the brunet to hastily roll away and subsequently down a dip in the terrain. He landed on his side, his arm burning with pain as he was sure he hit the sharper edge of a rock, and he jumped up, taking just a moment to inspect the tear in his jumper and the gash underneath, blood already trickling down his arm, before he ran. With another screech the Fireball chased him and Shane found cover once again under one particularly large rock, the space around him too small for the dragon to reach him, and once again he was given a moment to think.
'Okay, the dragon is pissed and I need to get to the egg. How do I get myself there? I should have learned some fire defence spells, but I didn't really have much time after Reed told me. I wonder what he's doing now, I hope he's cheering for me- no! Snap out of it, Anderson; you need to get to that egg. Now, how else can you get there? What do you know already?'
Then it hit him. He had a plan.
He pointed his wand toward himself and uttered the spell, his hands disappearing instantaneously and he judged his surroundings. Everything was quiet once again, and he couldn't see the dragon from where he was crouched.
'Nice and slow, Shane. You can do this. The less noise you make, the better.'
He took a quiet but deep breath and stepped out from his hide-out, rolling from his heel to the ball of his foot to lessen the sound as he walked. As if sensing the movement, the dragon turned and looked straight at him, however didn't acknowledge him. He continued to walk slowly, his steps precise in hope he would not alert the beast of his location. One of the looser rocks scuppered his chances and the dragon screeched, flying straight for him and he broke into a run, his breathing heavy as he barely dodged the balls of fire aimed at him. He managed to dodge to hide around another rock and he saw the winged beast zoom past, its wings causing a gust of wind to hit him and push him further into the rock he was pressed against, taking the opportunity to catch his breath and re-think his strategy.
'With this terrain, I'm going to have a real issue getting to the egg quietly. I need a distraction, or something, anything…'
He looked around him for a large enough rock before pulling his wand out, uttering the incantation so it lifted from the ground, sending it in the direction of the dragon- which was sat right by its eggs- before knocking it on the head with said rock and throwing it away from the nest, causing the dragon to chase after it in a rage. He then raced from his spot, quickly clocking another hiding spot for him so he could repeat the tactic. Unfortunately for him, the dragon heard his heavy footsteps as he pounded over the terrain and turned, a mushroom of fire shooting from its mouth and in his direction. Sheer strength and adrenaline pushed him away from the majority of the blast, the flames just scorching the back of his legs. He all but threw himself behind the rock and willed his breathing to calm sufficiently for him to continue as he searched out another rock, picking a larger one than the first, before he murmured the spell and lifted it from the ground, working slowly to get it to the right position before throwing it as far away from him and the nest as possible, then once the dragon was sufficiently far away, he made a run for it once more.
This was it. There was no more cover for him now. This was his best chance at getting the egg, and he had to make it count. He forced his muscles into one last push for the nest, the golden egg growing in size as he got closer and closer to the nest-
He charged into the nest and scooped up the egg, turning his wand on himself for the counter-spell and he became visible once more, holding the egg up and beaming at the crowd who roared with applause and cheers.
He jumped out of the nest and exited the arena, heading straight for the medical tent so his injuries could be tended to.
Back at the Champions' Tent, Casey was psyching herself up for the task.
'Come on, Case, you can do this. They won't let anything bad happen to you… right? No! Don't think about that. You'll be fine. You've got a strategy, you can do this.'
"Casey?" She was torn from her thoughts by Madame Maxime. "It's time."
"Coming, Madame." She nodded, making her way towards the Giantess before they exited the tent.
"You can do this, remember what we talked about." The Headmistress stated.
"I will, Madame." She nodded. The two walked the remaining journey in silence, and upon reaching the entrance Casey felt a hand briefly rest on her shoulder before she was left alone.
A minute later, as she continued to regulate her breathing, she could hear Minister Wright. "And now, for our second Champion, from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Miss Casey Lambert!" The crowd's cheering was a near-cacophony as she made her way along the walkway, coming out into the rocky terrain set out for the task. Before fully entering the arena, she scoped out what she could: rocks she could take cover under, higher ones for her to jump on for a better attack, should she need it- but she doubted it, with her strategy- and then, in the distance, nestled amongst the dragon's eggs, was the golden egg.
She took a deep breath and prepared herself before breaking from the cover she had once hid under, making a run for the egg.
She might as well cover some distance before she put her strategy into plan, after all.
This turned out to be very little time, as with a screech the dragon flew from where it had been left, a blast of flames heading straight for her.
She turned and quickly cried out the Cross-Breeding Switch Transfiguration, watching the dragon suddenly become surrounded by an almost blinding light as it swiftly shrank into its newly transformed shape. With the transfiguration complete the light faded quickly, until all that could be seen, in the spot the dragon had once stood, was a chicken. A simple, harmless chicken.
During the transformation it had stopped, obviously confused by its dramatic change in perspective and with a grin, Casey continued running.
'Piece of cake.'
That's what she thought, until a strong burning sensation ran up her legs.
"Merde!" She turned to see her pants were scorched and the burns were already apparent to the back of her legs.
The dragon- now a chicken- could still breathe fire. The transfiguration hadn't been one hundred percent effective.
"Tonta!" She cursed again and ran as fast as her charred legs could take her, the fire-breathing chicken chasing her, all the while trying to burn her more-so. Luckily, its flames were smaller, but no less hot, just catching the back of her legs and her ankles.
'Merlin my legs hurt, but I have to keep going. Come on, Lambert, just keep going, you can do this. Just keep. Going.'
She was closing in on the nest so she gave it a last push, unfortunately losing her footing and stumbling a little, causing her ankle to buckle under her in the most painful of ways.
"Foder!" She cried out again, pushing through the obscene pain that was throbbing from her ankle up her leg as she continued to run, and when she was only mere feet away, she jumped, landing in the eggs and grabbing the golden egg, the crowd around her cheering wildly as she clutched it to her chest, muttering more curses in every language she knew. With the egg retrieved, the chicken was caught and taken away, and she was helped from the nest by Madame Maxime.
"Casey, are you alright?"
"Yeah, it's just my ankle… I think I've sprained it."
The giantess lifted the girl into her arms. "Let's get you to the medical tent. And when you're healed, we need to talk about your language."
Casey blushed crimson but made no protest in her current position, in fact relieved to not have to use her throbbing, charred, tired legs anymore, as the two headed towards the medical tent. "Yes, Madame."
Back in the Champions' Tent, the last of the three could hear the cheers for the Beauxbatons student dying down and he took a deep breath.
He was ready. He'd got this. He'd researched the previous Tournaments and knew his strategy, especially since the Task had been done before.
"Dwight," the raven-haired boy turned "the Hungarian Horntail is ready for you now." Professor Harvey stated. "If you'd like to follow me." The Gryffindor followed and once outside the tent, walked with him. "You're going to do great, Dwight. You're an excellent wizard, not just in Defence Against the Dark Arts. You've got this."
"Thanks, Professor." Dwight nodded. He didn't want to talk much, he wanted to stay in the zone so he could get in there, get the egg and go, simple as that. The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor noticed this, and the two walked the rest of the distance in silence until they reached the Champions' Entrance.
"Good luck, Houston." The older man clapped a heavy hand on the Sixth Year's shoulder before he left through another entrance into the arena, probably to join the rest of the faculty and inform the Minister of his arrival.
This was confirmed a minute later when he heard the Minister of Magic's voice booming across the arena. "And now, we have our final Champion. From Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mister Dwight Houston!"
The crowd roared and Dwight headed through the small walkway, the highest point about six inches above his head before he stopped in the entrance to the arena. He drew his wand and looked around the unstable, jagged terrain, quickly picking out points of cover on the ground, and the nest containing the golden egg on the other side. Before he even stepped out, he pointed his wand to the sky.
"Accio Nimbus!" He called out, his wand still raised as he watched the skies for any sign of his broom, the Nimbus 2014 his Uncle had got for him over the summer. Soon, it zoomed into view before it dipped into the entrance and he caught it dexterously before mounting it and zooming out of the tunnel, the crowds cheering upon seeing him for the first time.
His appearance caught the attention of the dragon also, as it screamed before taking off and heading straight for him, a shot of flames stretching right for him. He turned and cried a fire defence spell, extinguishing the flames metres from his broom in moments. The crowd cheered upon seeing this and he zoomed upwards, out of the dragon's reach.
He knew of the dragon's strength, he knew what would happen next, that it would break from its chain and chase him, and he wanted to use that to his advantage.
'Just stick to the plan, Houston. You've got this.'
He flew further into the sky, the dragon hot on his tail- after making light work of breaking from its shackles- whilst attempting to burn him, but he shot spell after spell to protect himself and his broom. The dragon and Dwight climbed higher in the sky, the arena becoming smaller and smaller until the clouds above were yards away. The dragon continued to chase him, screeching and blasting flames from its mouth.
He reached the bulbous, light grey clouds and flew through them, knowing the dragon too would follow him and attempt to track him down in the mist. He swerved around and went back on himself but higher up, wand ready in case the dragon saw him, but it didn't. He felt the rush of air as it flew right underneath him, and with a grin he dipped his broom down, rocketing back to the arena.
'You're nearly there. Let's just hope that dragon doesn't clock on too soon what you've done.'
About half-way back, a screech pierced the air again and it was clear the lizard-like beast had realised the trick the Gryffindor had played and was chasing him once more.
But now he had an edge, he had a lead.
He pushed further, plummeting back down to the ground at what was a frightening speed, but he steeled his nerves as the arena came clearer into view, only beginning to slow when he was close. The crowd cheered once more when they saw him once again, and upon returning into the arena itself, he swept down and scooped the egg from the nest before making a swift exit, the crowd's applause a cacophony.
He heard the dragon tamers restrict the beast once more and he huffed a sigh of relief, stopping in the exit tunnel and jumping off his broom. He had managed to get through the task unscathed- which he knew meant he would not lose any points- so he felt pleased with his performance as he made his way out of the arena, where Franzi was waiting for him.
She immediately threw her arms around him. "Dwight! Congratulations, that was amazing! You were amazing!"
He instinctively wrapped his arms around the Fifth Year Ravenclaw he proudly called his best friend, grinning. "Thanks, Franz." The two pulled away, the brunette still holding traces of her excitement in her features, causing his grin to widen.
"I didn't know you could fly like that! Where did you learn?"
"I play a lot of Quidditch with Uncle Ford and his friends in the summer; they're much better flyers." He rubbed his neck bashfully.
"If they're better than you, then they should be playing for England!" She giggled.
Suddenly the raven-haired boy was tackled from both sides in a hug.
"White Knight, you were excellent!"
"Truly excellent, we didn't know you could fly like that!"
"You should join the Quidditch team!"
"We're sure Wes will find a way to get you in." Twin face-splitting grins were soon visible to the Hogwarts Champion as they broke away from him.
"I'm happy just being a part of the DA, thanks." He chuckled, his eyes landing back on his best friend. "Besides, I prefer to watch." The two shared a grin before Wes bounded over.
"Well if you change your mind, Dwight, come talk to me; I'll see what I can do." The Seventh Year grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "But seriously, great job; you were the best by far."
A worried expression took over Dwight's features. "Are Casey and Shane alright?"
"They're both a bit burnt and Casey was carried out of the arena and Shane hurt his arm, but they'll be fine." Franzi answered, smiling reassuringly which he readily returned.
"Good." He nodded.
"Dwight!" The boy turned and saw his Uncle and Mum approach them, Ford striding with his usual confidence and Agatha scurrying to keep up before he was tightly embraced.
"You were amazing, sweetheart, well done." The brunette cooed, squeezing her son a little before freeing him.
"You did great out there, kiddo, good job." The lean man clapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed, chuckling as he let go.
"Thanks Mum, Uncle Ford." He grinned modestly, looking around to see everyone swarming out of the arena. "Shall we head back to the castle?"
"Good idea." Ford nodded, Franzi quickly appearing at his side before the group joined the crowd in the walk back to Hogwarts.
Disclaimer #2: The song used is 'Beat It' by Fall Out Boy (originally made famous by Michael Jackson) so credit goes to the lyricist of the song, not me.
AN: I hope you enjoyed this installment! Please don't forget to review if you have the time! Until next time!