Lysandra was lucky she was so good at magic because, despite the exceptionally early rise she had, she'd had to use a Protego charm at least three times on her way down to the kitchens. Fortunately, the house elves were completely unbiased, and happily provided her company and a lovely breakfast until she escaped out to the Beauxbatons carriage.
It took a couple of minutes for her to convince the boy who opened the door to let her in, but eventually, she was tucked away where no one could find her. The Beauxbatons students were a bit haughty and liked to stick to their cliques, but Fleur welcomed her younger friend with open arms. Lysandra was promptly introduced to Cerise, who was the best friend of Fleur's cousin, Janine. Janine had graduated, but Fleur was close to her, and Lysandra had met her over the summer.
Cerise spent the day playing with Lysandra's hair, braiding and re-braiding it into different patterns that she thought would suit the younger girl. Fleur had decided that Lysandra could do with a good manicure, and by the end of the night the three girls were giggling at the terrible makeovers they'd forced on one another.
The three girls parted ways with a hug and Lysandra hurried into the castle for a very tense dinner. The other Gryffindors who'd stood up for Cassius all shuffled into her surrounding area, but there was a very clear bubble around them. Potter wasn't getting off the hook either, judging by the distance between him and his Weasley sidekick. Most of the Seventh-Years were avoiding the Boy-Who-Lived too, and in turn, so did their younger friends.
Lysandra hurried back up to the Gryffindor Tower to write a letter to Remus, avoiding the other students the best that she could.
Lysandra knew that the days following her blatant supporting of a Slytherin were not going to be good. She started her days off with dodging Tripping Jinxes and Jelly-Legs Jinxes on the way to breakfast and levitating ink on her way to classes. Fortunately, her OWL classes were busy enough that the Fifth-Years didn't pay her much attention.
Herbology was an interesting class to deal with since Potter was just as ignored as she was, but by the Hufflepuffs along with his fellow Gryffindors. Lysandra had been paired with the girl who had fainted in their Second-Year and her friend Hannah, both of whom had spent the entire class in awkward silence while they dealt with Bouncing Bulbs. She split from her year-mates after Herbology for OWL-Level Potions. Snape, the strange man that he was, awarded her easy points and several Slytherins gave her odd looks when she arrived. Cho Chang gave a friendly wave with her curly-haired friend from the front of the class and wished her luck when she left for lunch.
The raven-haired teen was glad that she knew where the kitchens were because she barely managed to deflect a Color-Changing Charm aimed for her head from behind as she crossed the Entrance Hall. The house elves revealed in the attention she passed to them, loading her with snacks for her Double Arithmancy class, where she would finally see Cassius for the first time since he'd been chosen as a champion.
Cassius's shaggy brown head was slouched over a long roll of parchment, a quill brushing against his cheek occasionally. Ines was seated on his left, her hazardous curls pulled into a harsh ponytail, and instead of having her nose buried in a book like usual, she was muttering some complicated spell over a colorful woven bracelet that Lysandra recognized as the one that sat on her wrist every day.
"Afternoon." Lysandra greeted the pair, taking the seat to Cassius' right. He made a noncommittal noise, but Ines greeted her quietly. The Fourth-Year pulled Curses and Counter-Curses from her bag; it was a thick book colored smoky grey, with the title written in vivid red. Lysandra had received this particular book for Christmas her first year at Hogwarts, and she'd unearthed it before she'd headed down for breakfast.
Their usual tablemates joined them shortly before the bell, Ines' Ravenclaw friend Polly and the pair of Hufflepuffs, Mark and Denise. They all greeted Cassius like they usually did, shooting large grins at Lysandra, who absentmindedly returned the greeting. Ines scribbled something on a piece of parchment just as Professor Vector arrived. Fortunately, they were continuing their lesson from Friday, and Vector left them to their own devices.
"There." Cassius sighed, leaning back in his chair, and throwing his quill down.
"Homework?" Polly asked, peering at the parchment. Cassius nodded, pushing it to her.
"Flitwick said as long as I handed it in today it would be considered on time." He shrugged. The two Ravenclaws nodded with understanding. Polly looked his essay over almost instinctively, while Ines returned to whatever it was that she was doing with her colorful bracelet. Lysandra pulled out her Transfiguration essay, reading it over for mistakes before passing it over to Denise, who was the table's go-to editor.
Lysandra leaned back in her chair, mirroring Cassius' laid-back posture. He watched his girlfriend for a couple of minutes and then tilted his head to look at his Gryffindor friend.
"Thank you." He said quietly; his brown eyes fixed on another bracelet that Ines had pulled out, this one a braid of brown leather. Her silver eyes slid to look at him, and she tilted her head like a curious cat.
"For what?"
Cassius turned to face her, his usual lazy expression replaced by a serious frown. "You know what for, you numb-nut."
The corners of Lysandra's mouth lifted, and she shrugged. "You are my friend, Cas. And it doesn't matter that you are Slytherin, it matters that the Goblet picked you. You are going to do great."
"What about Potter?" He grumbled to her in a low tone. Lysandra lifted an eyebrow, at the sudden attention from around their table.
"What about Boy-Wonder?" She asked, unfazed. Mark rolled his eyes at her response and opened his mouth to shoot back a snarky comment. "The moment his name came out of that Goblet, Potter had no choice, but to compete. Entering your name was a magically binding contract, Dumbledore said so. If someone put his name in the Goblet, it was probably under another school, like Ilvermorny or Mahoutokorou, so he had to get picked."
"But are you going to support him?" Polly whispered, glancing at Vector, who was helping one of the other Fourth Years.
"I don't not support him." She replied, smirking. "Honestly, if he wins, great. If Cas wins, even better. If Fleur wins, I'd be okay with that."
"That's the French girl, right?" Ines said, looking up from her project for the first time since the class had started. Lysandra nodded.
"We've been friends for a few years, so I'll support her too." The Gryffindor shrugged. "Potters got terrible luck though."
"Isn't that the truth!" Polly exclaimed. "Saint Potter and the Dark-Wizard-On-The-Back-Of-The-Teacher!"
"Saint Potter and Big-Ass-Snake-In-The-Bathroom!" Mark chuckled.
"Saint Potter and My-Teacher-Is-A-Werewolf-And-A-Mass-Murderer-Is-After-Me." Ines snorted, prodding at her leather bracelet. Cassius glanced at Lysandra, who looked completely unconcerned.
"I'm related to Sirius Black, you know." She said, examining her dark purple nail polish. The whole table stared at her with wide eyes, except Cassius, who was the only other pureblood. "We're second cousins."
"It's true." The Slytherin confirmed at the others' flabbergasted looks. "She's related to Potter too, now that I think about it."
"That's true." Lysandra placed a finger on her chin, narrowing her silver eyes at the wall while she thought. "My Great-Great Aunt Dorea married a Potter, and their son was Potter's father."
"That's pretty neat," Denise muttered.
"If you care to look enough, most Pureblood families are related in one way or another."
"That's…." Mark made a face, unable to finish his sentence and instead flailed his hands dramatically. Vector glanced at them but didn't interfere with their conversation. Ines rolled her eyes and pushed the leather bracelet towards their younger friend.
"Here, Lizzie." The curly haired brunette grinned, watching as the Gryffindor examined the bracelet. "I've charmed it with all the protective charms I can think of. I saw you dodge that Color-Changing Charm before lunch."
"You're taking spells for me?" Cassius's brows vanished into his messy bangs. Lysandra shrugged.
"I stood up for a friend." She shrugged, gathering her things, and sliding the bracelet on her wrist. "If I have to dodge spells for it, that's fine."
Cassius wrapped an arm around the younger girl's waist and pulled her to his side. Lysandra blinked at the view she had of his chest, and then shifted her gaze to Ines, who was watching the pair with a kind smile.
"Cas?" Lysandra asked, tilting her head up.
"Thank you." He said, releasing her as the bell rang for dinner. He hurried out of the room with his Charms essay in hand, leaving behind a very confused Gryffindor.
By the end of the week, the castle was dotted with glowing buttons proclaiming, 'Support Cassius Warrington – the real Hogwarts champion!'. When the buttons were pressed, the image would swirl and then read 'Potter Stinks,' leaving their wearers laughing.
Cassius didn't approve of the buttons, but her twin was flaunting them so much that Lysandra knew they were his. She briefly debated getting a button and charming it to say something else but changed her mind when Ines told her she was already trying.
She got a reply from Remus, asking her to try and not get maimed by angry students but that he was proud of her for standing up for her friends. He also mentioned that he was fairly certain that Sirius was hiding in Hogsmeade, and perhaps she could send him some food by owl. She rolled her eyes at that but made a mental note to visit the house elves.
The next couple of weeks were pretty odd for Lysandra, who was splitting her time between Fleur, her homework, and occasionally Cassius. Cassius was constantly being followed around by her brother, who had taken to boasting about how he was good friends with the Slytherin champion. Cassius just rolled his eyes and told anyone who asked that he had no Malfoy friends, which made Lysandra smirk when those same people who asked whispered their confusion to one another when they saw her with Cassius.
Most of the negative attention had been turned on Potter, and it was making him far more irritable than usual. This was following a terrible article published by Rita Skeeter, which was supposed to be about the Tournament but had turned into a highly-colorful life story of the Boy-Wonder. The front page of the Prophet was taken up by a picture of Potter, and the article barely mentioned the other champions, with their names misspelled and squashed into the last line. Cassius hadn't even been mentioned.
'I suppose I get my strength from my parents; I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now… yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I know nothing will hurt me during the Tournament because they're watching over me...' says twelve-year-old Harry Potter.
Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevy, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggleborn girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school.
Truly, the article was awful. Everyone knew that Colin wasn't good friends with Potter and that Granger wasn't stunning. Pretty, on occasion, but not stunning. Neither were top-scoring students in the school.
The days slipped by as the first task drew nearer, each peppered with insults directed at Potter and Granger. The Saturday before the first task, all the students Third-Year and above were permitted to visit Hogsmeade, but Lysandra spent the day with Fleur and Cerise again, repainting their nails and trying on the endless amounts of clothes Cerise seemed to have.
Lysandra's breakfast two days before the First Task was interrupted by a panicking Fleur Delacour, practically dragged her out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.
"Dragon," Fleur whispered, panic set on her face. Lysandra blinked heavily at the Veela. "Je dois faire face à un dragon pour la première tâche (I have to face a dragon for the First Task)!"
"Fleur. Fleur, respire." Lysandra placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders and stared at her with hard silver eyes. "Respire. Souffle, fille. Compter jusqu'à dix (Take a breath. Breath, girl. Count to ten)."
"Un," Fleur gasped, staring down at her friend. "Deux, trois,"
"Bein," The Gryffindor nodded, sliding her hands down Fleur's arms to take her hands.
"Quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix." Fleur nodded when she had finished counting, looking a bit less frazzled. "Je suis d'accord. Je vous remercie (I am okay. Thank you)."
"De rein (You're welcome)." Lysandra chuckled, taking a small step back to give Fleur some space to tidy her messy hair. "Maintenant, traitons de la question du dragon (Now, let's deal with the dragon issue)."
"Madame Maxime est revenue tard hier soir et m'a dit que je devais faire face à un dragon pour la première tâche (Madame Maxime came back late last night, and told me that I had to face a dragon for the first task)."
"A-t-elle dit quel genre (Did she say what kind)?" Lysandra prompted, leading her friend up the grand stairs to head to the library.
"Elle a dit qu'ils étaient des mères, des nicheurs (She said they were mothers, nesting ones)." Fleur fretted.
"Eh bein, j'ai de bonnes nouvelles, mon cher (Well, I have good news, dear)." Lysandra set the girl a cheeky grin, pushing open the library door. "Vous n'avez pas à comattre un dragon (You don't have to fight a dragon)."
"Oh. Bein." The Veela sighed, letting Lysandra lead her to an empty table.
"Vous venez de voler quelque chose dans un nid (You just have to steal something from a nest)."
"Ce n'est pas utile (That's not helpful)," Fleur grumbled, shooting a fiery glare at her friend. Lysandra chuckled.
"Fortunately for you, there's this great invention called a library, and I happen to know it fairly well. We'll do some research and then make a plan from there. Okay?"
"Okay."
It seemed that other champions had the same idea as Lysandra and Fleur because the dragon books were heaped on the table Potter was sharing with Granger, and a small stack was sat beside Viktor Krum, who sat within watching distance of the Fourth-Year pair. That, of course, didn't last long, because, despite his sulky attitude, Krum had a very large fanbase of twitter-patted girls.
Fleur cast them dark looks and quietly hurled insults at their noise until Lysandra pulled her back into the research. This group of girls was Hogwarts students, a mix of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs of varying years, and Lysandra could put up with their twittering if they kept their giggles down to a reasonable volume.
Unfortunately, as they got increasingly excited with their gossip, their volume began increasing. This, in turn, had a terrible effect on the already stressed Fleur, and by extension, Krum. Cassius had poked his head into the library earlier in the day and promptly bolted, dragging Ines behind him.
When Fleur's hands started smoking, and the corner of her eye began to twitch, Lysandra finally stood up. Several strides brought her to the table the girls were at, and her presence was ignored until she slammed her hands on the table and fixed a terrifying silver glare on the girls.
"Shut up." She hissed.
"Make us." One of the Ravenclaws hissed back, tossing her hair.
"Silencio Maxima."
The group of giggling girls were all immediately silenced, and despite their flailing arms and desperate attempts to fix themselves, these girls had not mastered non-verbal spells yet. The Ravenclaw who had spoken fixed a harsh glare at Lysandra, and gestured widely to her throat and mouth.
"I'll remove the spell," Lysandra assured them, idly twirling her wand between her fingers. "But first, you'll listen to what I have to say. Agreed?"
The girls narrowed their eyes but nodded. One of the Hufflepuffs crossed her arms and pouted, staring at Krum out of the corner of her eye.
"The First Task is on Tuesday," The Gryffindor said, folding her arms behind her back. "And in case you haven't noticed, the champions are trying to study for it. You came in here, and at first, you were quiet so that they could ignore you, but you have been getting increasingly loud with your gossiping and giggling to each other, and you are irritating them. Krum thinks that ignoring you will make you go away, but I've been keeping Fleur from coming over here and hexing you into the Hospital Wing. Honestly, I apologize for the way I first approached this, but we'd all like you to either quiet down or leave. You came in yesterday, and Potter left because Granger knows how you get. Cassius left after just a look in. I'm honestly surprised that you haven't been kicked out of the library at all yet."
The Ravenclaw girl who had first spoken looked sheepish and gestured to her mouth again. Lysandra reversed her spell quickly, allowing the group the ability to speak once again.
"I cast a muffling spell on Madam Pince." She said, tucking her long hair behind her ear. "And you make a valid point. We were so focused on trying to get Viktor Krum's attention that we forgot about common courtesy. I understand the distraction that loud groups of people cause when I'm trying to study. You're right; we should leave. I'd feel awful if someone got hurt because we had distracted their preparations."
"But, I don't wanna go!" The pouting Hufflepuff protested.
"Then stay," The Ravenclaw shrugged, gathering her things. The other Ravenclaws in the group followed her example. "But Malfoy was right; we are disturbing the entire library."
"Black," Lysandra remarked, examining a chip in her nail polish. "I was emancipated over the summer and took over the Black Family."
"Oh, wow." The Ravenclaw's eyes went wide. "That's pretty amazing."
"Lysandra! Venez ici!" Fleur called, holding open a book with one hand and scribbling something on a parchment with her other. Lysandra raised a hand in farewell to the group of girls and returned to her friend.
"Regardez, ici (Look, here)." The blonde pointed at a passage in the book she was holding.
"While dragon skin can resist most spells, some spells can affect dragons if aimed in the right spot, or if cast by several people at once. As with most armored beasts, the eyes, mouth and underbelly are all vulnerable." Lysandra read, nodding. "That's good. That's a really good clue, Fleur."
"I thought eet was too." She smiled, and then pushed the dragon books away. "Now I just 'ave to find the right spell to use."
"I'll put these away." The raven gathered up the books and fished her Charms of Defence and Deterrence book from her bag. "There's some interesting spells in here. You should go through this while you wait."
Fleur nodded as her friend hurried down the Magical Beasts aisle. Lysandra pushed the stack into the nearly empty shelf the champions had raided. From around the corner of the bookshelves, a head of dark hair poked out, and then quickly retracted. The young Black lifted an eyebrow but returned to Fleur.
"What about ze Stunning Spell?" Fleur asked, pointing to a passage in Lysandra's book.
"How good are you at it? Because a Stunner against a dragon would have to be very well aimed."
"Not a Stunning Spell then." Fleur quickly flipped the page. Lysandra pulled another book close to them, one of the few the pair had grabbed about spells. The pair researched spells for another half-an-hour, when they were approached by one of the last people Lysandra had expected.
"Well, hey there, champ." Lee Jordan grinned down at them, placing his hand on the chair across from the girls. Fleur glanced up and then flipped the page in her book. "Is this seat taken, or do you mind if I Slytherin?"
Lysandra snorted at the expression on Fleur's face.
"Vos garçons britanniques avaient très peu de chance de commencer, mais il a juste soufflé le sien (Your British boys had very little chance, to begin with, but he just blew his)." The French teen grumbled to the were-jaguar, who fought back a laugh. "Je n'ai pas le temps pour ça (I have no time for this)."
Lee looked hopeful, his eyes flicking between his fellow Gryffindor and her friend.
"Sorry, Jordan," Lysandra smirked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "You've got no chance with her."
"Oh well." He shrugged, looking decidedly unbothered. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.
"Il pourrait être utile, Fleur (He could be useful, Fleur)." Lysandra watched as he shuffled down the Magical Beasts aisle for his bag, which was tucked into an empty spot on a shelf. "Trois têtes valent mieux que deux (Three heads are better than two)."
"Je vais prendre toute l'aide que je peux obtenir (I'll take any help I can get)." She sighed, running her fingers through her long hair. Lysandra nodded and hurried after the dark-skinned Sixth-Year.
"Jordan," The Fourth-Year called quietly, hurrying over to him. The Gryffindor turned with a friendly grin. "If you've got nothing else to do, would you help us?"
"Sure!" He threw one of his long arms around Lysandra's shoulders, much to her surprise. "I shall supply you with much entertainment and fetch you biscuits and tea!"
"What?"
He chuckled, dropping into the chair he'd attempted to flirt his way into. Lysandra drifted back to her seat across from him. "It's what I do for Fred and George. What are we researching?"
"Dragons," Fleur muttered in reply, looking incredibly stressed as she pulled at her silvery hair.
"More specifically, how to get past one." Lysandra supplied. Lee whistled.
"First task? Blimey." He dragged a book to him and held it up. "Curses and Counter-Curses. Where are we at then?"
"We've figured that Fleur will have to aim for the eyes. It's the least dangerous place she could fire a spell. And Stunners aren't an option."
"Huh." Lee cracked open the book and leaned back, propping his feet on the corner of the table. "Well, let's get cracking then."
The very unlikely trio flipped through several pages, quietly jotting down ideas, and then Lee broke the silence after about ten minutes.
"What do you get when a dragon sneezes?"
"What?" Fleur frowned up at him. Lee grinned, tossing the book in his hand onto the table.
"What do you get when a dragon sneezes?" He repeated, tossing his dreadlocks behind his shoulder.
"I do not know." The blonde frowned at the Gryffindor. Lysandra looked at him curiously, wondering where this was going.
"Out of the way."
The girls traded a look and then rolled their eyes.
"That was a joke, yes?" Fleur told Lee with a straight face. "Eet was terrible."
"What? No!" He protested. "It was totally funny."
Lysandra shook her head. Lee grumbled and flopped his torso on the table, whining about how he was totally funny. A small smile spread across Fleur's face, and she chuckled. Lee continued to whine good-naturedly, throwing more terrible jokes at the girls across from him as he did so. One of his terrible jokes had Fleur laughing so hard she snorted, which set off the other two. The afternoon passed this way, with laughter and merriment.
Eventually, Lysandra realized that Fleur had been completely distracted from the impending doom of the looming First Task, and she thanked Lee quietly when Fleur left to grab another book from the Charms section.
Lee shrugged, claiming he was happy to help. Fleur returned with a small stack of books, placing them with a thump on the table. Lysandra reached for a new book and buried her nose in it. Krum, who had been in their peripheral the entire day, had vanished sometime during their laughing fit.
"You know, I just remembered," Lee dropped his book into his lap, looking slightly surprised. "Our school motto has a dragon in it; Draco dormiens numquam titillandus."
"What does it mean?" Fleur asked, half paying attention.
"Never tickle a sleeping dragon." Lee replied, returning to where he'd left off in his tome.
Lysandra nodded absentmindedly, scanning down the page before she stopped abruptly. Her silver eyes drifted up to the lounging Sixth-Year boy, and the book slipped from her fingers onto the table with a loud thud.
"Lee Jordan," she breathed, her mind working a mile-a-minute. "You beautiful genius."
"Please, go on." He grinned. "I enjoy being praised."
"Lysandra?" Fleur looked at her friend with concern as Lysandra quickly flipped through the pages of her book. She stopped near the end of the book, and her eyes quickly drifted over the page before she shoved it in Fleur's direction.
"Sleeping spells?"
"Oh!" Lee leaned forward, peering down at the book fleur was looking over. "Oh, that is genius!"
"If you concentrate hard enough," Lysandra pointed at a specific spell. "And are careful where you aim the spell, you could put the dragon to sleep, sneak past and grab whatever it is you're getting, and then run to a safe zone. Fleur, I think we found your solution!"
"Vous êtes des génies. Mon dieu, je peux le faire! Je vous remercie! (You are geniuses. My god, I can do this! Thank you!)" Fleur threw her arms around her younger friend and peppered kisses all over the top of her dark-haired head. "I 'ave to tell Madam Maxime!"
The Gryffindors watched as Fleur swiftly gathered her things with a flick of her wand and ran out of the library in better spirits than she'd been since Lysandra had first brought her here.
"What, no kisses for me?" Lee pouted playfully. "I think I deserve at least one."
To his complete surprise, the mysterious fourteen-year-old leaned across the table and pressed a swift kiss to his check and then flushed bright pink as she gathered her things with the same spell Fleur had used. The flare of her black robes vanishing around the corner of a bookcase brought the teen out of his surprised state, and he chuckled, heading back to the Tower in a good mood.
He'd been surprised when Lysandra Black had brought him back over to her table with the French champion, but he'd pleasantly pleased when they'd spent the afternoon together, laughing and joking while they helped Fleur Delacour out. He'd been ditched by Fred and George Weasley that day, for whatever reason, and he'd thought that he could try to get a date with the lovely French girl who he'd been quietly crushing on since he'd seen her in entering the Great Hall. That hadn't worked out, but he'd been given a new opinion on the one of the least liked Gryffindors in the school.
He noticed Lysandra before, when she was still a Malfoy, bent over rolls of parchment and books in the corner of the Tower. He'd only ever seen her alone but figured she was just that kind of person, like his other dorm mate, who he rarely ever saw – let alone knew the name of. But she'd been friendly and kind, and he had thought she would be like her twin, who was a right little twat at the best of times.
She wasn't, and Lee enjoyed around her. He'd have to hang out with her again.
The day of the First Task was overcast, and the atmosphere in the school was palpable. Potter looked positively green as he went about his day, from what little Lysandra saw of him, and Cassius was also a bit pale when she stopped beside him during their lunch break.
He was muttering spells to himself in the corner of the Entrance Hall, fiddling with his wand instead of eating something before he faced a dragon.
Lysandra hadn't forgotten about him, but Fleur had been in such bad shape that she'd focused on her Veela friend, rather than splitting her time between the two. The brunet barely glanced up as she sat beside him, quietly twisting her fingers into her sleeves as she tried to figure out what to say that could help him.
"How are you doing?" She asked, finally, staring at her feet. Cassius' fingers paused in their fiddling, and he sighed heavily, dropping his head onto her shoulder. The pair sat like that for a few minutes, watching from their mildly secluded spot as excited students drifted in and out of the Great Hall for lunch before the Task.
"I've been better." He answered, straightening his posture, and running his hands through his hair. His brown eyes were dull and bloodshot, and dark bags sat beneath his eyes, testifying to the lack of sleep he had been getting. Lysandra boldly took his hand and squeezed it.
"You'll be alright." She assured, worry pooling in her stomach.
"I hope so." He grumbled back, tightening his grip on the younger girl's hand. "Lizzie, people have died in these Tournaments. The First Task is a dragon."
"I know." She said. "There will be dragon tamers there, in case something goes wrong. And Madam Pomphrey is probably on hand. Everything will be fine."
"Everything will be fine." He repeated, paling slightly when Snape appeared at the door. The Potions Master flicked his eyes over the Entrance Hall, and they settled on the unlikely duo. He gestured with his head for Cassius to follow him out of the castle, acknowledging his goddaughter with a slight tip of his head.
Lysandra waited a couple of moments before she followed them out the door, determined to get a decent seat so she could support her friends. There were a couple of people in the stands of the temporary stadium, mostly Durmstrang students huddled in a dark mass, and a couple of Hogwarts students bundled in their striped House scarves.
In no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of students swarmed into the stadium, clambering for seats, and jovially laughing with one another. The seats on either side of her filled rather quickly, and to her surprise, Lee Jordan had taken it upon himself to join her with a large grin, and Cerise had daintily led some of the Beauxbatons girls over.
"We ready for this?" Lee asked, leaning forward on his bench with a large grin.
"Yes?" Lysandra blinked at him heavily.
"What's that look for, love?" He questioned, slinging an arm around her shoulder and dragging her into a brief but friendly hug. "Us geniuses have to stick together!"
She nodded slowly at his statement, flinching at the very sudden cannon boom that echoed over the stadium. A large gate on the opposite side of the enclosure opened, revealing a team of dragon keepers dressed in dark colors and bearing a carefully maneuvered clutch of eggs. Most of the keepers lead a massive blue-grey dragon into the arena, releasing the chain leads wrapped around its – her – neck.
The dragon gravitated immediately to the eggs in the center of the arena, sweeping them into a pile with her tail and eyeing up the spectating students with suspicion in her blue eyes. Despite how much of a danger this creature was, Lysandra had to admit that it was magnificent.
"-our first competitor, Cassius Warrington!"
She'd missed whatever riveting introductory speech Ludo Bagman had prepared, but her silver eyes focused on her friend's appearance in the arena. Despite Cassius' House, the stadium erupted into cheers, and the dragon's head swung back and forth in surprise before it focused its attention on the immediate threat to its brood.
Cassius was very pale, and the black and green robes the Ministry officials had provided looked like they offered no protection at all. The only thing he had was his wand, which he gripped with white-knuckles. The Slytherin teen took a deep breath and lifted his wand.
The dragon pulled its head back with confusion when a large cloud of obscuring smoke billowed from Cassius' wand, obliterating any view of the Hogwarts champion. Several small flashes of bright light appeared from inside the cloud of smoke and Lysandra leaned forward as the smoke started to rapidly clear.
"That looks like Fumos Duo spell if I'm not to be mistaken!" Bagman announced. "Clever trick, but that's not going to get him anywhere… what's this? Where did he go?"
The smoke had revealed an enormous flock of multicolored birds of varying sizes, most no bigger than a robin. There were a few bigger birds that looked like crows, and with an unspoken command the flock of birds launched at the dragon, chirping, and squawking around the Short-Snout's head. The dragon reared back its head as the birds continued swooping around, distracting it from a low flying crow headed straight for the eggs.
"He's taking risks, this one!" Bagman called.
Everything seemed to be going fine for Cassius. Until the spell he'd used to transform himself into a crow – likely an Avifors – wore off about twenty feet from the nest. The Slytherin champion landed on his feet with panic on his face, losing the concentration he had on the other birds. The dragon swung its head around to check on her eggs and growled lowly, a sound that rumbled through the wood of the stadium. Lysandra's hands wrapped around Lee's arm without her noticing and she worried her bottom lip as she watched.
Cassius bellowed something as he raised his wand, but Lysandra couldn't hear what he yelled over the buzzing in her ears. Ice shot from the tip of his wand, blocking a bright blue fireball that narrowly missed him when he used the Glacius spell again to make a path to slid upon. The brunet slipped past the nest and snagged the gleaming golden egg from the edge, and when his feet hit the solid ground, he ran for the nearest group of dragon keepers.
"Narrow miss there! And he's done it! Very good indeed!" Bagman shouted. Lysandra slumped her head onto Lee's shoulder, heaving relieved sigh. Lee gave her hands a soothing pat and muttered a quiet well done in the Slytherin's direction.
"And now the marks from the judges!"
Madam Maxime raised her wand, and a silver ribbon shot out, twisting itself into a shining six. Lysandra frowned but shifted her eyes to Dumbledore, who's wand shot out an eight, followed by another eight from Crouch. Bagman gave Cassius a six too, and Karkaroff rounded off the score with a seven, which gave Cassius a solid score of thirty-five out of fifty.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled after Madam Pomfrey ushered the Slytherin out of the arena, and the dragon keepers herded the Swedish Short-Snout and her brood out. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
The next dragon was green and had four legs instead of the two the previous dragon had. This dragon grumbled at her keepers but settled with her eggs in a surprisingly calm manner.
Fleur appeared across from the nesting mother, trembling from head to toe and clutching her wand in the same manner that Cassius had done previously. Lysandra's arm suddenly had an attaché, and when she glanced over to peer at Cerise, who was staring at her friend with worry.
"Hey now," Lee whispered, ducking his head to speak more easily to Lysandra. "This is our genius at work. She'll be fine as long as she's got a plan."
"You 'ave 'elped her?" Cerise asked, extending her hand to one of the other Beauxbatons girls. The two Hogwarts students nodded. "I am glad."
Fleur raised her wand. The dragon – a Welsh Green, someone muttered behind her – narrowed its eyes and grumbled at the Veela girl. Fleur began to mutter her spell, carefully waving her wand in an intricate pattern.
"That's not one of our spells," Lee muttered to Lysandra, who hummed her acknowledgment. Fleur took a step forward, continuing to mutter her spell. The dragon tilted her head, and her enormous tawny eyes started drooping. The dragon was fighting the sleep Fleur was putting her in, even as the Veela girl slowly advanced towards the nest.
The Welsh Green wavered on its legs, tottering several times before it lay down beside its brood. Fleur looked excited but didn't stop speaking. The Veela was nearly at the nest when the Welsh Green snuffled. If it had been any other time, what the dragon did next would have made Lysandra laugh, because the ferocious dragon snored. And in doing so, it sent a blast of fire from its partially gaping mouth.
It would have been funny if the flames hadn't caught Fleur's skirt on fire.
Panicking, Fleur shot a jet of water at her skirt and bolted forward to grab the Golden Egg. The dragon, fortunately, remained asleep until Fleur was safely away and then it got very angry that one of the eggs in its brood was missing.
It took several minutes to calm the Welsh Green down enough to switch it for the next dragon, a spiky red thing that launched several fireballs around the arena before settling over her brood of gold and brown eggs.
Fleur re-emerged for her scores; An eight from her Headmistress, six from Dumbledore, sevens from both Crouch and Bagman, and a six from Karkaroff.
Krum materialized from wherever the champions had been waiting, and as soon as he was given the go-ahead, he had fired a spell with expert aim right into the dragon's gold eye. The dragon roared, causing the spectators to screech and leap backward in their seats. The dragon clawed at its eyes and stumbled around in agony. Krum took advantage of the dragon's distraction, and he ran forward to seize his egg.
It took him several minutes to maneuver himself around the rampaging creature, ducking and dodging out of the way as the red creature trampled her eggs. When he finally snatched up the golden egg, he was likely the least injured of the champions so far.
The red dragon – a Chinese Fireball – was significantly harder to subdue than the others, but eventually, Krum reappeared for his scores; another eight from Madam Maxime, a seven from Dumbledore, an eight from Crouch, a seven from Bagman, and a ten from Karkaroff, who looked elated.
And then it was Potter's turn.
His dragon looked ten-times more ferocious than the other three – her dark body crouched over her eggs, her wings half-furled, her narrowed eyes an evil yellow, and her long-spiked tail leaving yard-long gash marks in the stone beneath her.
The crowd was cheering, with decidedly malicious energy from the Slytherin mass on the opposite side of the arena. Potter looked nervous as he lifted his wand. Lysandra's heightened ears could barely pick up the Summoning Charm that he used over the din. Lee frowned at the Boy-Wonder, reversing their previous position; the Sixth-Year now holding tightly to the offered limb.
A broom hurtled towards the youngest champion, and when it came to a halt beside the Boy-Wonder, Lysandra realized that it was his Firebolt.
"That's brilliant." She whispered, as he mounted it and kicked off. Once Potter was in the air, he looked much more confident, even as he soared upwards, high above their heads.
Potter dove. The dragon's head followed him, and seconds before a jet of fire would have hit him, Potter pulled away. The dragon was focused entirely on the Boy-Who-Wasn't-Going-To-Die-Today, watching his circling form. Her head revolved around her long neck, and if Potter kept that up, his dragon would end up dizzy.
Harry Potter plummeted just as his dragon opened her mouth, but he was less lucky this time because although he missed the jet of fire, the dragon's long tail caught him in the shoulder. Several girls screamed as blood flew from the gash on the Boy-Wonder's shoulder, and Lysandra would take that moment and forever sear it into her brain because Lee sounded like a girl when he was frightened.
"Not a word." He muttered grumpily at her when she gave him a mischievous look.
"Sure thing, dear."
The Gryffindor champion was flying again, first one way and then the other, but never near enough to make the dragon breath fire to stave him off. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him with her yellow eyes, fangs bared. He flew higher, prompting the dragon to follow him with her head. Her neck was swaying like a snake, and when Potter flew a few more feet away, she let out an exasperated roar. She shot fire, Potter dodged.
And then she reared, spreading her great leathery wings. Potter dove again. Before most people had known what he'd done or where he'd vanished to, he was seizing the golden egg with both hands and flying over the spectators.
"Look at that!" Bagman bellowed. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mister Potter!"
The dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the dragon, and several Professors were hurrying towards Saint Potter, who was going down to land. McGonagall was one of them, and she swiftly ushered the fourteen-year-old towards the Hogwarts matron. It took several minutes for Potter to return, but given his injury, that was to be expected.
Madame Maxime raised her wand in the air for the fourth time, and the silver ribbon shot out an elegant eight again. Dumbledore and Crouch both shot out a nine, followed by a ten from Ludo Bagman, and a terrible four from Karkaroff, who looked decidedly grumpy.
The crowd roared. A Hogwarts champion had gotten first place.
"Fantastic!" Lee crowed, throwing his arms in the air. "This is way better than Quidditch!"
"I 'ave to wait for Fleur," Cerise said, rising from her seat, and gesturing for the Beauxbatons girls to follow her. "Lysandra, you go and find your other friends today; Fleur will be upset."
"Oui." The raven nodded, glancing at Lee.
"I've gotta find Fred and George!" He announced, giving her a brief side hug before he started to plow his way through the crowd. "I'll see you later, doll!"
"See you later, Lee." She replied, waiting for the crowds to thin a bit before she left.
The journey back to the Tower took longer than she'd expected, but when she'd arrived the entire room was packed with Gryffindors from all years, munching on treats and sipping pumpkin juice and Butterbeer. She'd nearly vanished up the stairs to the girl's dorms when the stairs turned into a slide.
Somehow she'd managed to slide down without falling over, but she careened into Lee at the bottom, who was grinning from ear-to-ear and shoving fireworks in his back pockets.
"Can I help you?" She asked, standing chest-to-chest with the dark-skinned troublemaker.
"Absolutely." He replied, dragging her deeper into the room. "I have too many fireworks, and I need an extra pair of hands! Fred, George! Give me more explosives!"
The Weasley Twins turned with curious looks, blinking nearly identical blue eyes at the strange pair. Lee tugged on Lysandra's wrist sending her lurching forwards into his side. The gingers exchanged unreadable looks and then pushed Doctor Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat, Wet-Start Fireworks into her hands.
"You'll explain later?" One of them whispered to Lee, who glanced at his new friend and nodded. Lysandra pretended she hadn't heard and instead focused on the instructions that the other twin was giving her.
Lee shuffled over to the younger girl, smiling down at her as he pushed a couple of dreadlocks from his face. "You know, you're pretty short, love."
She made a face at him. "Or maybe you're just tall, honey."
"Pet names?" One of the twins jested, leaning against a chair.
"Oh yes." Lee nodded with a very serious expression on his face. Lysandra lifted an eyebrow. "Isn't that right, dollface?"
"Sure thing, sugar." She snarked, rolling her silver eyes. One of the twins snorted out a laugh while Lee looked pleased with himself. Unfortunately, the conversation – if it could even be called that – was cut short when Potter strode into the Tower with his sidekicks, because the common room erupted with cheers and yells. Lee started setting off his fireworks and Lysandra followed suit, letting the purple firecrackers whistle overhead.
"It'd be cooler if they turned into dragons." She remarked quietly, earning a curious look from the Twins. Students converged on their younger champion, offering congratulations and well-wishes. He plopped his Golden Egg onto one of the tables and loaded a plate before he was ushered to one of the couches.
Lee, being who he was, dragged Lysandra over to have a look at the egg. It was about the size of someone's head, and entirely golden with a latch made of feathers and an owl's head.
"Blimey, this is heavy," Lee said, picking it up and weighing it with his hands. "Open it, Harry, go on! Let's see what's inside it!"
"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own," Granger protested swiftly. "It's in the Tournament rules…"
Potter muttered something to Granger while others in the room shouted encouragement. Lee passed the egg over, and Potter twisted the top, and it fell open.
The egg's protective shell revealed an inner egg made of what looked like glass and filled with dancing golden bubbles. Of course, the moment Potter opened the damn thing, a loud screechy wailing filled the room. Lysandra's first instinct was to smack her hands over her sensitive ears, but after a moment, she recognized the wailing.
"-seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the -"
"Shut it!" One of the Weasley Twins bellowed, and Potter shut the egg as quickly as he could.
"What was that?" Finnigan asked, staring at the egg with horror. "Sounded like a banshee… maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"
"It was some being tortured!" Longbottom protested, pale-faced. "You're going to have to fight Cruciatus Curse!"
Lysandra smiled smugly and leaned against the table, watching with intense amusement. Lee glanced at her. The smug expression on her face had Lee wary about what was going through her head, and he opened his mouth to ask what she was thinking, and then decided that he'd better not.
"Well then," She hummed, looking pleased. "I'm heading off to bed."
"Goodnight, baby doll!" Lee said cheerfully, waving as she left.
"Goodnight, sugarbear." She jested, waving over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs.