Lessons went until midday on Tuesday, and then all students were to go out and watch the first task. Cho could hardly concentrate on anything Professor Sprout was teaching them in Herbology though, despite the interesting shade of purple Georgia went when she was stung by the plants they were potting.

She couldn't get the conversation with Cedric out of her head. Actually, she just couldn't get Cedric out of her head. It was impossible not to think about him, especially in the context of what had happened the previous night. Try as she might, she just couldn't figure out why Cedric

had told her what he told her. What kind of response did her want her to give? Why was he confiding in her, Cho, an almost complete stranger? In her frustration, Cho had told Lorla about it, but now wished she had told someone more sensible about it, like Ariana, because Lorla, once again, had interpreted it in entirely the wrong way.

"I'm telling you Choo-choo," Lorla said firmly, addressing Cho by the affectionate nickname Lorla used on her, "he likes you. There's no other reason for it. He feels bad about finding out what the first task was-"

"Not so loud!" Cho hushed her immediately. "You don't want everyone to find out, do you?"

Lorla looked surreptitiously around the greenhouse, buzzing with the low hum of students talking while they were working. "He feels bad about it, anyway," she continued, "and he told you because he wants to know what you think of him. He values your opinion."

Cho sighed as she brushed some soil off her robes. "First of all, Lolly," she said, addressing Lorla by her affectionate nickname for her, "Just because he respects my opinion doesn't mean he likes me. Secondly, he was probably just…testing the waters, so to speak. I think he just wanted to gauge a reaction- you know, what people will think when he tells them he accidentally found out about the first task. He wants to know if he'll still be as liked by the general body of students." Her brow furrowed. What she was saying didn't even make sense to her- Cedric making sure he was still beloved by the public? That didn't seem right. "I'm just…one of the masses, to him."

The bell rang, signalling lunchtime, Cho and Lorla joined the masses of students making their way towards the Great Hall. "I really tend to disagree," said Lorla thoughtfully, shoving her Herbology book in her bag as they walked, "I think he seeks you out- you know, the way he waves to you in the corridors, and the way he always drops by the Ravenclaw table at meal times. I really think he has a crush on you."

Cho blushed. "And I think you're pushing the issue. He doesn't like me."

"Do you like him?"

It was a question Cho had been asking herself all day. Certainly she was very attracted to him, but wasn't it superficial to like a boy just for his looks?

But I don't just like him for his looks…I actually like the look of him.

Certainly, Cedric hadn't given her any reason to dislike him. If anything, their encounters over the past week had given her an even higher opinion of him: the way he staunchly stood up for Harry Potter, his competitor; the way he felt bad about knowing what the first task was even though it gave him a huge advantage…

"Of course I don't," Cho said to Lorla as they entered the Great Hall. "He's just plain…out of my league. And he's too old for me anyway."

"No one's out of your league, Cho," Lorla scolded as sat down at the Ravenclaw table, "Don't even think that."

The noise level in the Great Hall was even higher than usual, presumably because of the impending task. Contrary to what she told Lorla, Cho felt an unusual flutter in her stomach as automatically she searched for Cedric with her eyes and found him seated at the Hufflepuff table already, between two of his Hufflepuff friends who looked like they were acting as bodyguards against the barrage of fans that would accost him as they walked past. Cedric himself looked like he was about to be sick, and Cho's heart went out to him. How would she feel if she had to face whatever the first task was with the whole school watching? Like throwing herself off the Astronomy tower, she supposed.

She looked up at him again just as the guests from Beauxbatons entered, with Fleur Delacour leading the way. In a stark contrast to Cedric, Fleur looked as though she had already won the Triwizard Cup rather than not even having faced the first task yet. She stopped by the Hufflepuff table to talk to Cedric, and the entourage of Beauxbatons students behind her halted and formed a sort of respectful line. They were treating Fleur in much the same way they treated their headmistress, Cho observed. Cedric gave Fleur a half-hearted smile and said something presumably flattering as she laughed and tossed her mane of silky blonde hair.

"Blondes," Lorla sighed derisively, and Cho realised Lorla had been watching Cedric too. "They think they rule the world, don't they?"

Soon after, Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, made her way over to Cedric's place at the Hufflepuff table and spoke quietly in his ear. He nodded grimly and rose, eliciting a round of applause and several hearty cries of "Good luck Cedric!", and "You can do it, Diggory!"

"They're going out to prepare for the task!" Georgia squealed excitedly. "Oh, I hope he does well!"

Cho noticed that Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor, was leaning over the Gryffindor table to talk to Harry Potter,

presumably to show him out to the first task, but there was no round of applause that to follow him out of the Great Hall. Cho suddenly had a strong desire to leap from her seat and yell something encouraging to Harry, whom she had never seen look more miserable.

And soon after that, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet and raised his wand for silence.

"If you will please follow your heads of House outside now to the stands. It is time for the first task." He hesitated only slightly. "I would like to remind you all now that this is an experience in which the champions will face great danger. I ask you to please them your full support…whatever school they are from."

The level of talking rose again almost immediately he had finished. Tiny little Professor Flitwick, the much-loved head of Ravenclaw, scurried over to lead them outside.

"This way," he squeaked, as they all surged to their feet, "This way, please…"

They walked out past the Forbidden Forest. As they rounded the perimeter of the forest, a large wooden enclosure came into view, from which a terrible sound could be heard. It was a roaring, whooshing sound- a terrible beast-like noise, which elicited nightmarish figures of giant prehistoric beasts, in Cho's mind.

"No need to worry," Professor Flitwick quavered as he stopped dead when he heard the sound. The students of his house simply walked around him as he stood stock-still, shivering from head to foot. As they came closer Cho saw a large tent- from which the terrible sounds were coming- and a smaller one to the left, directly joined to the fenced enclosure.

Hagrid stood at the entrance to the enclosure, positively beaming with delight. "Righ' this way, girls an' boys- fill up the stands, in yeh go…" Cho smiled at Hagrid as she, Lorla, Ariana, Islean and Georgia passed, and he winked at her. "All righ' you two? What's the matter, Ron?" he said to someone behind them.

Hundreds and hundreds of seats surrounded a sandy ring- it reminded Cho of a picture she had seen in her History of Magic book- the arenas of Ancient Rome, where they used to sacrifice those they thought were witches and wizards and Catholics to savage beasts….

"I wonder where the champions are?" Ariana said, craning her neck as they went up the stands. Sitting down, Cho noticed the entrance of the smaller tent shifting and Harry Potter walked out, closely followed by an oversized bumblebee.

"Bagman," muttered Lorla, looking where Cho was. Ludo Bagman- the oversized bumblebee- was an ex-Quidditch player and one of the Triwizard judges , as he worked at the Ministry. He was wearing his old Wimbledon Wasp robes- bright yellow with brown stripes. Cho liked the look of him- he was funny and cheerful, with a rosy face that reminded her of Father Christmas. "Wonder where they're going?"

"Don't know," Cho answered. She looked around for the other judges- they were on the opposite side of the stadium, in seats raised high, draped with gold. Professor Dumbledore sat right in the middle, his thumbs pressed together in thought, his bright blue eyes directed intently at the stadium.

"Do you think the judges know what the task is?" she asked, poking Lorla.

"Bound to," said Lorla, "They wouldn't know if the champions were capable, otherwise."

Down in the very front of the stands was Hufflepuff- all grouped together as a house to give their full support to Cedric. Several of them were waving banners- and all of them were wearing Support CEDRIC DIGGORY badges. The Gryffindors weren't lumped together to support Harry, though. Cho was just wondering where his girlfriend was sitting when a voice sounded shrilly behind her.

"You could have apologised! Just to let him know you're going to give him support!"

"Can you give it a rest?" a voice snapped back. Cho turned discreetly to see Hermione Granger herself in the midst of a heated argument with the Weasley twins' little brother…Ryan? Roland?

"No, Ron, I will not give it a rest," Hermione snapped back, "You two are both behaving like absolute idiots. I don't even know why I bother."

"Me neither," said Ron Weasley grumpily, folding his arms and stretching out his long legs in front of him. "Listen, Hermione- he's lying. He's got to be. How else can his name have got into the Goblet? Some kindly seventh year trying to give him even more publicity?"

Hermione made a frustrated noise. "For goodness's sake! You're such an idiot! No one in the whole school believes him, and he can't even trust the one person who he thought would believe him!"

"You believe him, don't you?" said Ron, sounding uncomfortable.

"Of course I do. I trust him. He's my friend."

Cho turned around to face them, feeling guilty for eavesdropping on their conversation. "I hope Harry does well today," she said sincerely. Hermione and Ron both looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, well- thank you." Hermione said uncertainly. "So do I." She smiled at Cho. "It's Cho, isn't it?"

"Yes, Cho Chang," said Cho, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hermione Granger," said Hermione, shaking the extended hand. "This is Ron Weasley."

"Hi," said Ron gruffly, also shaking her hand.

"Hi," Cho answered. "This is Lorla Quirke." Lorla had turned around to see who Cho was talking to and she grinned as she shook Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley by the hand.

"Nice to meet the brave girl who stuck by him," she said casually to Hermione.

"Pardon me?"

"How long have you and Harry been going out?" Lorla said quizzically.

At this, Ron's eyebrows rose straight up into his fringe and Hermione blushed. "Oh, we're not-" she said, but stopped as a sudden hush fell over the buzzing students. Cho turned to see why the sudden quiet had descended and found the reason at the judges' table- Dumbledore had risen to his feet.

"Welcome, one and all," he said, his deep voice travelling easily over the enormous stadium, "to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament." The crowd burst into wild applause at this and it took a few minutes for Dumbledore to bring silence again. "I would like to extend my thanks to our foreign visitors for being such delightful guests. I trust they feel welcomed into our school." More applause, less excited this time.

"I also must extend my thanks and most veritable congratulations to the organisers of this event- Mr Bartemius Crouch and Mr Ludovic Bagman, of the Ministry of Magic…" He waited while more polite applause rang around the arena. "And finally, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the enthusiasm with which you support the school champions. I'm sure it is as touching and encouraging to them, as it is to me." There was no applause this time- just a murmur running through the crowd. Dumbledore smiled. "And one final word before Mr Bagman takes over, just so that you all know what's going on- the champions task is to collect the golden egg."

The applause that followed was a mixture of confused murmuring and clapping. Suddenly a door at the side of the enclosure creaked open and through it came a gigantic straw structure full of large white boulders- carried by at least twenty men.

"I know what those are!" said Ron suddenly, his voice sounding clearly above the puzzled murmurs of the crowd.

"So do I," said Lorla grimly. So did Cho- on closer observation they weren't white boulders but eggs- and only one creature had eggs that size…

"Hey- hey!" Ron said again.

"There's Charlie!"

"Where?" asked Hermione.

"Carrying the nest in- what's going on?"

The wizards dropped the gigantic nest and then disappeared through the door they had come through. A roaring ensued. One lone wizard with bright red hair ran out ahead of the rest of them and blew hard on a

whistle. And that was when the dragon came in.

It was twenty feet tall, greyish blue in colour, with long pointed horns. And it was roaring terribly, as it was led in by nineteen other wizards holding onto ropes tied around the beast's neck. Several screams accompanied the dragon's entrance.

"Swedish Short-Snout," said Ron, behind Cho. "No wonder Charlie knew what was going on at school this year."

"Yes, well," said Hermione. "It's a good thing, too."

"Stand by!" the redhead down in the arena was yelling, "Get to your posts!" The wizards holding onto the dragon each gave their ropes a sharp tug and the ropes around the dragon's neck fell to the ground. Each wizard then scurried to a different position around the edge of the stadium. And then Cho noticed- amid the white boulder -sized eggs there was a small golden one. The champions' task was to get the golden egg…

"Oh, I see!" Cho said, "That's the task- the champion has to get past the dragon and grab the egg!"

"Oh my god. Wonder who's got to face this beast?" Lorla said, grabbing Cho's arm tightly.

Her question was answered right away…

"Ladies and gents, welcome to the first task!" The voice of Ludo Bagman suddenly rang around the many seats, and Cho looked up. He was once more sitting at the judge's table, his voice magically magnified to be louder. "As you all know, we have four champions competing this morning- and our first is Hogwarts heartthrob- Cedric Diggory!"