Big Red wasn't a champion. He couldn't even ask his crush to the Yule Ball. He ended up just asking Kourtney to go as friends. Big Red only needed a "date" because he had to do the opening dance with the other champions and needed a partner. His crush, Ashlyn, went with some guy from Beauxbatons Academy named Antoine. Big Red didn't know why he was the chosen champion to represent Hogwarts. He barely survived the first task.

On the morning of the first task, Big Red made it to the lake with the other champions. Big Red was terrified. He knew that a bunch of magical creatures lived down there. He spent all of Christmas Break finding spells to help him underwater. His solution came in gillyweed. Big Red went on a scavenger hunt through Hogsmead with Kourtney, Ricky, Ashlyn, Seb, and Carlos to find it.

Standing beside Big Red on the dock was Lily. She was the Beauxbatons Academy champion. "Good luck," Big Red said. Lily looked up from the lake. She made a confused noise at him. "I said good luck."

"I don't need it," Lily said.

"The second task of the Triwizard tournament is about to begin," a voice bellowed. The audience burst into applause. Big Red saw his friends in the audience but didn't see Ashlyn. He wondered if she was off with Antoine. "Champions, cast your charms."

Big Red swallowed his gillyweed. "The second task of the Triwizard tournament starts now," the announcer declared. Big Red recognized them as someone from Gryffindor. The three champions jumped into the lake.

Big Red remembers the instructions. He was looking for something he would miss. He wondered what that could be. He also figured it would be in the merpeople village since the clue was in their native tongue. He vaguely recalled the map he studied. He swam in the direction of the underwater town.

It didn't take him too long to get to the village. The merpeople took him aback slightly. There was a reason he was a potion person and dropped care for magical creatures when he could. However, the merpeople didn't give him much trouble.

First, he found Antione. He remembered that Antione was Lily's best friend. He passed by him, seeing Lily nearby. As he kept moving, he noticed a boy from Durmstrang. The boy in question was the Durmstrang champion, Erik's little brother.

Big Red stopped when she noticed Ashlyn. He should've known it was going to be her down here. Ricky was in the stands with the others. Remembering just the charm he needed, he released Ashlyn's ankle. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her to the surface.

Big Red placed second behind Lily. She was only a handful of seconds before him. The moment they broke the surface of the water, Ashlyn woke up. She took a deep breath. "You okay?" Big Red asked.

"Yeah," Ashlyn responded. "I'm fine."


Everyone who partook received blankets and warm clothes once they were at the dock. After Ashlyn was in warmer clothes, she found Big Red. "Can we talk?" Ashlyn asked.

"Of course," Big Red said.

"Why me?" Ashlyn asked. "When Dumbledor explained to me the challenge, I was surprised that I what you'd miss most."

"It's because," Big Red started. He needed to summon the tiny bit of Gryffindor the Hufflepuff had. "It's because I like you. Like I like you a lot. I don't just like you as a friend."

"Really?" Ashlyn asked.

"Yeah," Big Red sighed.

"I like you too," Ashlyn responded.

"You do?" Big Red asked.

"I do," Ashlyn asked.

"What about Antoine?" Big Red asked.

"That was a one-off," Ashlyn confessed. "We have nothing in common."

"Can I kiss you?" Big Red asked shyly. Ashlyn didn't respond. However, her lips found their way to his.