Sorry it's been a while; it's a long chapter though so hopefully that's good. I just couldn't decide where to split it in two so I took a little extra time and made one really big one. Just don't be disappointed when the next one is half this size okay :)
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Tuesday had finally come. With the morning classes out of the way it was almost time for the first task. Vik and I wandered around for a bit trying to calm him down before the event started. He had a serious expression on; it was one he sometimes wore when troubled. We knew what he would be facing in just a few hours and when he had told me that morning I thought it best to skip lunch to do my best to cheer him up.
"Dragons" he muttered in a sullen tone.
"Relax, it'll be fine. You've been taught how to handle dragons" I reminded him, hoping it would help. It was part of the lesson plan for one of the classes in Durmstrang; one which taught defense against different magical creatures. My brother had taken it. That was one of the classes I had hoped for when coming to Hogwarts. It wasn't the same but Care of Magical Creatures wasn't a bad substitute. Vik sighed at me and looked out onto the Great Lake.
"Books can only teach you so much. Learning how to do something is not the same as actually doing it…" Vik said to himself.
"So, do you have a plan to get past yours?" I asked not wanting to dwell on doubt. That was an easy way to psyche yourself out. There were always going to be things you couldn't do and focusing on them wouldn't help anyone. "I could help you if you're not sure."
"Thank you" he smiled a little at me but shook his head. "I have been practicing, actually. I vill be using the Conjunctivitis Curse."
"That's smart," I nodded with approval. "A dragon's weakest spot is its eyes."
"It is the only place not covered vith scales, spikes, claws or teeth" Vik joked with a small smile on his face. I laughed happy he was feeling better, even if only slightly. He was a bright kid and had already accomplished so much in life. I didn't believe he had anything to worry about.
"Viktor!" we heard a call behind us. As we turned we spotted Karkaroff, making his way towards us from the Durmstrang ship. It was time for the first task it seemed. Vik sighed one more time having thought of the same thing. When he reached us Karkaroff gave a nod of greeting to me before turning to speak with Vik. "It is nearly time for the first task; ve must go to the tent."
"I'll show him the way" I offered with a smile to Karkaroff. If I left them alone together Karkaroff would probably undo any confidence I could have given Vik. And if that happened it would result in a waste of my time and discouragement for Vik. "I saw the tent on the way here. You are a judge aren't you? I'm sure you're needed in other, more important, places."
"Katerina, I do hope you are not trying to give your school an advantage by disturbing Viktor's concentration" the headmaster joked, though I was sure there was an undertone of suspicion in there.
"If I was doing that you wouldn't know about it" I replied with a grin. Karkaroff smiled back and, with a nod to me and a stern look towards Vik, made his way to the judges' area. I turned back to Vik and gestured ahead. He smiled at me and let out a deep breath.
"So it's time" said Vik quietly looking the way I was gesturing. I gave him a small smile and moved to stand by his side.
"You'll be fine" I assured him, patting him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed and smiled down at me.
"I hope so" he chuckled a little darkly. I turned back to the front and made my way towards the Forbidden Forest, where I was sure the champions' tent had been placed. It took a second before I heard Vik move but he closed the space between us and followed me to it.
There didn't look to be many students nearby. Either they were all still at lunch or they had been shooed away from the champions. Whatever the reason I had expected some intrusion around the area. There were only two of the champions inside the tent, well three if you included Vik. They turned to look at us but I ignored them. If Harry hadn't been added this would have been all the champions. Thinking it over, I wasn't so sure now about my bet with the other Slytherins. Dragons were a challenge but nothing impossible… that is, if you knew how to deal with them. I knew Vik could do this, the other two looked at least capable, but I wasn't so sure about Harry.
"You look anxious" Vik noticed looking at my face. I shook my head at him.
"I'm not worried about you, if that's what you're insinuating. I'm just thinking some of your competitors may not be as well prepared as you." He didn't look too convinced but I knew he would do well. I patted his shoulder again and smiled up at him. "You'll do great, I promise. Good luck, not that you'll need it."
"Thank you" he said, barely smiling, and watched me walk out. He worried too much; he'd be fine. As I excited the tent I noticed two figures walking towards it. One, who looked to be Professor McGonagall, left the other way while the other one came a bit closer to where I was standing.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked me suspiciously as he met me at the entrance to the tent. I giggled a little at his tone.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm sabotaging the event" I shrugged in reply. Something about his face told me he wouldn't be too surprised by that. I laughed again. Gryffindors had serious trust issues; and I thought Slytherins had it bad.
"Have the same bet as Malfoy, do you?" Harry's eyes narrowed. I think he's spending too much time with Ron.
"Actually the opposite" I replied earning me a surprised look from him. I smiled at his shocked face and started walking away. "Don't die or I'm out ten galleon. Good luck out there."
"Thanks…" he muttered unsure of whether to be skeptical or not. I chose not to turn around and just waved at him as I walked. Hopefully he wouldn't die. Not just because of the bet but because Hermione would probably get upset. That and Harry wasn't so bad, he'd just caught some of Ron's paranoia towards Slytherins.
Not too far from the tent were the stands where we would be watching the first task. I still didn't see anyone which was a little annoying. I mean sure there were students here and there but no one I was interested in. I sighed and tapped my stomach, getting a little impatient. I didn't climb up but instead waited for my group at the foot of the stands. Draco had said he would bring me lunch after they were done with theirs. Daphne had told me she would watch Lev for me while I was away. We hadn't set an exact location of where to meet but I had been pretty sure it would be where I was momentarily standing. That or they had decided to be jerks and find a place to sit without me.
In front of me I saw Fred and George waving at me from a little ways away. I waived back and moved a little closer to them, meeting them halfway.
"Hey" I greeted with a smile. "Are you ready for the first task?"
"Sure are" George grinned back at me. Fred patted him on the back before turning to me.
"Actually, we're taking bets. Have anyone you want money on? Anyone you think is special…" Fred trailed off waiting for me to answer. George hit his brother on the side and gave him a look. Fred smirked shamelessly at his brother then turned back to me. "I'm only kidding. I'll be up in the stands if you need me"
"Okay" I shrugged and waved as he left me alone with George. I heard a sigh from him and saw George looking at where his brother had left. When he noticed me looking to him he changed his expression into a smile, though it looked like something was still bothering him.
"So," he began in a strange tone looking towards the champions' tent, "any chance you weren't there talking to Krum?"
"I was actually," I answered though not understanding why he phrased it that way. Nor did I remember having seen him as I was walking out of there.
"Great, really great" George muttered looking up. He made a face as if looking at something unpleasant. Curious to see what it was I leaned into him a little trying to get closer to his view.
"What are you making a face at?" I asked squinting, not finding anything that would make him make that face. George gave me surprised look for a second, not having expected me there, and turned another way.
"It was nothing. Something stupid" he laughed to himself. I shrugged and leaned back to my original position. George looked at me and sighed. "So… you and Krum… Are you two close?"
"I guess" I shrugged. "We haven't talked for a long time but I always liked him. I met him on one of my visits to Durmstrang; he went there while my brother did."
"That's nice" George mumbled still looking away.
"Yeah he is. I really like him" I smiled in reply. George made a face again.
"So you like him… really like him. In what way exactly?"
"In the way that I enjoy his company?" I answered a little slowly and it sounded almost like a question. "I don't understand the question."
"Never mind, I'm just being dumb" he joked but it really looked like something was bothering him. Maybe he wanted to know some things about Vik but didn't want to pry. George scratched the back of his head and made a face, thinking to himself.
"If you have anything you want to ask me you know you always can" I smiled at George. He smiled back and nodded.
"Yeah, okay" he said running a hand through his hair. Behind him I still didn't see anyone so with a small sigh I decided it best to just meet them up in the stands. I started walking up the stairs and George followed.
"So why are you two taking bets?" I asked as we climbed up the narrow stairs. I guessed Fred was being honest about that part.
"We thought, with all the talk about the champions and the task and all, that it would be a good way to make a little extra money." I giggled a little at his casual tone.
"That's not a bad idea. If I were a gambler I'd probably have done something similar." I nodded to myself thinking about it. When done right, being a bookmaker could be very profitable. Not that I needed the money but it was still an option.
"I've seen you place a few bets before." I wasn't sure of what bet he was referring to but I simply shrugged.
"I only take bets if I am at least 93 percent certain I will win. But in such cases that is no longer gambling, more of an investment." I heard George chuckle behind me as we stepped onto the walkway of stand.
"93?" he smiled at me.
"I like the number 93" I answered as he laughed a little to himself.
"Why not just 90 or 95?" he asked curious. I didn't get why that was at all fascinating but he seemed to have been distracted from whatever had been bothering him earlier so I continued the conversation.
"One is too low and the other too high."
"Alright," he smiled taking that into account, "then what about 92 and 94?"
"94… that's a bit too close to 95, I think. Just a little too high of a number for me. If I relied on those odd I would hardly, if ever, place bets. And I never really liked the number two. It's very inconsistent in writing; you know, sometimes it has a curved tail sometimes it doesn't. So naturally 92 is out of the question. 93, however, is a good fit" I answered. George chuckled a bit to himself and gave me an endearing look.
"You really are something else, you know," George stated with a sweet smile at me. I put a hand to my chest in the form of sarcastic flattery.
"Thank you" I smiled innocently at him making him laugh again.
"There you are!" an annoyed sounding voice scolded. I turned to frown at the source and found Daphne in its place.
"Oh, hey. What?" I asked as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot at me.
"We've been waiting for you!" she exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air for emphasize. I ignored her tone for the time being.
"Since when?" I asked, sure that I hadn't seen any of them while I had been out.
"Since… that doesn't matter, the point is… just come on" she said impatiently, gesturing for me to join her. I frowned at her again.
"You do realize I'm talking to someone" I replied gesturing to George who didn't seem at all bothered by her attitude.
"You've been doing an awful lot of that, haven't you" she essentially snapped at me, sounding angry about something. I frowned at her not knowing why she was acting like that. One thing I hated about most girls, or people in general though it was usually girls, was that they could never just state what was bothering them. Daphne was a very good example of that.
"Did I do something…?" I asked confused by her behavior. It wasn't a surprise that she would act that way towards George, or any Gryffindor for that matter, but I was different. Daphne gave me an exasperated sigh.
"Viktor Krum! You went to see him today and didn't bring me!" Daphne screamed at me.
"For the love of—is that what this is about?" I asked not sure if I should laugh or be offended. "I told you I was going to go see him before the first task."
"No you didn't! You told me to watch Lev but you didn't say you were going to see Viktor Krum! First Hogsmeade and now this; it's like you're trying to keep us apart!" Daphne stated outraged. I heard a slight snicker coming from George as she said this. Both of us ignored it.
"Daphne how many times am I going to have to tell you? We are just friends!"
"Yeah, well, you're 'just friends' with a lot of boys aren't you" she replied looking over at George for some reason. He looked away from her with a strange expression on his face. It was curious but again I ignored him.
"Yeah, what's your point?" I asked. Daphne let out a long sigh and shook her head.
"I honestly don't know why I bother sometimes. I had an easier time talking about this sort of thing to my sister, and that was when she was three!" she cried to herself. I looked at her and she sighed again. Daphne put her hands on either of my shoulders and smiled at me. "Okay, I forgive you."
"I didn't do anything."
"Apology accepted!" she grinned, having already forgotten about the whole thing. Her lack of an attention span astounded me sometimes; it was like that of a goldfish. "Now come on, your blondie brought you lunch. We better hurry before it gets cold"
"Hey—quit pulling me" I complained as she started dragging me away from George. Daphne was uncharacteristically strong. I was thinner than her, although that could be said about a lot of people, but she was still… little, one could say. I sighed figuring fighting wasn't worth the trouble and turned to George. "I'll see you later I guess."
"Yeah, see ya." He waved at me and moved to his brother; I'm guessing that's where he went.
Daphne and I moved to the other end of the stands. She still had a hand on me but she wasn't pulling anymore. This was good for her because, even though I did consider her a friend, there was only so much a person could take before annoyance overtook them. Most of the stands had now been filled with students eager to watch the event. At a higher point in one was our little group sitting together with Lev saving me a seat. I assumed that was what he was doing as he was sitting next to Draco and I highly doubted he would be there by choice. When they saw us they all smiled in greeting as Daphne and I moved towards our seats.
"Hi puppy" I cooed as I picked him up to take his place. Lev barked a greeting to me and tried to lick my face. Daphne moved to take a seat next to Millicent.
"Which of your pets are you talking to?" Blaise smirked at me. I giggled a little in return
"Shut up" Draco told him, though not looking as upset as usual. My guess was Blaise teased him when they were in their room just as much as he did out of it. By now, Draco must be used to it.
"Did I say your name, Malfoy?" Blaise replied with an innocent looking smile; or as innocent as Blaise could look anyway.
"I said shut up, Zabini" Draco snapped. Well even he someone was used to it sometimes things could get on your nerves. Pansy for example…
"What took you anyway?" Theo asked looking between Daphne and I.
"She was spending time with one of the Gryffindors" Daphne decided to answer for me. I shrugged in agreement, still not caring enough to fight.
"Which one?"
"Does it matter? They're all idiots" Draco grumbled a reply. Theo nodded accepting that as an answer. Draco turned to give me a look. "And I thought you were going to talk to Krum"
"I did. Then I left and ran into Fred and George" I replied scratching behind Lev's ear. My puppy barked happily at me and nuzzled himself against my hand.
"But it's okay because they're 'just friends', right?" said Daphne, using air-quotes around the words 'just friends'. I sighed at her, getting tired of this topic.
"We are just friends. I don't know why you keep fixating on that. It's not like you even talk to Vik—"
"See you even gave him a cute nickname! I wanted to give him a cute nickname!" Daphne interrupted me, getting fully back on topic. I sighed at her again.
"Then give him a stupid nickname. Or a cute nickname—whatever" I added when she gave me a look.
"Since we don't seem to be getting off this topic in the near future, anyone want to place bets to see how long it takes Daphne to shut up?" Blaise offered making me laugh.
"Hey!" Daphne protested.
"My bet is on never" Draco replied with a grin.
"Second it" said Pansy next to him. I wondered if a day would ever come where she didn't agree with something Draco said. Probably not.
"You three are horrible" Daphne glared between them.
"Well…" Theo began. Daphne turned and gave him a shocked yet angry look. "What? You are arguing with Katerina about a guy you have talked to, what, once? She has known him since she was a child. And there are no romantic feelings between them, right?" He added the last bit with a look to me.
"No!" I cried not understanding why the concept of two people of the opposite gender being in a purely platonic relationship was so incredible to everyone.
"See, nothing to worry about" Theo said to her, ignoring my tone
"Well excuse me for wanting to secure the future of me and my future husband!" Daphne retorted turning around and crossing her arms. I was about to tell her something when Blaise raised a hand to stop me. He looked to Daphne and waited. But he didn't have to wait long. "All I'm saying is—"
"So who had 'never'?" Blaise interrupted as we laughed.
"You guys are jerks" Daphne whined, turning ahead. No one seemed to mind her comment.
"Here" Draco called, handing me a small parcel. It was kind of cute, the way it was wrapped and all. I gave him a curious look which he interpreted correctly. "It's your lunch, idiot."
"It's so cute. Aww, did you pack this yourself?" I teased moving to open it. Inside was a small meal, a juice box and a cookie. It was cute and looked delicious.
"Yeah, right!" Draco scoffed but a little blushy. "I had your mutt go down to the kitchen to have the house-elves do it. Like I would bother with that sort of thing."
"Well thank you anyway" I smiled and patted his cheek. Draco rolled his eyes at me and looked forward like Daphne was.
"Yeah, whatever."
"And thank you" I cooed and kissed Lev's fur. He barked a 'you're welcome' at me and nuzzled next to my side, allowing me to place the lunch box on my lap. I heard Blaise snickering, catching my attention and making me look up.
"Why didn't Malfoy get a kiss?" Blaise smirked once he caught my eye.
"Shut it, Blaise!" Pansy snapped from the other side of Draco. I shrugged and leaned into Draco, placing a kiss on his cheek, then started to eat my meal. Lev barked not looking too happy with that so I gave him a bit of my meal, to keep him occupied.
"You're welcome" Blaise called earning a not so nice gesture from Draco. I hit him lightly in the stomach but he looked unashamed of his actions. Blaise blew him a kiss in reply and the others laughed. This included Daphne who had already forgotten her latest dilemma, again. If there were past lives I was sure she had been a goldfish at some point.
In front of us Bagman hurried to his place in the enclosure to commence the event. He moved near where the judges were sitting, in raised seats draped in gold, which if you asked me looked a little pretentious. Bagman moved his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice, and signaled the beginning of the first task.
"Is everyone excited for the first task?" Bagman needlessly asked to which the crowd needlessly answered with a loud screech. They roared with enthusiasm. Lev barked along with them though I wasn't sure if that was out of excitement or an attempt to shut them up. Considering he was my puppy the answer was probably the latter. Because of all the noise some of Bagman's words were lost among the crowds cheers. "—behind me will be the judges of this event. Give them all a hand!"
Students and staff alike clapped and cheered at the five judges who included the three headmasters along with Barty Crouch and Bagman himself. I didn't really see the point of joining the cheers since it wasn't like they were going to be fighting dragons. They'd just be watching. If that was worth clapping for then the entire audience should give themselves a round of applause. Draco, noting my lack of enthusiasm towards them, stopped clapping and leaned into me.
"Aren't you at all excited?" said Draco sarcastically into my ear with a smile. I smiled a little and, with a nod, leaned into him.
"I am. But you know what I also am? Hungry" I answered and bit part of my cookie. Draco smirked at me and turned back to Bagman who was starting to speak again.
"Now some of you may be wondering just what they'll be judging. Well let me tell you!" Bagman continued trying to excite the crowd. But as I already knew I simply continued with my meal. Inside the enclosure were several eggs, one of which was gold standing out amongst the rest. The champions probably had to take that egg from the dragons without dying. "Today our four champions will be using their wands and their minds to maneuver their way around a difficult situation towards that golden egg. And what will be this difficult feat? It will be none other than a large, deadly, dragon!"
The crowd screamed louder as I put my meal to the side, having finished it. Either Bagman had been talking for a while or I was hungrier than I thought. Either way I picked Lev up before looking back out to the crowd. When I did I realized why most of the crowd hadn't stopped cheering. It wasn't Bagman's words but a dragon. I stood as soon as I saw it. With the knowledge I had on dragons I was sure that I wasn't wrong on its breed but… could they be foolish enough to bring one of those in? It didn't catch many people's attention since others were standing too but my classmates noticed.
"What?" I heard Blaise call over the noise. Lev pawed at me but I looked onto the enclosure.
"That's a Swedish Short Snout!" I exclaimed though by their expression that didn't have the same impact on them as it had on me.
"A what?" Draco asked what all the others looked to be thinking.
"A Swedish Short-Snout!" Bagman announced as if repeating what I had just said. Draco looked at me then at him then back to me. "This feisty little creature will be our first obstacle"
"Little?! Is he mad? That thing can turn bone into ash in seconds!" I announced outraged. From the expression of the other Slytherins' faces I guessed they finally understood why I had been so surprised.
"Still have faith in Potter?" Pansy sneered. I never really had much but now even that seemed generous. There was no way Harry could get past one of those.
"First up we have with us Mr. Diggory!"
Everyone clapped and cheered as Diggory made his way into the paddock. Draco pulled me by the back of my robes to sit me down next to him. I was genuinely surprised at the difficulty of the task. I could see several wizards standing by in case they were needed but still… That dragon Diggory was about to face was a female, which was obvious by the color of her scales; males tended to be a more vivid blue while females had a silver hue to them. She was already restless, and she was guarding eggs… Assuming the worst she was a nesting mother, meaning they were setting the champions to attempt to steal one of the dragon's own young. Or at least that's how she would see it.
Diggory stepped into the open area. His stance was solid but there was no doubt he was afraid. The crowd cheered; the closer he got to the dragon the louder their voices became. It was strange but the scene reminded me of ancient times, when gladiators fought each other to become the victor. For some reason Ancient Romans did not see the problem in happily watching men rip each other to shreds, sometimes literally. But to each their own I suppose. It was Diggory's fault for volunteering to be champion anyway.
At first Diggory mostly focused on not getting eaten. The Swedish Short-Snout would approach him from time to time but she didn't look to be trying too hard. It was a bit anticlimactic to be honest. Swedish Short-Snouts were very impressive creatures but this one couldn't even catch a seventeen year old boy. But that may have been because she had other things to worry about. She had eggs to protect and Diggory's appearance didn't exactly scream "threat".
Diggory etched his way back and forth, trying to slowly lose the distance between him and the golden egg behind the guarding dragon. He started getting a little too close for the dragon's liking making her shoot some of her flames in defense. Thankfully for him there were plenty of large rocks around for him to hide behind. Diggory crouched behind one that was just large enough to cover him. The dragon huffed to herself retreating back to her eggs. Diggory let out a slow breath and the crowd cheered for him.
"Oooh narrow miss there, very narrow" Bagman screamed over them. I would've been annoyed with the amount of noise if I was competing but it didn't look like Diggory could even hear him. He had bigger things to worry about, literally.
Diggory ran his hand across the surface of the rock he was hiding behind with a thoughtful expression. He carefully leaned in to see if the dragon was still waiting for him. She had her eyes away from him now, but she still held a protective stance. She knew he was around and wasn't taking him as lightly as before. With a sigh Diggory took out his wand and slowly walked out from behind the rocks still trying to stay out of her sight.
I wasn't sure how much knowledge he had about dragons but they actually had extremely sharp senses. Their eyesight was impeccable, far greater than that of a human, so it was hard to hide from them. Most of the time when people were successful in sneaking away from a dragon it was more because the dragon wasn't interested in them rather than they hadn't been spotted. Their sense of smell was also outstanding. Most wizards made the mistake of thinking the opposite, their excuse being that if dragons could have flames sprouting from their nose then their sense of smell couldn't be too great. Those wizards usually wound up in St. Mungo's hospital… or the mortuary.
"He's taking risks, this one!" Bagman screamed as Diggory stood by a tiny rock directly in front of the dragon but just out of her view. She had her head turned away. Diggory crouched again but this time it wasn't to stay. With his wand still in his hand he shifted into a runner's stance. He was waiting for her to move, for her to look. The Swedish Short-Snout's head began to turn and Diggory ran but not before letting out a spell.
Behind him the rock he had been standing near started to change. He transfigured it into a dog; a Labrador. The students clapped and cheered as the dragon made her way towards the dog. It was a good trick but I wasn't much of a fan of that breed of dog. It was a very common type and not at all special; not anything like Lev. Samoyed puppies weren't nearly as common and besides, my puppy was magical. But the crowd cheered for Diggory, unintentionally distracting the dragon from his presence; the amount of noise muffled his steps as he ran.
The dragon neared the decoy opening her mouth put paused at the last minute. As the cheering died down she realized what was happening. Quickly she turned her head realizing someone was missing. She spun herself around and found Diggory. He was still running towards the golden egg, but he was almost there. The dragon let out a flaming breath, frustrated having been tricked. She readied herself and charged for Diggory. Whether she had seen him as dangerous or not before he was now getting closer to her eggs and that was not something she was going to let happen.
Diggory was still a little ways away, several yards in fact, but that was still closer than the dragon would have wanted. Not wanting to take any risks she shot out a stream of brilliant blue flames toward him. Diggory dove to the side but the flames burned the side of his face. He's lucky she missed or he would have been left without a face. It was the proximity of the flames that caused the burn. If it had been a direct hit then there would be no flesh left on his bones.
"Clever move—pity it didn't work!" Bagman called over the roar of the crowd. Diggory moved with a sort of limp and away from the dragon. When he got far enough he hid behind a large rock. He was breathing heavily holding onto his stomach. He slid his back down the stone and sat against it, letting go of his stomach. As he did his hand fell back to his side revealing something golden. He had the egg.
Once revealed the crowd grew with cheer. Diggory smiled a little to himself looking otherwise exhausted. From the judges' section I saw one of them signal to a group of nearby wizards. They nodded and moved forward to subdue the dragon. Slowly Diggory pushed himself up with the egg neatly tucked under his arm. A bit of blood ran down the side of his face as he walked towards the judges no longer focusing on the dragon behind him. Carefully the wizards calmed her down and were able to get her out of the area. I squinted thinking I recognized one of them but was distracted by Bagman.
"Very good indeed!" he screamed over the crowd with an approving look. "And now the marks from the judges!"
One by one the judges began to score the champion, not paying much attention to the amount of blood pouring down the side of his face. I'll admit it wasn't enough to cause any severe blood loss or such but when blood is dripping from one's face it would be best to treat it straight away. First up was Madame Maxime. She raised her wand in the air shooting out a long silver ribbon. It stretch out and bent until it became a number 7. The crowd cheered for him and her mark. After Madame Maxine came Barty Crouch with another 7. Dumbledore and Bagman both gave him an 8. And Karkaroff, not easily impressed, gave him a mere 6.
They were good scores considering he wasn't able to completely avoid the dragon. Diggory sighed as he was escorted away by Professor Sprout. They made their way towards a first aid tent. I assumed as much seeing Madam Pomfrey standing outside of it. The two pulled him inside to treat his wounds. The field was left empty, with the champion and dragon both gone.
"And you were worried" Daphne smiled at me as the noise died down. I gave her a look.
"You do realize she just burned his face" I responded to which Daphne frowned. Diggory was lucky he had been up against a Swedish Short-Snout. It was common knowledge that, while being agile fliers, they were not much on ground. Their lack of forward limbs makes them not too difficult to outrun. Otherwise he would have been burned to ashes.
"She?" Draco asked next to me. I nodded at him.
"It was a female dragon; a nesting mother. That's why they had her guarding eggs. I'm guessing all the dragons are the same."
"Oh that explains why she was so persistent in protecting those" Theo muttered thoughtfully. "And why she nearly burned Diggory's face off"
"Hopefully it's nothing that can't be fixed. It would be a shame; he is awfully good looking" Daphne said looking toward the medical tent. We all turned to give her a look. "What?"
"You need to get your priorities straight" said Blaise shaking his head at her. Daphne rolled her eyes at him and turned back onto the field. There, they were getting out another dragon. Just like last time this was a female but it was of a different breed.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman announced with a smile. He blew his whistle and turned his attention to the champions' tent. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
"Oh they couldn't have done that on accident" I shook my head. The others gave me a questioning look which I answered. "That there is a Common Welsh Green. It's not even a threat! Not anywhere near the Swedish Short-Snout at least. The Welsh Green prefers to avoid humans and only feeds on small mammals. What kind of a challenge is that?"
"Good to see you finally getting excited for the task" Draco smirked at me and put a hand around my shoulders. I smiled and leaned into him, rolling my eyes as I did. I heard growling though it took me a second to realize it wasn't Pansy. Lev barked at Draco in an attempt to separate us. I pet my puppy's head to calm him down and sat up straight again. Draco shot him a look but then turned back to me. "Just remember, ten minutes or you owe me ten galleon."
I laughed as the next champion made their way into the enclosure. This time it was a girl, or the girl since all the other champions were boys. Fleur Delacour I think her name was. She walked out onto the field confidently. Of course she was frightened, there was no doubt about that, but she hid it surprisingly well. The students displayed their enthusiasm as she came closer to the dragon. A little too close actually.
"Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" shouted Bagman gleefully recognizing the champion's already bad start. Delacour hurried back to hide behind a tall group of rocks as flames covered the other side of them. Something told me that would be a popular move among the champions.
Once the flames stopped Delacour moved against the rocks, keeping her head low and her movements slow. Every few steps she would look over the rocks to get a look at the dragon who was still watching for her. Letting go of a breath Delacour ran across the field to another set of rocks, just barely missing the stream of flames being sent her way by the Welsh Green.
It was lucky she had gotten that dragon to compete against. The Common Welsh Green was keeping its distance, staying close to her eggs and away from her. Any other dragon would have launched for Delacour; she wasn't much of a challenge. I'm sure she had her strengths, most likely in books, but actions-wise she was lacking. Looking from behind the rocks again she reached into her robes. Seconds later she pulled out her wand and prepared herself. With a quick movement she stretched herself over the rock and sent a spell toward the dragon. The dragon swayed back and forth a little as Delacour's spell took effect.
"Oh… nearly! Careful now… good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" Bagman called as the Welsh Green shook her head, shaking off the spell. My guess was Delacour was trying to make her fall asleep. She should've realized however that dragons, being of the size they are, required more potent spells; which is why it usually took at least four wizards to subdue one.
From the enclosure Delacour shot Bagman a look as if to say "shut up!" or something along those lines. Taking another try Delacour once again shot the spell towards the dragon, this time looking a bit more powerful, as any attack towards a dragon should. To my honest surprise, this one worked. The Common Welsh Green slowly lowered her head against the ground and curled herself up in a comfortable position. The staff and students turned silent so not to wake the dragon. Delacour, not knowing how long her spell would last, hastily made her way towards the eggs.
Careful to get around the dragon eggs she leaned over and took hold of the golden egg. Looking satisfied with herself she completely forgot about the sleeping dragon just a few yards away from her. The Welsh Green let out a snore, sending out a small cluster of flames towards Delacour, setting her skirt on fire. She quickly sent out a jet of water from the tip of her wand putting it out before the flames became too big. There were a few snickers from the students, one coming from myself, but the rest cheered as Delacour made her way to the other side of the enclosure where some of the Hogwarts staff were waiting to help her.
Delacour fidgeted with the burned hem of her skirt as she neared the judges awaiting her score. Again the judges all took their turns giving the champion her marks. Madame Maxine, her headmistress, was first. She looked a little disappointed in her student's performance but tried not to show it too much. She extended her wand to show her score. The silver ribbon that came from it turned and bent itself into a 7. That wasn't too bad considering she had given the same score to Diggory. Crouch was next, giving her a 6. Dumbledore gave her a 7 as did Bagman. And of course Karkaroff gave her a 6.
The students cheered for Delacour as she was escorted away from the enclosure and to a different setting. It was somewhere near the tent Diggory had been sent to but I couldn't see exactly where it was. But all things considered Delacour hadn't done too badly with her marks. I personally would have given her a 5 considering her dragon was a Common Welsh Green and it took her two tried to get a spell right. But the judges probably felt bad that they were putting their students up against dragons, whatever the breed was. All except Karkaroff I mean; he didn't seem too worried about the students. Either he knew Vik could handle himself, and didn't care about the others, or he simply didn't care for anyone who couldn't handle a dragon. Whatever the case, I respected his indifference.
"She gets the easiest dragon and she still messes up" Pansy laughed as they began getting set up for the next champion. Normally I just ignored Pansy but she had a point.
"The dragon was asleep… How do you get burned?" I said in agreement, though a little reluctantly.
"Too bad she put that fire out so fast though" Blaise smirked at me. Daphne reached over to swat at his arm playfully as he continued to smirk. I rolled my eyes at him and looked ahead to the enclosure.
I watched as they brought out the third dragon for the third champion. Thankful at what I saw I sighed. It wasn't too bad of a choice. It was still pretty bad, more so than that Common Welsh Green, but just not too bad. Either Vik or Harry would be next. Vik could handle this one. Harry, if he had practiced enough, could at least survive it.
"And here comes Mr. Krum!" Bagman yelled. The crowd screamed loudly to cheer on the newest champion. It could've been my imagination but those cheers seemed louder than the ones the other two champions had received. It could be because he was famous; I always forgot about that part. I always just thought of Vik as that quiet kid I met at Durmstrang, reading a book alone in a field full of people.
"Well?" Draco asked next to me catching my attention. The group of Slytherins were all looking at me, already expecting information about the latest dragon. I smiled a little at them and complied.
"That's a Chinese Fireball" I answered looking at the smooth scarlet scales covering its body. "They're aggressive by nature and quite large. Their weight ranges from about two to four tons. I'd guess by the size of that one she's about 3, maybe 2 and a half tons. That could be bad considering that despite their weight they are very agile creatures."
"What are you a dragon encyclopedia?" Pansy rolled her eyes next to Draco. I ignored her and continued.
"She's, in my opinion, more dangerous than the other two but I'm sure Vik knows what he's doing"
"Of course he does!" Daphne screamed protectively. The boys rolled their eyes at her as I smiled.
Vik stepped further into the enclosure and the crowd got louder. He didn't look up but rather stayed focused on his objective. Unlike the other champions Vik didn't instantly run to cower behind whatever he could, instead he took a moment to study his surroundings. With a look around he took in the area before focusing on the dragon crouching protectively over her eggs. She watched Vik carefully, studying him like he had to her. He was off to a good start. Vik wasn't rushing things. He was taking his time, calculating the best method to approach her.
Slowly he circled the area; he and the dragon looked at each other as he did. There were still cheers coming from the crowd but most were now silent, wanting to see who would make the first move. It took a few seconds but once he was sure on his plan Vik nodded to himself and started her way. He went straight for her, closing the distance between them. Vik dove, avoiding her hot flames, but kept on his way. He did this until he was just a few yards away from her. Without hesitating Vik swung his wand, sending the Conjunctivitis Curse her way, right into her eye.
"Very daring!" Bagman screamed as the Chinese Fireball emitted a shriek. She shook her head trying to shake off the spell but it didn't help. Unlike Delacour, Vik was aware of the difference in potency needed when using a spell against a dragon. The Chinese Fireball started thrashing about, desperately trying to mend her eyes. Using her distraction to his advantage Vik made his way towards the golden egg.
The Chinese Fireball was trying to keep Vik away but she made a mistake. She thrashed a little too much and accidentally stomped on some of her eggs. Vik was able to move stealthily around her feet avoiding any harm. He etched closer to the golden egg while the crowd drew in collective breath, either surprised by his abilities or worried about the eggs. Either way it caught the attention of the mass.
"That's some nerve he's showing—and—yes, he's got the egg!" Bagman cheered as Vik made his way from under the dragon's feet, golden egg in hand.
The crowd gave Vik one final cheer as he stepped away from the dragon, allowing the wizards on the grounds to calm her. He neared the judges to await his marks. First was Madame Maxine who extended her wand, giving Vik a 7. Either she was a fan of that number or she really did feel that all the champions were only worth that. Barty Crouch wasn't as generous, giving Vik only a 6. After that the scores rose steadily. Dumbledore gave Vik an 8, Bagman gave him a 9. Karkaroff, surprise surprise, gave his student a perfect score of 10. Students clapped and cheered as Vik gave the judges a nod and walked off, golden egg in hand.
"What? How did he not get all 10s?!" Daphne exclaimed watching Vik exit the enclosure. He walked off the same way Delacour had, to the side of the medical tent. Perhaps there was an area reserved for the champions there.
"The dragon smashed her own eggs, what did you expect?" I commented only half listening to her. Aside from that Vik had done a good job. Really good, actually. It was definitely better than the other two in my opinion. The judges thought so too, considering their marks. He might just win the first task. I clapped for Vik as he disappeared from my sight.
"That wasn't his fault!" Daphne defended.
"It kind of was" Draco replied looking at the group of wizards on the field taking the dragon away, getting ready for the last to appear. He turned to me. "Potter's next"
"So, how about it? Who's got a better chance at winning our bet?" Blaise asked looking honestly curious. I turned back to the field to look at the new dragon but what I saw wasn't what I had hoped for.
"Actually as of right now your chances are a lot better than ours" I sighed as I watched the newest dragon being brought in.
"What?" Theo quickly turned to look at me, knowing about our little loophole. I nodded at him and turned back to frown at the dragon.
"That one there is a Hungarian Horntail. Its flames are as hot as the Swedish Short-Snout's but this one's can reach fifty feet."
"Fifty?" Daphne repeated shocked. I didn't reply, just kept going with my explanation.
"That's not the worst part. While all dragons generally hunt mammals the Hungarian Horntail is one of the few who actually prefers humans. They're one of the most vicious and agile breeds out there. She's basically the exact opposite of the Common Welsh Green and you saw how poorly Delacour took care of her. I'm surprised the Hungarian Horntail is even allowed on the grounds" I added honestly. Lev curled up on my lap growling. I petted his head agreeing with him.
"Huh" they all replied, almost in unison. With the lack of training he had, and the dragon he'd been paired up against, Harry may be as good as dead. And I would be genuinely surprised if he lived past five minutes, not to mention our bet's ten.
This was unfortunate; I basically knew how the match would end. Either we would lose the bet and Harry would die or the match would be interrupted early for his sake and Draco, Blaise, and Pansy would ultimately refuse to give us our money. Whatever the case, I lost my enthusiasm to watch.
I turned to face the champions' tent. Harry would be stepping out of there soon to begin the match. My gaze wandered over to the medical tent. Cedric was probably still in there. His burns had been significantly concerning and he would probably be in there for another while. Next to that tent was the area I had seen Delacour and Vik enter. That could be where they were keeping the champions while the others finished. It seemed most likely at least.
"I'm going to see how Vik is" I said standing up. Daphne looked like she wanted to complain but stopped herself before she did. "Tell me how it goes for Harry."
"You want to give us the money now?" Blaise asked with a smile. I thought it should concern me how little he cared about someone's possibly imminent death but it didn't. Then again Blaise had always been like that.
"Funny" I replied picking up Lev. "I'll be back in a bit. If not I'll just meet you in the common room." Draco made a face like Daphne's, not wanting me to go see Vik, but I left anyway. With a goodbye their way I made my way across the stand and down the stairs getting a few looks as I did.
Down on the grounds there had been more wizards standing guard than I had expected. Also, they were surprisingly easy to maneuver around. For most of them I just walked right by, or behind them, and they didn't even make a comment. If one looked to be more vigilant I had Lev walk a little to the side to distract them while I snuck behind. Then I waited as Lev came to meet me; he was a good sneak. I did this with everyone on the grounds except for the last guard. It was one of the dragon tamers, the one who looked familiar. As I got closer I realized why. He was a Weasley. It was the twins' brother Charlie, the one I had met while at the Quidditch World Cup.
"Excuse me Miss you can't—"
"Oh hey Charlie" I greeted as he turned to me. He looked surprised at first but smiled at me.
"Katerina, what are you doing down here? Aren't you going to watch the rest of the First Task? Harry just started—"
"Nah, three out of four is still pretty good. How are the dragons?" I asked him. It was partly because I was curious but also because I didn't want him asking any more questions about why I was down there.
"Fine. Got the three settled, now we just need to keep an eye on the Hungarian Horntail. That's the one Harry's facing" he added in an informative tone. I smiled. Knowing as much as I did about the creatures it was funny to see someone trying to tell me something new about them.
"Yeah I saw," I replied, "that's too bad. Hey can I ask you something? Do you know why they included the Common Welsh Green with the other three? The Hungarian Horntail in itself could take on all four champions at once. But the Welsh Green… even if it is a nesting mother it's still not as much of a threat as the Hungarian Horntail, the Chinese Fireball, or even the Swedish Short-Snout."
"They thought it would be best to have different levels of difficulty. You really do know your dragons" he added with an approving nod. I giggled a little and nodded back.
"I dabble. So can I get through? I have someone I need to talk to."
"I never saw you" said Charley turning away from me to let me through. I smiled and Lev barked a thank you to him as we passed.
Lev and I made our way through a small passage. At the edge of the enclosure, far enough not to be worried about a dragon attack, was a sheltered area with people inside. As I entered I saw the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour. We walked past her without paying much attention to her. A bit farther ahead was Vik. He was sat, leaning in with his elbows on his knees, the golden egg resting against his ankle. Through a decently large opening he was watching Harry deal with his dragon. I ignored that scene for the time being and stepped closer to Vik. Noticing the nearing footsteps he looked up and spotted me.
"You look better" I called to him.
"I don't have to face a dragon anymore" said Vik standing up. He walked a little closer to me but stopped when he heard growling. In my arms Lev was barking at him. I frowned at Lev and tapped his nose.
"I told you to be nice" I scolded Lev. My puppy whined at me in reply. He didn't, however, stop his growling, just lowered it until it was barely audible. I knew he was still growling since I was still holding him. Against my arms I felt the vibrations his little body made from it.
"I imagine this is Lev" Vik said to me looking at my puppy. I had told him about Lev while buying treats for him at Hogsmeade. Lev's growling picked up and I pulled him back as Vik tried to reach out to him.
"Trust me, you don't want to do that" I said with a little bit of a sigh. I didn't understand why it was people's first instinct to pet a strange animal. Maybe it was just because Lev was so cute but they should still be cautious of that sort of thing. Vik nodded at me pulling his arm back. He gestured to the seat he had previously been occupying and we sat down.
"Vhy are you not vatching the match vith your friends?" Vik asked turning to look to me.
"Well you are my friend too, aren't you? So technically your question is moot" I answered him. Vik laughed a little and shook his head.
"You know vhat I mean" he replied with a smile.
"After seeing three matches I could do without one." I shrugged at him not being able to think of a particular reason as to why I had left. Maybe it's because I knew that if Harry did die that Draco wouldn't have cared much about it and I really didn't like seeing that part of him. "Besides I wanted to see how you were doing."
"I think I did vell" Vik answered though not sounding too certain.
"You got the highest marks out of all other champions" I reassure him but that didn't seem to help much.
"So far, anyvay" Vik mumbled looking out onto the field. There was Harry, not on the ground but on his broom. Hermione must have suggested he summon his broom. It was more like she told him to than he come up with it himself.
"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman screamed to the crowd who gasped and screamed as if they had never seen anyone riding a broom before. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
"He's a good flier" Vik commented almost like he was answering Bagman. He was watching Harry take steep dives and sharp turns around the dragon. He was riding his Firebolt rather well.
"Yeah he is. Part of that might be the broom though. Either way he is a good part of why Gryffindor house wins Quidditch matches so often."
"Give him enough training and he could do that professionally" Vik murmured with an almost solemn tone. It surprised me at first; he was not one for jealousy. It was then that I noticed why his tone had been such. He was still nervous. Vik might not be facing another dragon anytime soon but he was still in the middle of a competition. He was stressed that he might not win. I smirked at him
"Aww is someone jealous? It's okay, at least you looked pretty out there" I cooed at him. Vik let out a laugh as I patted his face consolingly. That seemed to cheer him up. Lev didn't feel the same way however. He barked to the side, sending out a force that made a slight dent on the wall next to us, before turning back to glower at Vik.
"Lev! I told you to behave" I scolded him. Quickly I took out my wand to fix the wall before anyone saw the damage he had made. Lev was still glaring at Vik so I turned him to look at me. Knowing I wasn't happy Lev pushed his head against my hand. I tried to stay angry but then he started licking my hand too and barking in that adorable way he did. "And stop acting cute!"
"Doesn't like you touching other people, does he" Vik commented watching as I struggled to stay mad at Lev. Not being able to I just sighed and turned to answer Vik.
"He just doesn't seem to like males" I muttered running a hand through his fur. Lev nuzzled his head against me happy I had forgiven him. I smiled at him and kissed the top of his head. "My friends Daphne and Hermione hold him all the time and he doesn't have a problem with them. Daphne's sister has played with him a few times too. Yet whenever I talk to any boy he gets upset, especially with Draco and George I've noticed."
"George?" Vik asked not recognizing the name.
"George Weasley; he's a friend of mine. Fred and George are twins, the two you saw at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade. But I think it's weird that Lev treats him that way. Draco I would understand but Fred and George are actually very similar people, not just aesthetically but personality-wise too. But Lev seems to be particularly displeased with George and usually just ignores Fred."
"George vas the one who vas sitting right next to you then, I assume" Vik said in a strange tone. I nodded in confirmation. Vik smiled to himself as if that answered more than one of his questions. "So first that boy, then he also hates Malfoy. I think I can see vhy Lev acts that vay."
"Really? Because I can't. I used to think he was just being overly protective, considering males more of a threat than females, but even so… I can take care of myself" I grumbled looking down at my puppy. He turned to look up at me as if with a smile on his face.
"Maybe you are just not meant to see it yet" Vik smiled sweetly at me. I rolled my eyes but giggled a little.
"If you say so" I sighed and hugged Lev. My puppy barked happily at me and attempted to lick my face. I giggled and kissed the top of his head. Next to us I heard a bit of chuckling. Vik was laughing quietly, watching us. "What?"
"It's just… he reminds me of your brother" Vik said quietly with a small smile on his face. I gave him a surprised look
"Lev?" I almost stuttered, not having expected that. "Why do you say that?"
"He looks to be very sweet vith you but you said he's not too favorable of others, and especially boys? Your brother vas the same vay" Vik gave me another sweet smile.
"My brother was nice to everyone" I frowned a little. It was actually a surprising trait of his. Nikolai had been quite popular while in school. But then again he had a very playful personality, one that was easy to love. So in a way it wasn't really that surprising.
"Vhen it didn't involve his Princess yes" Vik replied using the nickname Nikolai often used for me. "But vhy do you think none of the students at Durmstrang ever complained to your being there?"
It was no surprise to anyone that, with the relationship my father held with the headmaster, I would be given special treatment. That had been the reason I was allowed on the grounds in the first place. But I never really thought of the students or what their opinion of that was. My main priority at the time was being able to see my brother, no matter where he was. The rest just didn't matter.
"Because I'm great" I muttered a reply and shrugged. Lev barked as if agreeing with me making Vik chuckle.
"Yes you are," Vik said with a slight laugh, "but your brother made sure no one vas ever rude to you. Those who vere hid it vell otherwise they ended up floating down the lake in the middle of the night. That or I think once he left a third year stranded in one of the mountains nearby…"
"My brother was sweet" I protested. Vik smiled and nodded.
"I agree, but he vas also terrifying. Vhenever you vere not at Durmstrang he vould come and remind me that if I upset you I vould have to deal vith him. Trust me vhen I say that vas not something I vanted."
"So you spent time with me because my brother scared you?" I asked a little thoughtfully. Vik shook his head at me.
"No, I spent time vith you in spite of that. I liked you but for the first veek ve spent together I felt your brother constantly glaring at me."
"He didn't do that."
"Maybe not but it felt like it." Vik shook his head as if wanting to shake off a memory. I frowned at him still not agreeing with his words.
"I don't believe you" I complained crossing my arms.
"I'm not surprised you feel that vay. Your brother vas very sweet to you I doubt you'd be able to see him as anything but. Although, isn't that a good thing" Vik gave me a smile and turned to look back at Harry and the Hungarian Horntail. He rested his elbows on his knees like he had before I arrived, watching them intently. I sighed at him and looked back onto the enclosure too.
On the field Harry was still flying around the dragon, trying to get her to move from the looks of it. She was hesitant but he was doing a good job of convincing her. He only needed a small opening, enough to slip past her and towards the eggs, and with just the reach of his arm he could be done with the task. Apparently having gotten the same idea Harry took advantage of the dragon's distraction and dove, making his way towards the ground as fast as he could and towards the golden egg. In an attempt to make him leave she had forgotten to keep her claw near them, allowing Harry just enough space to grab it and fly off before she could stop him. Students applauded for him and cheered loudly; this included Bagman.
"Look at that! Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!" Bagman yelled gleefully.
Harry, looking tired of maneuvering around an overly protective dragon, dismounted his broom. A couple of the professors met him where he stood and escorted him to the medical tent. As they did I saw the gash on his shoulder. There was a noticeable rip on his robes but I didn't think it was that bad, certainly not bad enough to rush him to the medical tent like they currently were. Judging by the minimal blood-loss shown his wound wasn't in any way serious. Diggory's face had been burnt yet they had still told him to wait. Maybe it's because he was younger, or they were worried about the possibility of muscle damage… Still, it could have ended a lot worse for him.
"You look happy" Vik commented clapping next to me. I gave him a confused look not understanding. "You vere smiling."
"I'm just happy he didn't die" I shrugged making him laugh a little. As Harry and the professors passed us on the way to the medical tent a couple of students followed a little ways behind. Hermione and Ron were rushing to keep up with them. Ron was complaining as Hermione pulled on his sleeve to hurry him up. I saw him roll his eyes at her just before entering the tent.
"Are they together?" Vik asked a little quietly next to me looking towards the medical tent. I frowned a little at his question. Obviously Ron and Hermione had been walking together so that couldn't have been what he was asking.
"They're pretty close friends, those three" I slightly mumbled looking at Vik, wondering if that was his question. Vik turned from the tent to me with a surprised look. It took a second before that changed into his usual sweet smile.
"That is not vhat I meant" he said with a light shake of his head.
"Then what did you mean?" I crossed my arms at him not liking that the look he was giving me resembled that one would give a child who pretended to know how magic worked; endearing but somewhat condescending.
"Nothing, you answered it anyway" he shook his head and smiled at me as if nothing was wrong.
"You're really weird, did you know" I told him but he just laughed.
"I'm not the only one" Vik retorted with a look. I couldn't help but smiling, and eventually laughing, at his comment. He smiled back but suddenly got distracted by something on the field. Following his gaze I saw Hermione storming out of the medical tent in tears. I stood up and moved to lean against the opening.
"Hermione!" I called to her. It took her a second to find me but when she did she came to stand by me. "Are you okay?"
"Boys are idiots!" she stomped her foot as if for emphasis. I smile; she was okay. Lev patted at my foot, and I leaned over to pick him up. The movement caught Hermione's attention and she paused, just then noticing where I was. "What are you doing in there? Isn't this area supposed to be reserved for champions?"
"It's supposed to be, yeah" I answered one of her questions. She sighed a little and smiled at me.
"I have to go, but do you want to meet at the library after dinner?" she asked wiping some of the leftover tears on her cheeks. Lev barked at her from my arms making her smile a little more. It was that quiet bark that he reserved for the people he liked. Which, if I was correct, that was only four people; of course all four of those were girls.
"Sure" I answered as Hermione reached over to pick Lev up. Carefully I raised him a bit higher letting her get a better hold of him. "Just so long as we don't stay there the whole time it should be fine. The library can be rather boring after a while and I don't want to fall asleep somewhere and have to be taken to my room again."
"Again?" she giggled at me but shook her head. "Nevermind. I'll see you later then. Bye
Lev" Hermione cooed as she gave him back to me. Lev barked at her as she rushed away to her seat; Harry was already awaiting judges.
"You two are close?" Vik asked joining me near the opening. In front of us was Madame Maxime who raised her wand, extending an 8 to Harry.
"Why do people keep asking me that question today?" I muttered mostly to myself. Crouch was next, displaying his score of 9. The crowd was still cheering as they did this, each judge awaiting their turn. "Yeah I guess you could say that. I like her. We have a decent amount of similar interests, although she can be a bit delusional at times."
"Delusional how?" Vik asked turning to lean against the window opening. Behind him Dumbledore gave Harry a 9. So far he was doing well.
"Delusional in the way that she can't accept that I'm not as good of a person as her" I answered as Bagman gave Harry a 10. I frowned at that. I didn't think Harry's performance deserved a 10; he got hurt after all. A 9 would be more appropriate if he wanted a higher score.
"Why would she think you are?" Vik asked. On the judges' stand Karkaroff took a second to think the score he was giving Harry. Once he decided he waved his wand revealing a mere 4.
"You cheating bastard!" I half laughed and shook head at Karkaroff. If my math was correct then that 4 lowered Harry's score just enough to make it equal to Vik's. Even if it resulted in a tie this still left Vik in first. Next to me Vik gave me a look. "I meant him not you."
"I realize" Vik smiled but still held the same look. I giggled at his expression.
"Well, going back to your question, I was a lot nicer to people when I first met Hermione. After a while I kind of gave up on that act though. It was annoying constantly having to please everyone for no reason other than to make them feel good. I don't whine or threaten people as much as I used to but I still do from time to time" I shrugged. Vik laughed getting a better understanding of what I meant.
"So she still believes you're a sweet little girl who has never hurt anyone?" Vik asked but was not able to stop his laughter. I giggled knowing that, seeing as he was one of the people that had known me at that younger age, thinking of me as a 'sweet little girl' was laughable, literally.
"I wouldn't go that far," I replied once he stopped with his laugh, "but yes, she doesn't quite understand that I'm not as nice as she would like to believe"
"You are nice, you just also stand up for yourself. I think that is an admirable trait" he mentioned sounding a little out of breath from his laughter. Vik moved his gaze to something behind me making me turn around to see what it was. One of the wizards aiding in the event wanted all the champions back to the champions' tent for a final discussion.
"I'll walk you there" I offered as Vik pushed himself away from the opening. We walked out of the little reserved area but saw a small pile of debris on the ground, most likely left from when they were taking the last dragon out of the enclosure. Vik extended a hand to help me over it. I smiled at his gentlemanly ways. Lev growled a little but stayed quiet otherwise. Vik smiled at him in my arms and we walked
"He should have won" Vik mumbled looking at Harry entering the champions' tent.
"Maybe but you still did pretty great" I mentioned to him with an approving look. "It's not your fault she crushed some eggs. She should've watched where she was stepping."
"I didn't even think of flying" he muttered turning back to look at the field and the open area Harry had been flying through.
"You don't even have a broom here" I rolled my eyes at him. "Stop doubting yourself; it's getting annoying."
"I'm sorry" he bowed a little in emphasis but I caught sight of his smile as he stood back up.
"No you're not. That good though, you shouldn't care what others think" I nodded approvingly again. Vik chuckled at my words just before stopping in front of the tent entrance.
"You are very confusing person" said Vik with a small smile on his face.
"You know it's surprising how many people tell me that" I said thoughtfully making his smile grow a bit more. I returned it. "You did a good job, Vik. Really you did."
"Thank you."
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some gambling money to collect" I smiled and turned to head back to the castle. Behind me I heard Vik chuckle, just before drawing the tent door open and stepping inside. I nodded to myself in approval. Not only had I managed to make Vik smile but I had also won 10 galleon on a bet that I probably shouldn't have won. I would call that a productive day.
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Hi again :)
I wanted to let you guys know that I'm trying to get to the Yule Ball as fast as I can. I know some of you want one of the boys to tell Katerina already and trust me when I say I do too. In all honesty it does piss me off that I can't get there faster (I've had this planned since around mid-second year and it's been over 90 chapters for god's sake!). But hopefully, if I do it right, I should be getting there soon. I don't want to make any promises but I'm thinking something along the lines of the next 4, maybe 5, chapters... Maybe.
Alright well I hope you all have an uber fun day or night or whatever and see you next time with a chapter that's probably half this size \(^-^)/