Chapter 10: The First Task

Chapter 10: The First Task

The day of the First Task arrived, and everyone was making their way to the arena after breakfast had concluded. "You do not think Peri or Harry will die do you?" Mallory asked Hallie and Holly as the four of them made their way to meet with Cassie and Richard to join them in the main stand with the other professors and higher-up attendees.

Holly looked at their younger sister giving a small smile, "No…she is brave. Plus Hallie designed her outfit for today.

"A beautiful work of art," Hallie smiled then turned her head to look behind them as Fred and George approached them calling to everyone to place their bets, she gave a roll of her eyes wrapping her white fleece coat more around her body.

Fred and George called out over the crowd of attendees, "Who will win? Slytherin Princess? Courageous Hufflepuff? The Boy Who Lived? Place your bets!"

The two reached the group, who had stopped at the top of the hill to wait on the boys, "Hello, love." Fred placed a kiss on Hallie's cheek, "Do not worry I placed a bet for you already. Towards Peri of course."

She shoved him off her slightly, "I do not like this."

He was confused, "What?"

"They could die and you are placing bets on who will win. I thought Harry was your friend?"

Fred looked at Holly who stood just behind her sister before returning his view to his girlfriend, "Love, it is just a way to earn some easy money. Everyone is enjoying…" he stopped as Draco approached them.

"Trouble in paradise, Weasley?"

Fred and George scowled at Draco, "What do you want, Malfoy? Your girlfriend is inside the tent preparing for her task."

Draco scoffed, placing a galleon into the tray, Fred was holding before grabbing the piece of chalk, "Placing a bet. I believe Krum will win," he tossed the piece of chalk back at the tray and grabbed his ticket with Viktor's name on it, turning his grey eyes towards Holly, "I do not have a girlfriend. Nor do I care to have one." He then pushed past the group of Gryffindors and Hallie with his friends right behind him.

"What did you ever see in him?" Hermione hissed watching Draco make his way to the stands.

Holly watched him, "He was different at the World Cup I told you. We are here and he is a stranger."

Fred turned back to Hallie, "Hallie, please this is all innocent fun. I will buy you something nice."

"I do not need anything, Freddie. I want you to respect our friends and my sister by not turning this deadly competition into a gambling deal."

He looked at the box in his hands before shoving it into George's hands, "Oof," he said taking the box.

"There. I am done. I will respect you and stop."

George gave his brother a confused look, "What just happened?"

"Hush," Fred told him."

Hallie smiled softly at her boyfriend, "Thank you," she stood on her tippy toes to kiss him.

The group around them made noises, "Really?" George and Holly said together.

The couple laughed as he wrapped an arm around her before they continued their way to the stands as Richard approached them, "Girls, you are to sit in the main stands with me and Cassie."

"See you after," Hermione told them then went to find another entrance to the stands with Ginny, Fred, and George.

Hallie, Holly, and Mallory followed Richard to the main stands. Holly noticed Ida and Remy were seated in the main stands with Alicia, Remus, and a woman who appeared to be Cassie's age. Richard led them over to where Ida and Remy were. A large black dog was sitting between Remy and the woman, "Lady Emilie," he bowed, "These are my daughters: Mallory, Hallie, and Holly."

The brunette looked at them, "Hello," she greeted them, despite being entirely French her accent was not very thick. She sounded almost like English instead of French. "Do you know my children?"

Ida spoke up, "They know us mother, we met briefly when we arrived with Uncle Remus."

Emilie gave a soft nod, "Yes…we are blessed to have a man like Remus around," she twisted a black gemstone ring around her finger that was attached to a silver band.

Remus leaned into her whispering into her ear, she stopped looking down into her hands as the large black dog between her and Remy placed his head in her lap. She gave a small smile to the dog petting it, "Please have a seat," he indicated to the free seats around them. The main stand had physical chairs instead of benches like the other stands.

They all took seats, "I am sorry about your sister," Ida spoke looking at the three girls next to her.

"She is strong…she will do well," Holly spoke then leaned into her, "I am glad to hear your father escaped. He was wrongfully accused."

Ida's grey eyes looked at her, "He is here," she whispered, moving her eyes to the large dog at her brother's side, "It is risky, but he wanted to be near our mother. And support Harry."

Hallie whipped her head from observing the crowd of people to Ida and Holly when she heard Ida mention Sirius was there. She followed her line of sight. Holly turned her eyes with her sister to Sirius in his animagus form

On the opposite side of the arena, Fred and George were continuing to ask for bets while they made their way to join Hermione, Ginny, and Ron at the saved seats, "You want to explain yourself?" George asked over the screaming crowds hyping everyone up.

"I knew you were going to ask about that," Fred had the box back in his hands as he accepted more bets, "It is easier to please her than argue with her. I adore her, but sometimes talking to her is like a never-ending road. I will continue the gambling as she calls it just behind her back."

"So lying?"

"Call it what you want. I am protecting her mental state. She is overly sensitive." The two looked across the arena, the best they could, spotting the Banks Family talking with the Roux-Noir family and Remus while Hallie sat there silently clearly uncomfortable with the situation about the happen. "Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. She is fourteen, we have to remember that."

George looked at his brother, "Yet you want to become intimate."

"By Christmas, I hope to."

"Back to the point of her being only fourteen."

"If she gives consent to it then we will and do not come at me with the age thing, you are shagging Peri who is only fifteen."

He rolled his eyes, "Almost sixteen."

"In March so not almost, she still has about five months."

They reached their seats just as a whistle blew as Cedric entered and began his fight against the Swedish Short-Snout "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow." … "He's taking risks, this!" … "Clever move — pity it didn't work!" Bagman's voice called out from behind them.

Fred watched Hallie, the best he could while remaining to teasingly cheer for the dragon to take down Cedric.

She attempted to hide her emotions, she did not enjoy this at all. The danger to the dragons, along with the danger to her friends and sister.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, there was a defeating roar that signified Cedric capturing the golden egg as the stands erupted into cheers.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman shouted.

The stands remained silent waiting excitedly as they waited for the next champion, "One down, four to go!" Bagman called out as a whistle blew. "Ms. King, if you please!"

With the announcement of Peri, Hallie's emotions switched greatly as her work was now on full display for the world to see. Everyone stared at her watching as she exited the tunnel unbuckled her cloak and let it slip over her in an almost seductive manner.

"Hallie!" Richard scolded, "That is not school appropriate."

"You never said it had to be. I was simply showing off her beauty."

"A body does not define beauty."

She shrugged regardless, pleased with her design.

The men around the stands whistled seeing the form-fitting bodysuit. The scales resembling dragon scales shone against the autumn sun, and the Ukrainian Ironbelly erupted in an ear-piercing roar, sending a flame of fire towards Peri. She let the fire hit her, allowing the bodysuit to light on fire. A spell was cast on it, to make her appear on fire when it got hot enough.

"And everyone says I am stupid," Hallie smirked leaning into her chair happily, "I did that! I placed a charm on the outfit protecting her from any dangers. No cuts or burns will harm her."

The crowd gasped and then oohed knowing the truth of what was happening as Peri began running directly towards the dragon. It continued to blow rings of fire towards her, still, the more it hit her the brighter she burned.

"Look at that! The Half-Blood Princess is now the Girl on Fire!" Bagman called out.

"Half-Blood Princess?" Ida questioned, "Is she a princess?"

Cassie laughed, "No, but Richard's family in America is considered royalty, and being his stepdaughter plus a half-blood it is the name the papers have given her since a child."

"Oh...interesting. Does she like it?"

Hallie looked at her from the competition, "No. She despises the name, but it is what they call her. I got The Song Bird. Alicia is The Spare, Mallory is The Heir, and Holly is The Brain."

"I'm just Princess Cressida in the papers, although the older men who make comments within the papers do not approve of me as a woman being the heir to the Black Family fortune."

Sirius gave a small growl with Remus and Emilie giving her a glare, "I am not supposed to mention I am a Black. Not sure why it matters it is my legacy and now that I am next in line everything will change."

"Woman power love that. We need more women like us."

"Indeed."

They returned their attention to the competition and watched as Peri jumped onto a boulder as the dragon whipped around to swing its tail at her, but as it whipped around with its back to her. She bounced off the boulder as if it were a trampoline doing a flip through the air landing on the back of the dragon. It erupted with another ear-piercing roar, she slipped down the opposite side landing in the nest of eggs and grabbing one of them and lifting it in the air as the crowd cheered her for her success and performance.

"Way to go Peri!" Many voices called out, she spotted Fred and George cheering from their side.

The dragon roared defeat as Peri was brought to a seat to retrieve her score, "Our quickest to get the egg yet."

The family turned to the judges' stand watching as Mr. Crouch raised his wand into the air giving an eight. Dumbledore gave a ten, and the crowd cheered louder. Bagman gave a ten as well.

Karkaroff raised his wand giving a two.

Bagman stood up again, "That places, Ms. King in the first place position!"

"Mother couldn't be a judge for being a parent of a champion but they can have two headmasters from the schools as champions…probably because they are men," Alicia hissed, crossing her arms annoyed over this.

Richard hushed her, "Alicia, that is not a topic to discuss in public."

"It is true though. It is not fair."

"I know, but we have to know our audiences."

The rest of the task continued, everyone receiving their eggs, including Harry. His was more dangerous as his dragon broke loose from its chains, and they flew around the entire grounds before Harry nose-dived for his egg. He ended up with the quickest time of all of them.

With the First Task over Hallie and Holly left the stands leaving Mallory and Alicia with their parents.