Chapter Sixty-Two: The First Task

The next morning at breakfast Severus Snape walked back over to the Gryffindor table. "Harry, you're wanted in Dumbledore's office with the other Triwizard champions." He told him before Harry gave a nod.

"Okay, thank you." He replied before getting up from the table and leaving the room and then Snape turned to face Hermione.

"Uh, Miss Granger, can I see you in my office for a few moments? You're not in trouble. I just want to talk." He explained.

"Umm,.. sure,.. Professor." Hermione replied with uncertainty before getting up from the table and following him to his office.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about Professor?" Hermione wondered even though she was sure that she already knew the answer.

"Harry." He replied unsurprisingly. "I tried talking it over with Dumbledore, but he already made it clear to me that if he were to change the rules for him, then Barty would be upset that that wouldn't be fair that he couldn't change the rules for everyone." He explained.

"I know you're worried, but I'm pretty sure that Harry will be alright. I mean so far, he's saved the Sorcerer's Stone, slayed the basilisk, and saved his godfather from a whole herd of dementors. I'm pretty sure that getting through this Triwizard tournament will be easy work for him." She reassured him. "However, if you want me to watch out for him I will. Cause deep down I'm actually as scared for him as you are." She added while he silently turned to look over at her and then gave her a slight nod.

"Thank you, Hermione Granger." He told her as she smiled back at him.

"I'll do my best." She told him before she walked out into the hallway and bumped into Draco. "Draco? What are you doing here?" She wondered.

"Looking for you because I want you to tell Harry something for me since we're in different houses we rarely speak to each other." He began. "I want you to tell him that I don't think that he put his name into the Goblet of Fire." He told her.

"Thanks Draco I appreciate it, but at this point it doesn't really matter who put his name into it. I just don't want to see my best friend die." She began. "Not that you and Ron aren't my best friends either but_" she began before he flashed her a genuine smile.

"You really consider me to be your best friend?" He questioned her with uncertainty.

"Well yeah, but that isn't the point. Right now we should at least find out what out the first task is so that I can help Harry be more prepared for it as I just promised his father." She told him before Severus stepped out into the hallway to join them.

"I know." He replied as Draco and Hermione both quickly turned their heads over to look up at him.

"Tell us. Please." Draco pleaded before a few moments of silence passed between them.

"Dragons!?" Harry began later that day at supper after Hermione and Draco had finished telling him what his father told them. "You've got to be kidding me! Are you telling me that I have to battle a dragon? How the heck am I supposed to do that!?" He cried out.

"I don't know." Hermione began. "But don't worry Harry. Between the three of us we'll think of something." She told him.

"I'll go ahead and talk to Sirius about it. He sent me an owl earlier and told me that he wanted to talk to me tonight while everybody else was asleep." He told her. "I just hope and pray that he'll know what to do." He added while he slowly turned his head to look out the window.

Later that night once inside the Gryffindor common room Harry waited for Sirius to arrive although he wasn't exactly sure how he was planning to visit him until he saw Sirius' head pop up through the flames. As he started telling him about his troubles and his dream, he was completely unaware that Hermione had snuck into the boy's dormitory and stolen his invisibility cloak and held her wand up in front of her so she could see where she was going by the light of the tip of it.

She snuck out through the portrait hole and all the way down to Hogwarts grounds until she knocked on the door of Hagrid's hut and finally removed Harry's cloak. "Hermione?" He questioned her with an astonished gasp and widened eyes. "What on earth are you doing down here? It's not like you to sneak out at night." He told her.

"I know Hagrid but currently Harry's life and safety is a lot more important than house points and it's even worth risking detention for." She told him before she started explaining about what had happened. "Can't you change the first task?" She questioned him once she had finished her story.

"I'm sorry Hermione." He began with a sorrowful look on his face. "I really wish I could, but I can't. It's out of my hands. At least Harry will have you and his father looking out for him." He told her.

"And Draco." She added.

"Yeah he's really surprised me. Turned over a new leaf he has and if I'm not mistaken, I think you had a part to play in that." He told her with a grin and a wink as she turned her head away from him and blushed before she turned to leave.

Although she believed what he said to have been true, right now she had much more important things that she had to deal with. As she turned around, she saw the thing that she had least expected to see. For she had come face to face with a humongous black dragon. It sort of reminded her of a black panther and had bright green eyes and a silver ring right through its nose.

It also had two long silver horns on the top of its head and a bit shorter ones at the end of its tail with black jagged spikes running down alongside it. It also had four legs and feet and had gigantic black leather wings and it was looking hungrily at her.