Ladies and gentlemen, readers and writers, all of my OTPeople, without further ado, I present to you: the Triwizard Tournament! That's right, folks, the first task is about to begin! (Warning: LOTS of Adrienette! And whenever you see -random word- pretend that it's crossed out, since the Doc Manager doesn't allow strikethrough)
…...…
Chapter 8: Things That Go Bump In The Night
Ernest Skeeter was now in the hospital wing of Hogwarts.
He had bruised shins, a bloody nose, a black eye, and a broken arm.
What did I do to possibly deserve this? he weakly thought.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head.
"You shouldn't have published that article," she sighed, probing his arm with her wand.
I don't regret any of it, Ernest thought.
Well, that wasn't completely honest.
Maybe he did.
But just a little bit.
There was a teeny, tiny, miniscule speck of regret.
Because publishing 'that article' was totally worth it, even if it meant being kicked in the shins by an angry teenager.
And being punched in the face by another angry teenager.
And having his arm twisted by two different angry teenagers.
And being knocked unconscious by yet another angry teenager.
And hearing the delighted shouts of other teenagers, who were cheering on his attackers.
His speck of regret slowly began to grow.
…...
A Few Hours Earlier
Hundreds of owls swooped down from the ceiling of the Great Hall, each of them carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Marinette fed Sugar a biscuit and unfolded the newspaper.
"That doesn't look so good," Alix said.
Marinette read the latest edition of Ernest's article.
MEET THE CHAMPIONS OF HOGWARTS AND RAMHORNS!
Written by the devilishly handsome Ernest Skeeter
A picture of the champions took up the entire front page.
Today, on November 17th, I have with me the champions of the Triwizard Tournament: Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Daisy Trillkey, Richard Weller, Christopher Sterling, Eve Hendriksen, Samantha Lakewood, and Nicholas Orchard.
All of them are misunderstood by their peers; but only I have the honor of hearing their deepest, darkest secrets.
They have chosen to pour their hearts out to me, and me alone.
I interview Adrien Agreste first, the shy son of Gabriel Agreste.
Adrien is also currently dating Chloe Bourgeois, the daughter of the Minister of Magic.
He is excited about the tournament, although his father is not.
I ask him what his mother would think about her son being a champion.
Tears start to well up in his beautiful green eyes.
"I think she would be proud," Adrien cries. "My mom was the light of my life. And now that she's gone-"
He breaks down and sobs, then resumes talking after pulling himself together.
"I would love to tell you who she was, but I can't," Adrien sniffles.
Which raises a new question: IS ADRIEN AGRESTE ILLEGITIMATE? (See page 6 for more details)
"'A new question?' Oh please, it's not new if it's been repeated at least once a month," Alix snorted.
I interview Marinette Dupain-Cheng next, the daughter of two lovely bakers.
Marinette didn't choose to be a champion, though.
Her name was forcibly put in the Goblet of Fire by two classmates.
In fact, Marinette fainted on the spot when her name was picked from the goblet.
"They don't need to know that!" Marinette embarrassedly said.
Marinette seems like a calm, creative girl on the outside.
OR IS SHE?
"Yes, I'm pretty sure I am," Marinette muttered.
Marinette speaks through actions, not words.
Her drumming fingertips and sweaty palms tell me that she is a nervous wreck.
"I am not a nervous wreck!" Marinette scowled.
She has the right to be one, for the first task is incredibly lethal.
Her quick glances also tell me that she is in a more-than-friendly relationship with Adrien Agreste.
Marinette choked on her waffles.
"Excuse me?!" she coughed.
Alix patted her back to dislodge the waffle piece out of her throat.
I can see it through every single one of their actions.
These two are obviously, hopelessly in love!
Marinette choked again.
It looks like Chloe, Adrien, and Marinette are in a love triangle.
Which girl deserves him more?
See page 7 for our new poll!
"Poll?!" Marinette shrieked.
"I'll vote for you," Alix reassured her.
I continue onto Daisy Trillkey, a Muggle-born witch with a passion for ponies.
I ask her to explain her simple life in the country.
She emotionally describes a heartrending tale about the death of Speedheart, the mate of her favorite pony, Dashbank.
"I don't know how he'll ever move on. I don't know how I'll ever move on. I just ask that you cheer me on in the Triwizard Tournament," Daisy mourns.
I interview Richard Weller next.
He's Hogwarts' golden boy: kind and caring, gets good grades, and has a beautiful girlfriend.
OR IS HE?
I finally have the chance to discover Richard's deepest, darkest secret.
He has at least six other girlfriends on the side.
Before the interview, I talked to Jane Tyler, one of Richard's many love interests.
"Oh, Richard? Richard Weller? He's the love of my life. I remember when we met on the Hogwarts Express, I looked into his gorgeous blue eyes and he looked into my brown ones and we instantly fell in love! We've been dating ever since," Jane giggles.
There you have it, living proof that Richard Weller is a playboy.
"I know that guy. He's no more of a playboy than you, Nathaniel," Alix laughed.
Nathaniel let out a small chuckle before continuing to draw.
I move onto the Ramhorns champions.
Specifically, Christopher Sterling.
He doesn't speak much, has a sarcastic sense of humor, and has a tough exterior.
OR DOES HE?
Underneath his cold shell, he's a warm, puppy-loving boy!
Chris shows me adorable pictures of himself and his five Crups.
"I care about them so much," he grins.
How lovable!
I interview Eve Hendriksen next.
Her singing voice is stunning, and she demonstrates Amazing Grace, which she sang at her grandfather's funeral last week.
Eve seems quiet, but when she uses her vocal cords, a whole new person surfaces.
The soft melody reaches my ears and brings back memories of spring days.
When Eve finishes, I can't help but notice that Chris gives her a discreet hug.
What a lovely couple!
I talk to Samantha Lakewood.
"Hi, you can call me Sammie!" she laughs. "It's so nice to meet you. I love reading and solving riddles, and I'm definitely prepared for the tournament. Do you like Cauldron Cakes? They're the best!"
Sammie seems like a sweet young lady.
OR IS SHE?
Conversations with teachers reveal that Sammie is a young delinquent.
She has bruised many shins, punched many faces, and broken many, MANY, bones.
Sammie uses her "cute" personality to worm her way into people's hearts and leave them in a puddle of tears.
I interview Nicholas Orchard last.
He quickly describes his favorite hobbies: playing Quidditch, drawing, running, walking his dog, cooking, playing the guitar, juggling, woodworking, making soap sculptures, and writing poetry.
Nick certainly seems like a jack-of-all-trades.
OR IS HE?
Nick's activities are interfering with his grades.
He received the lowest score possible on a History of Magic quiz last week, bringing his grade into the negatives.
That wraps up my interview with the champions.
Will Mrs. Agreste's identity ever be revealed?
Will Daisy move on?
Will Richard get the punishment he clearly deserves?
Will Chris show his true colors to the rest of society?
Will Eve achieve her dreams of being a professional singer?
Will Sammie injure yet another one of her peers?
Will Nick ever catch up with the rest of his class?
Will Marinette ever win Adrien's heart?
Only I, Ernest Skeeter, can discover the answers to these enigmas!
"That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever read," Alix deadpanned.
Marinette flipped to page seven.
She was winning the poll by fifty-five votes.
"Only fifty-five? You deserve much more than that," Nathaniel murmured.
He tapped his newspaper with his wand and Marinette's one thousand six votes turned into one thousand seven votes.
"Chloe probably voted for herself dozens of times," Marinette sighed.
"Ay, ah wee yo wi-in," Alix shrugged, her mouth full of scrambled eggs.
"What?" Marinette asked.
Alix swallowed.
"At least you're winning," she repeated. "And Chloe couldn't have voted for herself more than once. Magical polls are bewitched to allow only one vote per witch or wizard."
"I wonder what Adrien thinks about this," Nathaniel said. "I mean, he doesn't have any say in the poll. A guy should be able to choose who he loves, right? I never realized how horrible it is for Adrien, all of those reporters interfering with and lying about his love life. That's why I don't like the Daily Prophet's celebrity gossip column."
"No one does, except for Chloe and her brainless herd of sheep," Marinette frowned.
"Breakfast is almost over, so we better get ready for class. Potions?" Nathaniel guessed.
"Nope, Herbology. Time to go feed more disgusting sludge to obnoxious flowers," Alix said.
"Mine's already four feet tall, but it's not going to bloom for another two weeks. I think we're going to raise another plant along with the laughblossom flowers. Professor Whipwind keeps on giving us hints about some sort of tree," Marinette added.
As they got closer to Greenhouse Three, a sickly-sweet scent clogged their nostrils.
"Why does it smell like caramel?" Nathaniel asked.
"You know what the fourth-years say about Professor Whipwind," Marinette said.
"If the air has a nice tang, the plant probably has fangs," they recited in unison.
Outside the greenhouse, Professor Whipwind was attending to a huge tree.
It would've been an entirely normal scene if the tree hadn't been on fire.
"Mari!" Alya shouted, sprinting towards the Gryffindor trio. "DID YOU SEE THE POLL?!"
The excited Ravenclaw tackled her best friend.
"I don't care about the rest of Ernest's lies, but this poll could spark something between you and Adrien!" Alya grinned. "And if his article doesn't work, the first task will definitely bring you two together!"
Marinette had completely forgotten that Adrien was her partner for the Triwizard Tournament.
"What if we have to look at each other?! What if we have to talk to each other?! What if there's physical contact?!" Marinette hyperventilated.
"Of course there's going to be physical contact!" Alya scoffed. "Get yourself together, girl! He's here!"
"Hey, guys!" Adrien smiled. "Errr….why is that tree on fire?"
"Beats me," Alya said.
After everyone else arrived, Professor Whipwind cleared her throat.
"Each pair will raise an Infernum Stormus, commonly known as Whomping Willows," she announced. "They have three main defence mechanisms: setting themselves ablaze, smacking the offender, and creating lightning, which runs throughout its branches. I am splitting you into eight pairs or groups, as usual. Marinette with Bridgette, Adrien with Felix, Ivan with Lila, Chloe with Alya, Nathaniel with Mylene, Max with Juleka, Kim with Rose, and Nino with Sabrina and Alix. Everyone, please retrieve the seeds in Greenhouse Two."
The students shuffled over to the greenhouse, where eighteen enormous boulder-like seeds lay.
"How are we going to….?" Nino gaped.
"Are you a wizard or not?!" Alya shouted.
The others laughed while Nino hastily said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
They levitated the colossal Whomping Willow seeds to Professor Whipwind and discovered that she had created eight gigantic pits in the ground.
The students dropped the seeds into the pits and covered them with dirt by using a mixture of spells.
"Whomping Willows are easy to water. Errrr, to fire. You'll see what I mean," Professor Whipwind said.
She pointed her wand at Kim and Rose's seed. "Incendio!"
The seed ignited, as well as Kim's hair.
"Are you mad?" Kim yelped, trying to find a bucket of water to stick his head in.
He dipped his head into a pail and emerged with his hair extinguished, but it was soaked in putrid Runespoor venom, Nogtail blood, and bubotuber pus- the preferred drink of laughblossoms.
"I think you should visit Madam Pomfrey," Professor Whipwind said. "Alix, work with Rose for this lesson."
Kim jogged to the hospital wing.
After everyone had set their seeds on fire, they fed their laughblossoms with some kind of sweet-smelling fertilizer.
Ignore the bones, ignore the bones, ignore the bones, Marinette thought as she poured the fertilizer into the plant pot.
"Was that thing a dragon scale?" Alya asked, holding the pot steady.
"Probably," Marinette shuddered.
After finding a dead mouse, a cat whisker, and God-knows-what-else in the fertilizer, Herbology was over.
The rest of that Thursday was generally unexciting, except for when Nathaniel's Invigoration Draught caused his hair to turn flamingo-pink during Potions.
After Transfiguration, which was the last lesson of the day, the champions received a letter apiece.
Meet me in Hallway Number Nineteen in five minutes! ~Ernest Skeeter
Marinette and Adrien, who were relatively indifferent to the article, didn't know whether to laugh or gasp when they saw the other champions.
Chris had ten large stuffed dogs glued to him, the largest stuck on his head.
Eve and Daisy each had two bags, both of them overflowing with condolence letters.
Richard was absolutely disheveled: his left arm was caked with mud, his robes were tattered, and his hair was slightly burnt at the tips.
At a second glance, Marinette noticed that one of his shoes was missing.
Samantha actually looked stunning.
She was wearing makeup in just the right places, though her robes had pink ruffles at the hem, neckline, and cuffs.
Nick was covered in spitballs and had the word LOSER written in ink on his forehead.
His hair matched his temper.
Nick's green-blue tresses had been replaced with red-orange spikes that resembled flames.
"What happened to you?" Adrien asked.
"What happened? What happened? ERNEST SKEETER HAPPENED!" Samantha snarled.
"I heard my name!" Ernest chuckled, carrying his golden top hat.
"You," Eve hissed.
"Yes, me," Ernest grinned. "I forgot my spectacular hat in Hogwarts, so I decided to drop by and see how my favorite champions are doing! Thanks to me, the interview was a huge success!"
"Because of your stupid article, I was jumped by a gang of Slytherins today! Everyone gets a bad grade in History of Magic, it's the most boring class in the universe!" Nick spat.
"I was attacked by a mob of insane girls who all thought that we were in some kind of relationship! I am not a playboy, thank you very much! Do you know how much begging it took to convince Tara not to break up with me?!" Richard yelled.
The commotion in Hallway Number Nineteen attracted a crowd of curious onlookers.
"I was called a 'puppy-loving baby boy' by seven people today!" Chris roared. "And a group of second-years magically glued these stuffed animals to me after Charms!"
"I received hundreds of pity cards!" Daisy shouted. "Hundreds! My backpack's plastered with owl poop! Do you know how hard it is to scrub it off, even with magic?!"
"Ditto," Eve murmured.
"And I was manhandled by a bunch of spoiled brats who wanted to give me a makeover! 'Oh Sammie, we all knew you weren't a filthy tomboy!' 'Oh Sammie, do you like your new mascara?' When I'm finished with you, your face is going to be more black and blue than my eye shadow!" Samantha seethed.
The number of bystanders multiplied.
"They never handle it well at first," Ernest sighed. "But you'll be happy with the end result! Aren't you glad that I finally revealed the truth to the world?"
"THE TRUTH?" Samantha shrieked. "YOU WANNA KNOW THE TRUTH?! I'M GOING TO PUT YOU IN THE INFIRMARY! THAT'S THE TRUTH!"
She leapt at Ernest and gave him a swift kick in the shins.
The others joined in and the students who were watching started to cheer them on.
When Ernest got back up, Chris punched him in the face.
Richard and Daisy twisted Ernest's arm until it broke.
Eve also set his robes on fire.
And, for good measure, Nick knocked him out.
Marinette and Adrien slowly backed into the next hallway.
"We didn't see anything," Adrien firmly said.
"Yeah, we never saw the note from Ernest," Marinette smiled.
"But he deserved it," Adrien whispered.
"Deserved what? I have no idea what you're talking about," Marinette smirked.
They laughed as they parted ways.
Merlin's beard! I actually had a decent conversation with Adrien Agreste! Marinette thought.
If Ladybug never falls in love with me, maybe I could start something with Marinette, Adrien thought. But my lady will fall for me one day. I just know it.
…...
The Slytherin vs Ravenclaw Quidditch match was postponed yet again because of the dangerously strong winds that Saturday.
Another refreshing, well-deserved Hogsmeade visit was scheduled for November 23rd, presumably to calm down the nervous champions of the Triwizard Tournament, as the first task would take place the next day.
The air was twice as frigid as their previous visit in October.
It was also Bridgette and Felix's first Hogsmeade visit, so Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino decided to spend the day with them.
In fact, when the Ramhorns visits first saw the note about the visit, they didn't even know what Hogsmeade was.
"It's a village that's completely inhabited by wizards and witches," Alya explained.
"Trust us, you'll love it!" Adrien grinned.
The six students stepped inside Tomes and Scrolls.
"Hello, Adrien! You've brought more friends, and just in time, too! I received a new shipment of books just this morning," Ms. Zinnia smiled.
"We should probably research the creatures we have to face on Monday," Adrien said.
"Y-Yeah! We should!" Marinette stuttered, her mouth dry. "We have to defeat a Basilisk! Nothing new! It's been done single-handedly by a twelve-year-old, so we should be fine! Everything's going to be just dandy!"
Dandy? Argh, why must I be so cringeworthy? she inwardly groaned.
"Maybe Ernest was right about one thing," Adrien said.
Oh God oh God oh God oh God! Marinette thought. Adrien knows that I have a crush on him! That's it, I'm moving to Greenland, where I'll never be seen again and hopefully he'll forget about everything and-
"You definitely seem like a nervous wreck today," he continued. "So let's forget about the Triwizard Tournament and just have some fun, okay?"
Marinette nodded.
They pored over Ms. Zinnia's new shipment of books.
She had bought dozens of Muggle stories as well, so that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them snuggled nicely between Sleeping Beauty and Around the World in Eighty Days.
Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Bridgette, and Felix ended up spending the entire morning in Tomes and Scrolls.
"Adrien, check this out! I found the 'Hungry' Games!" Nino snickered.
The Slytherin first-year blushed but picked up the book anyway.
Within the first thirty minutes of reading the book, Adrien started shuddering and making horrified facial expressions.
"How much bloodshed could there possibly be in one book?" Adrien asked.
"Ha, you haven't even gotten to the good parts," Nino grinned.
Meanwhile, Bridgette, Felix, and Marinette were arguing about which of Beedle the Bard's stories was the best.
"The Tale of the Three Brothers teaches the wisest lesson," Marinette said.
"I like The Fountain of Fair Fortune, because the love story is so beautiful!" Bridgette gushed.
"The most realistic one is the The Warlock's Hairy Heart," Felix muttered. "But I especially hated Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump, it's the worst."
"What was that last one called?" Alya giggled.
"We need to fully educate you in the ways of Beedle the Bard," Marinette said.
She pushed her best friend onto a plump red velvet armchair and dropped a thick leather book on her lap.
"Beetle the what?" Alya blankly asked.
Adrien looked up from The Hunger Games.
"Beedle the Bard! He's the wizard version of Hands Catholic Andysen and the Brothers Grin," he explained.
"Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm," Marinette sighed. "You'll get it right one day."
Nino's stomach growled loudly, so the group decided to head to the Three Broomsticks.
The chilly air made the journey feel much longer, but the six students managed to walk to the pub without being blown away.
Marinette's scarf, however, was not so lucky and it drifted out of sight.
"I know you're not a Slytherin like me, but take my scarf," Adrien offered.
"No! You should keep it, I'll be fine," Marinette said, her teeth chattering.
"You're a horrible liar. I'm not blind, I can see you shivering at this very moment," Adrien said.
He wrapped the green and silver scarf around her neck.
"Th-Thanks!" Marinette stuttered.
The Three Broomsticks felt as warm as the breath of a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
The six students all shed their coats, hats, earmuffs, scarves, mittens, and gloves, but Marinette just couldn't bring herself to remove Adrien's scarf.
In the middle of the pub, Alix and Kim had challenged each other to a dance-off, but the radio that they brought with them wouldn't work.
"Don't worry, I have my headphones," Nino said. "Which song do you want me to play?"
"Electric Heart by XY! It's ten times better than Jagged Stone's music!" Chloe shouted.
Everyone in the Three Broomsticks rebuked Chloe's decision.
"Sweat and Leather by Jagged Stone!" Ivan suggested.
"Aww yeah!" Kim whooped.
"Sweat and Leather!" Nino yelled into his headphones.
They blared the sound of Jagged Stone's electric guitar, and Kim and Alix started dancing.
Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins took sides.
"Come on, Felix! Wanna dance?" Bridgette giggled, trying to pull the reluctant Mystrik onto the makeshift dance floor.
"No," Felix muttered.
Bridgette paid no attention to his two-letter word of rejection and tried to twirl him.
"Marinette, do you want to dance?" Adrien asked.
The Gryffindor choked for the third time that week.
"Sure!" Marinette squeaked.
"After all, we'll need to practice for the Yule Ball," Adrien grinned.
The words slowly sank into Marinette's mind.
The Yule Ball! The Yule Ball! It's in a month and two days! How did I forget? How did I possibly forget? I don't know what I'm going to wear! I don't have a date! Since we're partners, is Adrien going to ask me out? MERLIN'S BEARD, WHAT IF HE ACTUALLY ASKS ME OUT?! Marinette internally panicked.
She soon learned that Adrien couldn't dance to save his life.
Honestly, even Lila and Chloe weren't the least bit jealous that Marinette was Adrien's temporary dance partner instead of one of them.
"What the heck are you doing?" Marinette laughed.
"The sprinkler!" Adrien responded. "I did some research, and this is how teenagers usually dance!"
"I have never seen something so horrifying. I'm scarred for life," Marinette deadpanned.
"Do you prefer Gangnam Style?" Adrien asked.
"Do I prefer what?" Marinette replied.
"Here, I'll show you!" Adrien enthusiastically said.
He attempted to wave his crossed arms around while jumping, but he utterly failed.
"Dude, are you injured?!" Nino howled with laughter.
"No, but I'll bring out my best weapon. Hammertime!" Adrien yelled.
"Alright, we've seen enough. We're abandoning you. Bridgette! Felix! Alya! We're leaving! Let's go to Honeydukes!" Marinette loudly said.
Adrien mock-gasped while Marinette led her friends out of the Three Broomsticks.
"We'll return your headphones later!" Alix shouted at Nino as he was pulled out of the pub.
He then arrived at the candy shop faster than the rest of the group by avoiding the crowds.
"Hey! How'd you get here so fast?" Marinette pouted.
"I took a shortcat, Purrincess," Adrien smirked, then immediately clamped his hands over his mouth.
Luckily for him, the clamor of the sugar-loving students in Honeydukes droned out Adrien's previous remark.
"What did you say?" Marinette asked.
"Errr….I just hope I'll be luckier with those Every Flavor Beans this time!" Adrien said.
"WHAT?!" Bridgette suddenly shrieked.
Everyone stayed silent for a second before resuming whatever they were doing.
"Are you okay?" Alya asked.
"That person-" (the Joltcastle pointed an accusing finger at Felix) "-has never eaten candy. Or ice cream. Or any form of dessert, for that matter."
"You have not lived life yet," Nino simply stated.
"Here, have a lollipop!" Bridgette grinned.
"Wait!" Marinette winced. "That's-"
Bridgette accidentally dropped the lollipop onto Felix's robes.
"-an Acid Pop."
A hole slowly burned its way through the black cloth.
Felix plucked the Acid Pop from his robes and gave it back to Bridgette.
"Thanks, but no thanks," he coldly said.
"At least try some chocolate!" Bridgette begged.
"For the last time-" Felix protested.
Nino snuck up from behind him and stuck a bar of Honeydukes' chocolate into his mouth.
Felix slowly chewed and his eyes widened.
"It's delicious!" he gasped. "What have I been doing my whole life?!"
He slammed four Galleons and a Sickle onto the counter and ordered two Pumpkin Pasties, five Chocolate Frogs, three Cauldron Cakes, a sugar quill, a few squares of fudge, and, to top it all off, six bars of chocolate.
After they bought their equal share of everything from toffee to exploding bonbons, they left the candy shop and watched a few demonstrations at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
The newest version of Atrocious Apparel, one of their most famous products, had been released that very Sunday.
House-themed winter gear with exciting changes lined the shelves.
The green and silver Slytherin scarves could morph into actual snakes and revert to their natural forms again with the keywords "serpent pride."
If you tapped the blue and bronze Ravenclaw earmuffs thrice with your wand, they grew eagle wings and flew.
The yellow and black Hufflepuff mittens turned your hands into badger paws if you rubbed them together for ten seconds.
The red and golden Gryffindor hats roared like a lion if you tugged on the pom-pom.
Needless to say, the enchanted articles of clothing were a big hit.
"Adrien, do you need a new scarf?" Nino teased.
"I don't want a snake coiled around my neck," Adrien shuddered.
"Forget your scarves, look at these fireworks!" Marinette gasped.
The staff of W.W.W. had organized a fireworks display in honor of the Ramhorns students.
An horse made out of aquamarine sparks galloped around the six students.
Bridgette laughed and chased the mare around the store until she almost crashed into a display.
"Love potions?!" Bridgette squealed.
"Oh no," Felix sighed.
"These Pygmy Puffs are so adorable!" Bridgette beamed.
She bought a pink Pygmy Puff and a bottle of love potion without a second thought.
"I'm going to name you XOXO! Hugs and kisses!" she cooed.
The six students stopped by at the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes (Nino had to retrieve his headphones and Felix "forgot" to buy another bar of chocolate) before walking toward Hogwarts.
"I never asked. Where are you guys staying?" Adrien wondered.
"The Ramhorns students sleep in the Room of Requirement," Felix responded. "It's actually quite comfortable."
As soon as they entered Hogwarts, Marinette crashed into Mr. Agreste, sending his papers flying everywhere.
"I'm so sorry!" Marinette apologized.
She hurriedly picked up her idol's sketches.
There was one for each champion.
These must be for the tournament! Marinette thought.
Her eyes scanned the one that was for herself.
The outfit consisted off a dark red long-sleeved shirt with matching leggings and a golden dragon-leather tunic with matching boots.
She handed the papers back to Mr. Agreste.
"Thank you," he said.
"What did you see?" Alya whispered.
"The clothes I have to wear for the first task!" Marinette excitedly said.
During dinnertime, all of the champions, excluding Marinette and Adrien, brought a large stack of books to their tables.
Richard was so engrossed in Dark and Dangerous Creatures of Europe that he unknowingly dipped his bread into his pumpkin juice and proceeded to chew it without noticing its strange flavor.
Suddenly, the crash of twenty metal crates being opened was heard by Tikki and Plagg.
There had been many charms cast upon the boxes so that human ears couldn't hear the loud noise, but kwamis could.
Humans couldn't hear the beasts crawling, slithering, and sprinting out of their cages.
They also couldn't hear the sound of the deadly hiss that came from the largest creature.
…...
Marinette expected to be woken up early for the first task, but surprisingly, she wasn't.
Maybe it starts in the afternoon, she thought.
But that wasn't the case, either.
"All classes shall be carried on in the usual fashion," Headmaster Fu announced.
That's odd, Marinette thought. They couldn't have possibly forgotten about the Triwizard Tournament, so what are they planning?
"Wait, what if this is the first task? Are they secretly judging us?!" she panicked.
"No way! If the first task was happening right now, they'd announce it to the whole school! You know how public the Triwizard Tournament is," Alix said.
That day, the teachers deviated from their normal lessons and tried to drop hints about the first task without actually revealing what the champions had to do.
"Add ground Cornish pixie wings to get the best results for your Healing Elixir. Marinette and Adrien, this is crucial information," Professor Mendeleiev said.
Adrien scribbled something on a piece of parchment.
"What's that?" Marinette whispered, dumping teal powder into her pewter cauldron.
"It's a list of things we might find in the first task," Adrien whispered back, stirring his potion.
He showed her the list.
Big, furry, red-eyed creature
Basilisk
Troll (maybe?)
Cornish pixies
"Where did you get the troll from?" Marinette asked.
"I overheard some third-years talking about it," Adrien answered.
"It could just be a rumor," Marinette frowned.
"You never know," Adrien shrugged.
"Now, if you actually followed the directions, the lavender aroma should-"
Professor Mendeleiev was interrupted when Nino tensed up and fell sideways.
"-make you woozy and possibly stun you, but the latter will happen only if you add too many drops of pine bark essence. Ivan, can you please carry Nino to the hospital wing?" Professor Mendeleiev sighed.
Ivan nodded and picked up his fellow Hufflepuff.
After the rest of the students bottled and corked their potions, it was time for Herbology.
Like Professor Mendeleiev, Professor Whipwind diverged from the typical subject and taught the class about poisonous herbs.
"Watch out for Devil's Snare. If you're ever caught in it, do not move. That is the biggest mistake you could make," she said.
Adrien added Devil's Snare to the list, along with many other fatal plants.
Lunch brought many more books to each of the tables.
Care of Magical Creatures was also just as interesting as the previous classes.
Professor Otis taught the students about dealing with some of the most unpredictable animals in the Wizarding World.
Adrien nervously jotted down the names of the scariest creatures he'd ever heard about.
"The best way to deal with an Acromantula is by using the Erumpent Potion," Professor Otis said.
"What's the Erumpent Potion?" Marinette asked.
"It's a liquid that can explode on impact," Professor Otis responded.
He quickly wrote the potion ingredients on a spare piece of parchment and handed it to Marinette behind his back while Adrien added Erumpent to the list.
In Charms, their last class of the day, Professor Bustier made the students practice defencive jinxes.
"Stupefy!" Adrien yelled.
Nino tensed up and fell sideways for the second time that day.
"Good job!" Marinette said.
As Professor Bustier walked past him, Adrien swore that he heard her mutter, "You'll need that spell for later."
After Charms was over, the champions were called to Gabriel Agreste's office.
"Why does my father need to see us?" Adrien asked.
"I have an idea," Marinette said.
They knocked on the door of Gabriel's office, but he wouldn't let them in.
Eve, Chris, Daisy, Samantha and Richard soon arrived.
"Where's Nick?" Richard wondered.
"Who knows? I don't think Professor Agreste is going to open the door until he gets here, anyway," Chris said.
"Maybe he's going to tell us what we have to do for the first task!" Daisy hopefully said.
"He won't," Richard dismissively said. "The teachers have been dropping hints, but they can't tell us what we have to do. They used Unbreakable Vows."
"There's no way that they used Unbreakable Vows!" Marinette gasped.
"So the Triwizard Tournament really is that dangerous, huh?" Chris quietly said.
"Well, we can do this on our own!" Eve scoffed. "We don't need any hints. We just have to be prepared for anything and everything."
"We just have to defeat every creature they throw at us," Samantha determinedly said.
"I know what some of those creatures in the crates are," Adrien piped up.
He passed around the list.
"Trolls? A few eleven-year-olds defeated one, so this should be a piece of cake," Daisy said.
"The only thing we have to worry about is the Basilisk. At least it can't kill anyone. Riley looked into its eyes and she was fine," Adrien said.
Then, Nick joined his fellow champions, completely out of breath.
Today, his hair was greenish-yellow and his eyes were blue.
"Care…..of Magical…..Creatures…..was…...a disaster," he panted. "Professor Otis…..made us fight...,..Acromantulas."
Adrien removed a quill from his bag and added Acromantulas to the list.
"That's one more thing we have to worry about," Marinette said.
At that moment, the door swung open.
"Hello!" Headmaster Freeburrow grinned.
"Why are we here? Are you going to tell us about the first task?" Daisy blurted.
"Unfortunately, the answer is no," Headmaster Fu said. "But Professor Agreste has presents for you! He designed what you're going to wear for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament."
Gabriel handed a bulky black bag to each of the champions.
"That's all?" Samantha deadpanned.
"Meet us outside of Hogwarts at six o'clock sharp. Good luck!" Headmaster Freeburrow said.
He ushered them out of Gabriel's office, ignoring their shouts of alarm.
"What do you mean, 'six o'clock?!'" Richard yelled.
"I'll make it simple for you. We only have two hours until the first task starts," Eve said.
"So we better get changed as soon as possible," Chris said.
They split up.
After twenty minutes, Marinette finally reached the Gryffindor Common Room.
She couldn't wait until she was a third-year and could Apparate; the path to her room was absolutely tiring.
"What's the first task?" Alix immediately asked.
She was writing a scroll about Jupiter and Mars for Astronomy.
"We still don't know," Marinette shrugged as she dumped the bag's contents onto the bottom cot of the bunk bed.
A pair of knee-high golden dragon-leather boots, a long-sleeved dark red cotton shirt, dark red spandex leggings, and a long short-sleeved golden dragon-leather tunic tumbled out of the bag.
"Can we order six more outfits like that for the Quidditch team?!" Alix gasped.
"I don't think Professor Agreste would be up to it. Errr….c-can you please look away while I change?" Marinette stuttered.
"Fine, but only if you tell me when the first task starts," Alix said.
"Six o'clock," Marinette replied.
"What? Less than two hours? I gotta help Nathaniel paint our sign, now! Good luck!" Alix said, dashing out of the girls' room.
Marinette picked up the clothing.
She expected the dragon leather to be heavy, but it was as light as a feather.
She slipped on the shirt, leggings, tunic, and boots and re-tied her pigtails.
"Thank goodness there's a pocket," Tikki said.
"I know that I shouldn't be asking around for help, but what are the teachers planning?" Marinette asked.
"Something dangerous," Tikki said.
As the door creaked open, the kwami flew back into Marinette's pocket.
"Hey, it's 5:26! Everybody's heading out for the tournament!" Abby Johnson said. "We all made something for you!"
Marinette raised and eyebrow and followed her into the common room.
"Surprise!" the Gryffindors shouted.
They held a large red-and-golden banner with the words GRYFFINDOR GLORY! MARINETTE FOR THE WIN!
"Thanks!" Marinette blushed.
"No problem! It was all Nathaniel's idea," Alix grinned.
Marinette led the procession of Gryffindors outside of Hogwarts, where the judges and students waited.
"You're just in time for the Triwizard Tournament. We have fifteen minutes left," Adrien said.
He was wearing the same outfit as Marinette, but his tunic and boots were silver while his shirt and pants were dark green.
The other champions were also wearing similar outfits, each in their house colors.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the wooden podium where the champions and judges stood.
Professor Agreste, as well as each of the champion's parents, were also there.
"I forgot that you were going to be here!" Marinette said.
She hugged her parents.
"Good luck, sweetheart!" Sabine smiled.
"Remember this," Tom said. "If Adrien tries to something, y'know, bad to you, just-"
"Dad!" Marinette scolded. "He wouldn't do anything of the sort!"
"If you say so, Mari. We'll be cheering for you!" Tom grinned.
"Welcome, ladies and gents, teachers and students, people of Ramhorns and Hogwarts, to the two hundred sixteenth Triwizard Tournament!" Mr. Wood, the Head of Magical Games and Sports, bellowed.
He had obviously used the Sonorus Charm on himself.
Everyone enthusiastically clapped and yelled.
"It is my honor to sponsor the three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament," Mr. Bourgeois added.
"So, who will win?" Mr. Wood continued, blatantly ignoring the Minister of Magic. "Slytherin and Gryffindor? Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw? Twynebud and Joltcastle? Or Mystrik and Vorrsteel?"
The houses cheered when their name was called.
"The scoring rules are simple. The first task is worth one hundred points, as are the other tasks. Each judge can give the partners in question twenty-five points. The following categories consist of five points apiece: bravery, skill, wit, loyalty, and reaction. Points will be deducted if any of the champions cheat. Examples are using self-improving potions or spells. Attacking other champions is also not allowed. However, defencive, offencive, and healing spells or potions are authorized and encouraged when the champions find themselves in life-threatening scenarios," Headmaster Fu said.
"And now, I will explain what the champions must do for the first task. They must spend a night inside the Forbidden Forest, from six o'clock at night to nine o'clock in the morning. Last night, we released numerous beasts into the Forbidden Forest. Multiple charms have been placed on the forest so that the air will keep them awake and prevent them from becoming tired or hungry. There is also an magical dome that will keep the champions from escaping the forest until nine o'clock tomorrow. Staying at the very edge of the forest won't help, because it is highly likely that a beast shall corner them, thereby causing more peril than what is necessary," Headmaster Freeburrow said.
"Each pair shall also be given a list of what lurks in the Forbidden Forest. The champions are allowed to attempt to kill the beasts for self-protection, but an expert will use Side-Along Apparition to remove the beast from the forest before the champions can deliver the fatal blow. The beast will then be restored to full health, unless it is accidentally killed. When a beast is removed from the Forbidden Forest, its name will be magically scratched off of the list. The names of the pair who defeated the beast will be written next to its name. However, champions, you must remember that the object of the first task is not to injure the most animals, but to use your surroundings to your own advantage. The blind Basilisk will also give the two champions who defeated it five extra points. Any questions?" Headmaster Fu asked.
The champions shook their heads.
"Well, then, off you go!" Mr. Wood grinned.
He and the other judges led them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Here is where we part. There is a small doorway into the forest, and it will close in one minute. Each pair shall receive a satchel containing all that they need to get through the first task. Good luck!" Headmaster Freeburrow said.
As soon as Adrien tried to walk into the forest, he bumped into an invisible wall.
"The doorway is a little more to the right, I think," Headmaster Fu chuckled.
He passed out four leather satchels.
Adrien embarrassedly took Marinette's hand and one of the satchels and led her into the dome.
They felt the headmasters' charms affecting them as soon as they entered the forest.
The dead grass was as green as a Slytherin prefect badge, the oldest of trees seemed youthful, and the air smelled like the sea, even though the Atlantic Ocean was hundreds of miles away.
The Forbidden Forest was alive, more alive than it had ever been.
"Do you know how to climb trees?" Adrien asked.
"Of course I do," Marinette said.
"Then let's go climb one! It's almost sunset, and I've never seen one from the top of a tree before!" Adrien laughed.
He scrambled up one of the tallest trees.
"Wait for me!" Marinette giggled.
She tightly gripped the lowest branch and pulled herself up.
Like a squirrel, she hopped from branch to branch until she reached the highest one.
"I didn't know you were so good at climbing trees!" Marinette mused.
"Believe it or not, my father was the one who taught me. Nature is his second most important inspiration for designs," Adrien said.
"What's his most important inspiration?" Marinette asked.
"Before she died, it was my mom. But now…"
Adrien's voice trailed off.
"...It's me."
"It makes sense," Marinette said. "He loves you, Adrien. Your father wanted to stop you from competing in the Triwizard Tournament because he doesn't want you to get hurt."
"I know," Adrien sighed.
They didn't say a word as they watched the sunset.
"I'm going to see what we have in the satchel," Adrien said.
He dumped out a small cube of metal (a collapsible cauldron), five empty glass flasks, a bottle full of sky-blue liquid, a wooden stirring spoon, and a scroll onto his lap.
The potion had a small tag attached to the cork, which read:
Basilisk Antidote. Pour half of the contents down the victim's throat for full recovery. No more, no less. ~Madam Pomfrey
"We might as well read the scroll," Marinette said.
She removed the string that was tied around it.
Her skin became pale as she read the piece of parchment.
List of Animals for the First Task:
5 Acromantulas
1 Blind Basilisk
50 Cornish Pixies
2 Manticores
2 Chimaeras
2 Erumpents
1 Graphorn
1 Sphinx
1 Demiguise
10 Runespoors
25 Doxies
2 Trolls
4 Occamys
4 Teboes
3 Boggarts
"Nobody's defeated anything yet," Adrien noticed. "Wait, there's potion ingredients on the back!"
Marinette flipped the list over.
Healing Elixir (for poisonous bites and scratches):
5 Drops of Pine Bark Essence
1 Tablespoon of Ground Cornish Pixie Wings
3 Spotted Toadstools
2 Occamy Egg Yolks
(Highly Explosive) Erumpent Potion:
4 Erumpent Hairs
5 Leaves of Devil's Snare
2 Silver Occamy Eggshells
1 Lump of Erumpent Dung
"That's disgusting," Adrien recoiled.
He put the items back into the satchel.
"I hear buzzing," he said.
"You hear what?" Marinette asked.
"Buzzing," Adrien repeated.
They stayed silent, and Marinette heard a faint droning noises.
"It's getting louder," she observed.
A pair of small blue wings appeared from behind a leaf.
Marinette sighed with relief. "It's just a butterfly!"
"Butterflies don't buzz," Adrien stated. "Which means that we need to get out of this tree as fast as possible. Trust me. And don't scream, you'll attract the pixies."
He pushed her off of the branch they were sitting on.
Marinette plummeted forty feet to the ground.
When she landed, the ground felt like a pillow.
Adrien crashed next to her.
"I'm glad that my Cushioning Charm worked," he grinned.
"You gave me a heart attack!" Marinette shouted. "I thought I was going to-"
The buzzing became louder than a vacuum.
A swarm of fifty Cornish pixies dived from the tree, their electric-blue wings illuminating the night sky.
"It's my turn to lead," Marinette said. "They can't do anything without their wings. We can't burn their wings off, so we'll disintegrate them off and get the powder in the process. Deletrius!"
A Cornish pixie dropped out of the air.
"Deletrius!"
"Deletrius!"
"Deletrius!"
They continued to exterminate the blue pests until all of them were wingless.
A man Apparated next to Marinette and Adrien, summoned the Cornish pixies into his sack, and disappeared.
"That was a real workout," Adrien said.
He collected some of the disintegrated pixie wings and dropped them into two vials.
"Let's make two of each potion, just in case," he suggested. "By the way, where did you learn that spell? I've never heard of it."
"It's what my dad uses to make breadcrumbs," Marinette said. "Spotted toadstools are pretty easy to find. They're as common as blades of grass, but it's getting dark. Lumos!"
Light appeared at the tip of her wand.
They trampled through the Forbidden Forest and gathered six spotted toadstools along the way.
A squawk was heard in the distance.
"Occamys," Adrien whispered.
He checked his watch.
"It's 8:48 already," he added.
A nearby bush rustled.
A holographic Occamy emerged from the bush and circled a tree.
A real Occamy swooped down and chased the fake one while a figure clad in orange and gray stole two eggs from the Occamy's nest.
In a second, both the fake Occamy and the person were gone.
"That must've been Chris and Eve. Smart strategy," Marinette said. "The Occamy's provoked. We can't lure it away from its nest, so we have to face it head-on."
"Occamy wings are made of iron, so we can easily make them rust with water," Adrien said.
"But the eggs are frail, so if we get a droplet of water on them, they'll collapse. I wonder how many are left," Marinette said.
A snarky voice came from Adrien's pocket.
"Five."
"How do you know?" Marinette asked.
"I was cursed with…...with…..night vision! I was cursed with night vision when I was child, all because my stupid cat did something that he wasn't supposed to do so he will be punished. I mean, he was punished," Adrien said, smacking his pocket on every other syllable.
"Okay then," Marinette unbelievingly said. "Let's approach the Occamy on three. One…...two…...three!"
They ran towards the Occamy's nest and simultaneously yelled, "Aguamenti!"
Marinette missed, but Adrien's jet of water hit the tip of the Occamy's wing.
It descended and scratched Marinette's cheek.
A few drops of blood trickled down her face.
"Aguamenti!" she snarled.
The Occamy's right wing rusted over and the bird plunged downwards, its serpentine body writhing in pain.
A man took the Occamy out of the Forbidden Forest by Apparition.
"Are you alright?" Adrien asked, taking four small silver eggs from the Occamy's nest. "Occamy scratches have a forty-five percent chance of being poisonous, depending on which talon-"
"I'll be fine," Marinette interrupted.
"If you say so," Adrien said, taking a few steps forward.
A vine slithered around his ankle and tugged him down.
"A pit of Devil's Snare," Marinette whispered. "Stay still."
She carefully picked ten leaves from the deadly plant while Adrien sank into the ground.
A minute passed.
Two minutes.
Three.
Five.
Seven.
Marinette began to pace.
It was a full eleven minutes before Adrien emerged from a shrub.
"Where were you?" Marinette indignantly asked.
"I was busy being swallowed by undergrowth," Adrien casually said. "The pit goes down for about a hundred feet, and then there were wooden stairs that led to the surface. It was pretty cool."
"Don't make me so worried," Marinette frowned. "You could've been seriously damaged, emotionally and physically."
"You make me worried, too! I thought that the Occamy was going to slit your throat, or something worse!" Adrien snapped.
His tone softened. "Sorry, I just don't want to see you suffering. Madam Pomfrey can cure our ailments with ease, but seeing one of your friends being attacked isn't fun to experience. Especially when you know that you could've helped them."
"We made a promise. In the tournament, I'll protect you, and you'll protect me. And I fully intend to keep that promise. Hopefully, so do you," Marinette said.
She was glad it was so dark that Adrien couldn't see the furious blush that blanketed her freckles.
"We have all of the ingredients for two batches of Healing Elixir, so let's brew it while we aren't surrounded by dangerous plants and creatures," Adrien said.
"We don't have the pine bark essence, though," Marinette reminded him.
"You'll see," Adrien winked.
Marinette silently swore that Adrien would be the one who ended up killing her if he kept doing things like that.
Adrien retrieved the ground Cornish pixie wings and the six spotted toadstools from the leather satchel and dumped them into the collapsible cauldron.
Marinette cracked the four silver Occamy eggs and the yolks slid out.
She placed the eggshells back into the satchel for the Erumpent Potion.
"Pine bark essence is water that's been summoned from the depths of a pine tree. But since my wand is made out of pine, it's basically the same thing," Adrien explained. "Aguamenti."
Ten drops of water dripped from his wand.
"It smells like lavender now, so it's ready," Marinette said, stirring the potion.
She poured the green Healing Elixir into two of the five glass flasks.
"One for each of us," Adrien said.
Marinette dipped her finger into the potion and rubbed her cheek.
The cut immediately healed.
Suddenly, several twigs snapped.
"What was that?" Adrien whispered.
A sound similar to that of a falling tree echoed throughout the forest.
"Whatever that noise came from, it's less than twenty feet in front of us," Marinette whispered.
They tiptoed towards the creature.
"It's a sleeping Erumpent!" Marinette gasped.
"Rock-paper-scissors. Winner plucks the hair, loser scoops the poop," Adrien whispered.
"Fine," Marinette grumbled.
After three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Marinette yanked eight Erumpent hairs without arousing it.
Fifteen minutes later, she became impatient.
"What's taking you so long?" she whispered.
She walked around the Erumpent.
"No way, no how, am I ever going to touch that. Not on God's green earth," Adrien deadpanned, pointing at the Erumpent's massive piles of feces.
Each lump of excrement was the size of a bowling ball.
"Just levitate two of them into the cauldron," Marinette said.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Adrien gagged, pinching his nose with his free hand.
"Does it even smell that- oh, it actually smells that bad," Marinette said, the dung's repugnant scent entering her nostrils. "Let's just get this over with."
Within twenty minutes, two bottles of Erumpent Potion had been brewed.
"It's past midnight," Adrien said, checking his watch. "I'm going to check the list of creatures."
He took the scroll from the satchel.
List of Animals for the First Task:
-5- -4- 3 Acromantulas (Eve and Chris, Daisy and Richard)
1 Blind Basilisk
-50 Cornish Pixies- (Marinette and Adrien)
-2- 1 Manticore-s- (Samantha and Nick)
2 Chimaeras
2 Erumpents
-1 Graphorn- (Daisy and Richard)
1 Sphinx
1 Demiguise
-10 Runespoors- (Eve and Chris)
-25 Doxies- (Samantha and Nick)
2 Trolls
-4- -3- 2 Occamys (Daisy and Richard, Marinette and Adrien)
-4 Teboes- (Eve and Chris)
-3- 2 Boggarts (Eve and Chris)
"And we're not even halfway through the night yet," Marinette sighed.
Thump.
Thump.
"HELP!"
Thump.
Thump.
"That sounds like Richard," Adrien whispered. "He's close by."
Daisy crashed through the trees, covered in spiderwebs.
"RICHAAAARRRRD!" she yelled, running after the source of thumping.
"Let's go! We have to help them!" Adrien shouted, dragging Marinette after Daisy.
After a minute of sprinting, the three champions were pulled into a bush.
"What-"
"Shhhh!" Nick interrupted them.
His eyes and hair were gray.
"Nick? What are you doing here?" Marinette whispered.
"Well," Nick began, "Samantha's-been-captured-and-I-don't-know-what-to-do-so-please-please-help-me!"
"Woah, slow down. Where's Samantha?" Adrien asked.
Nick took a deep breath. "An hour ago, we were fighting off a Manticore and Samantha managed to defeat it, and then what I thought was a tree just grabbed her and stomped away. It turned out that it was a troll. Two hungry trolls. They're about fifty feet from here."
"The same thing happened to Richard, I assume," Marinette said.
"Four champions can easily take out two measly trolls," Daisy determinedly said. "I want to form a temporary alliance to rescue Samantha and Richard. Those who agree, say I."
"I," Nick said at once.
"I," Adrien said.
"I," Marinette finished. "Then it's unanimous. But we'll have to come up with a plan, first."
After coming up with a strategy, the four champions quietly surrounded the trolls.
Both of them had ugly gray-brown skin, furry brown tunics, beady red eyes, and sturdy trees for clubs.
One of them, without a doubt, was the creature that Kim had seen in their Care of Magical Creatures class.
The second troll gave a grumbling sort of laugh as Samantha and Richard wriggled in the net that was suspended from the branch of a tree that stood over the trolls.
"Let me go, you good-for-nothing pieces of rubbage!" Samantha snarled.
"If you would just stop thrashing around, I could actually reach our wands," Richard said. "Accio wands! Accio wands!"
"Using a wandless Summoning Charm didn't work the last hundred times, so just quit trying," Samantha muttered.
"Do you at least have a sharp hairpin or something like that to sever the ropes?" Richard asked.
"If I did, we wouldn't have been sitting here for the past hour, now, would we?!" Samantha frustratedly yelled.
"Accio wands. Accio wands!" Richard continued to whisper.
Their wands moved an inch towards them.
"See, it's working!" Richard triumphantly smiled.
"That was the wind, you idiot," Samantha deadpanned.
Adrien's head popped out of a bush and he waved to the captives.
The Ravenclaw and the Twynebud raised their eyebrows but remained silent.
"Diffindo," Adrien whispered.
The poorly-weaved net began to fray.
"Diffindo," Nick said.
The ropes fell apart, creating a small hole.
"Now it's time for the big finale. Sectumsempra!" Marinette said.
The first troll had been cutting up some poor deer, his back turned to the second troll.
A gigantic gash slit itself into the first troll's back.
It roared with anger, whipped around, and picked up his club.
The second troll picked up his own club in response.
Then, Daisy threw a bottle of Erumpent Potion at the trolls, which only made them even angrier at each other.
The two monsters brawled while Samantha and Richard calmly regrouped with their partners.
"Thanks," Daisy whispered.
"See you at nine o'clock, if not sooner," Richard grinned.
The two champions disappeared into the trees.
"Yeah, thank- hey!" Nick protested, his partner leading him away.
"It feels good helping them out," Adrien said.
Marinette nodded and read the list of beasts again.
List of Animals for the First Task:
-5- -4- 3 Acromantulas (Eve and Chris, Daisy and Richard)
1 Blind Basilisk
-50 Cornish Pixies- (Marinette and Adrien)
-2- 1 Manticore-s- (Samantha and Nick)
-2- 1 Chimaera-s- (Eve and Chris)
2 Erumpents
-1 Graphorn- (Daisy and Richard)
1 Sphinx
1 Demiguise
-10 Runespoors- (Eve and Chris)
-25 Doxies- (Samantha and Nick)
-2 Trolls- (Temporary Alliance: Marinette, Adrien, Daisy, and Nick)
-4- -3- 2 Occamys (Daisy and Richard, Marinette and Adrien)
-4 Teboes- (Eve and Chris)
-3- 2 Boggarts (Eve and Chris)
"We all got credit!" Marinette gasped.
"And there's only six more hours to go," Adrien added. "I wonder where the Basilisk is. I would love to earn those five extra points."
"Are you kidding? We are not going to purposely seek out that creature," Marinette firmly said.
"I was joking. Well, maybe," Adrien said.
"Maybe?!" Marinette demanded, flicking a spider off of her sleeve.
She tripped and fell on her hands.
"Eww, why are there spi- Acromantulas. I'm stuck," Marinette whispered. "Adrien, run."
"I'm not going to leave you. I'll protect you, and you'll protect me. That's how it works," Adrien said.
He tried to sever the Acromantula's web.
A spider the size of a bus walked toward them, its pincers twitching.
"I'm fighting that thing, whether you like it or not," Adrien said.
"No!" Marinette shouted.
"Expulso!" Adrien yelled.
The Acromantula was pushed a few yards back.
"Expulso!" Marinette yelled, still stuck in its web.
One of the Acromantula's legs was blasted away.
The beast made a noise of great rage and preyed upon Marinette.
I don't want to die like this, she thought. I still have to confess to Adrien, I still have to defeat Hawkmoth, I-
The Acromantula exploded.
A man Apparated into the forest, collected the giant spider's barely-alive body, and Apparated out.
"What? Why? How?" Marinette asked.
"You forgot that we still have the Erumpent Potion," Adrien grinned.
"Thanks. F-For saving my life," Marinette stuttered.
"You'd do the same for me," Adrien shrugged.
I would do that and more, Marinette thought.
She and Adrien strolled through the forest and learned little tidbits about each other.
Marinette's favorite color was pink and Adrien's was blue.
They both liked Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Adrien hated Every Flavor Beans while Marinette loved them.
"What's your favorite movie?" Adrien asked.
"Favorite movie? What's that?" Marinette asked.
"You don't know what a movie is?" Adrien gasped. "It's a Muggle form of entertainment. It's like watching a moving story. Actors pretend to be certain characters. It can be scary, romantic, funny, or action-packed. Or a combination of those categories."
"So it's a play," Marinette summarized.
Adrien shook his head. "But everything feels so much more real in a movie. For example, The Lion King is a story about taking responsibility for your kingdom. Maybe I can convince my father to let me invite you, Alya, and Nino to watch it over the summer!"
"That sounds cool!" Marinette said.
I MIGHT GO TO HIS HOUSE! she internally screamed.
"Less than four hours left. Sunrise is in an hour," Adrien said.
"Why do you keep checking the time?" Marinette asked.
"It's a thing that my mom and I used to do. This is her old watch, one of the few watches in the world that tell the correct time, down to the second. Whenever we saw other clocks, we would shout how many seconds or minutes off it was. Some people thought we were weird, but it was fun," Adrien smiled.
"The owners of expensive places must've been really annoyed," Marinette giggled.
"The funny thing is that we never explicitly told them to change their clocks. They really hated it when we saw the tiniest of imperfections. But everything has imperfections. In a good way and a bad way," Adrien said.
Except for the moments when I'm with you. The imperfections in those occasions are never bad. Because of you, Marinette thought.
"I have a serious question for you," Adrien said.
"A-Ask away," Marinette stuttered.
"Do you hate me?" Adrien blurted. "You always stammer around me, and you were really pissed on our first day at Hogwarts, and you hide behind the farthest shelf when I go into the library to study, and you just avoid me in general, and I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry, that was a stupid thing to ask, and-"
"I don't hate you!" Marinette squeaked. "I could never hate you! Nobody could ever hate you! I do those things for different reasons, that's all."
"That's great!" Adrien beamed. "You're great. You're a great friend, Mari."
Marinette froze. "Adrien?"
"Hmm?"
"Please tell me you're a Parselmouth."
"I'm not," Adrien confusedly answered. "Why- oh. Which direction is it coming from?"
"Behind us," Marinette gulped. "Turn around. Slowly."
They spun to face the Basilisk.
It was, at the very least, thirty feet long.
It had milky-white eyes and dark green scales as big as dinner plates.
The Basilisk opened its huge mouth to reveal fangs that were longer than Marinette's arm.
"Erumpent Potions don't work against Basilisks, unfortunately," Marinette whispered.
Think, Adrien, think, the Slytherin first-year thought. What works against Basilisks?
The creature circled them, scrutinizing its prey.
"Roosters!" Adrien happily shouted.
"Roosters?" Marinette deadpanned.
Adrien blushed. "One of my old professors taught me about Basilisks, and the crow of a rooster is fatal to it. We just have to Transfigure rocks and stuff into roosters!"
"You better be right!" Marinette said.
The Basilisk finally decided to attack.
Adrien scooped up Marinette bridal-style and leapt out of the Basilisk's way, narrowly dodging its fangs.
"You can let me go now," Marinette nervously laughed.
Adrien carefully put her down and (unsuccessfully) turned a dead branch into a rooster.
The branch, which now had chicken feet and wings, bumped into a tree.
"We have to keep trying!" Marinette said, hopping over the Basilisk's tail.
She Transfigured a rock into a chicken.
"That's a hen, not a rooster!" Adrien pointed out.
"It's not like your mutations are any closer to a real animal," Marinette huffed.
"I'm doing my best," Adrien protested. "There! That's a rooster, right?"
"Do I look like a chicken expert?!" Marinette frustratedly asked.
"I think it's a rooster. I don't know, it could be a turkey or-"
"ADRIEN! Behind you!" Marinette screamed.
The world seemed to pause as the Basilisk's fangs penetrated Adrien's dragon-leather armor.
The grass stopped swaying, the wolves stopped howling, and Adrien became completely motionless.
A small puff of Marinette's breath, a frosty, barely visible, white cloud, escaped her lips.
Time unfroze while Adrien collapsed, a dark stain growing on his left shoulder.
Marinette didn't even notice that it was sunrise and Adrien's rooster crowed, killing the Basilisk on the spot.
For the Gryffindor first-year, all that mattered, all that existed, was the fact that Adrien was hurt and she could've prevented it from happening.
She leapt over the Basilisk's dead body and kneeled next to Adrien.
She frantically dumped out the satchel's contents, uncorked the Healing Elixir, and poured all of it onto Adrien's shoulder.
His wound wasn't improving, so she spilled her own bottle of Healing Elixir onto his injury.
Adrien's skin spread over the gash, but he remained unconscious.
And it was there, in a small clearing of the Forbidden Forest, that Marinette cried next to Adrien for the three hours it took for him to awaken.
"Ma….Mar…..Mari...what happened?" Adrien groaned.
"The B-Basilisk," Marinette sobbed. "It- it- hurt you, and it w-was all m-my f-f-fault-"
Her statement sparked something in Adrien.
"It wasn't your fault! It was mine, okay? Don't put yourself down like that. It was my fault for not being careful enough. Don't blame yourself. You worry me more than any dumb Basilisk fang. Your tears make me cry more than the sight of my own blood. You-"
"The first task of the Triwizard Tournament has ended! I repeat, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament has ended! Champions, please exit the Forbidden Forest as soon as possible."
"It-It's over?" Marinette sniffled.
"It's over," Adrien nodded.
They left the forest hand-in-hand.
…...
"Here are the results of the first task!" Mr. Wood announced. "In fourth place, we have Nicholas Orchard of Joltcastle and Samantha Lakewood of Twynebud with seventy-five points!"
The Joltcastles cheered while the Twynebuds grumbled.
"In third place, we have Daisy Trillkey of Hufflepuff and Richard Weller of Ravenclaw with eighty-three points!" Mr. Wood continued.
The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws clapped.
"In second place, we have Marinette Dupain-Cheng of Gryffindor and Adrien Agreste of Slytherin with eighty-five points, plus the extra five points for defeating the Basilisk, which makes ninety points!" Mr. Wood shouted.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins, along with Marinette and Adrien's classmates, cheered.
"And in first place, we have Christopher Sterling of Vorrsteel and Eve Hendriksen of Mystrik with ninety-one points!" Mr. Wood yelled.
The Vorrsteels and Mystriks went wild.
"That concludes the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Well done!" Headmaster Fu smiled.
The champions' parents, excluding Mr. Agreste, congratulated them.
Gabriel wordlessly strolled to his son and hugged him.
That hug said so many things to Adrien.
You were so brave.
I'm proud of you.
I love you.
And, for the first time in years, Adrien felt like everything was okay again.
…...
Yeah. I know. It's been over a month. I'm sorry. Just know that Chapter 9 will include Ladynoir and some Bridgette x Felix disguised as Adrienette! You'll see what I mean. ;P