Hi everyone!
Sorry for the late chapter. I've been swamped at work this week and fell behind while typing up the chapter. I will most likely be making my updates on Fridays in order to make these posts more consistent. I hope that you enjoy the chapter this week, and as always, please review!
P.S.
I still don't own Harry Potter as J.K Rowling will never give it up. All I can do is play with the world that she created for us to enjoy. All OCs are mine thought unless otherwise stated. Thank you, and happy reading!
Chapter 26
Harry sat quietly between Hermione and Regulus as she ate her breakfast. Hermione ensured that her green-eyed witch only ate a light meal so that she wouldn't embarrass herself by vomiting all over the dragon during the first task.
Harry was confident in her plan for the dragon but was still worried that Cedric was the only one who didn't know what they were up against. Very carefully, she withdrew a note from her pocket and cast a switching spell, swapping the note with the fork currently in Cedric's hand.
The older teen looked down in shock before looking back over at Harry and catching her wink. Cedric scanned the note with his wand, just in case it was a trick, before opening it to reveal its contents. After a few moments, Cedric paled and quickly looked back up to Harry before gesturing to meet him outside. The Potter witch told her friends that she would be right back and followed Cedric out of the room where the two students entered an empty classroom to discuss the first task.
"So," Cedric started, "Dragons?"
"Yep," Harry said, popping the P. "From what I've heard, we will have to steal an egg from nesting mothers."
"Damn!" Cedric cursed. "It looks like you guys were right about someone trying to kill you. I never thought that they'd use dragons in this thing. You ready for this?"
"I'm not too sure if you can ever be ready for dragons," Harry told him with a smile. "So many things could go wrong. However, I have a witch who believes in me. It wouldn't be proper to let her down."
"No," the young wizard said with a grin. "I suppose it wouldn't. I'm going to need to look for a witch of my own soon enough with the dance coming up this Yule. Between dragons and witches, I'm not too sure which is more frightening. A few of my friends want me to ask Cho Chang from Ravenclaw, but I'm undecided. Do you think that the beautiful French champion could be convinced? Then again, I'm fairly certain that she could breathe fire just as well as the dragons! Any advice?"
"I think your priorities should be surviving against these dragons, don't you think?" Harry asked, suppressing her own laughter. "However, I suppose I can help a little. A friend of mine from Ravenclaw has hinted that Chang and her friends are bullying her. I don't know about you, but I can't stand bullies. After this mess with the dragon, I plan to set them straight with a few friends of my own."
"Thanks, Harry," Cedric said as he let out a sigh of relief. "I've heard some rumors myself but didn't know if I could trust them. Chang seems so nice when she isn't surrounded by her friends Davies and Edgecombe. I suppose as a prefect, I should pay more attention to what is going on amongst the other houses as well. Does your friend need any help?"
"Thanks, Cedric," Harry said, glad that her newest friend seemed eager to help. "I think that we can handle it. If we need your help, I will let you know."
"Just remember, Harry," Cedric told her. "Don't go breaking any school rules. I don't want to see you or your friends getting in trouble, even if it is to help your friend."
"Alright," Harry sighed. "If I must."
"Well, we've been gone long enough that I think it's probably best that we get back to our friends," the wizard said as he checked his watch. "Remember what I said, alright Harry?"
"I'll try," she said with a smirk, causing Cedric to roll his eyes as he opened the door for her.
They both made their way back toward the great hall and their friends when Prof. McGonagall intercepted them.
"Lady Potter, Mr. Diggory," the Deputy Headmistress greeted them. "The champions are required to head down onto the grounds immediately. It's time to get ready for the first task."
"Yes, ma'am," said Harry as the rest of the room followed them with their eyes.
"Good luck, Harry," Hermione shouted over the quickly rising chatter in the room.
"Love you," Harry mouthed to her as she followed her professor out of the room.
She quickly left the Great Hall with Prof. McGonagall leading the way, Cedric by her side. The professor didn't seem quite herself this morning. In fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she led Harry and Cedric down the stone steps, out into the cold November afternoon, Prof. McGonagall stopped and placed her hands on their shoulders which surprised both of the teens.
"Now, don't panic," she told them, "Just keep a cool head. We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand. The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you. Are you two doing all right?"
Both of her students merely nodded their heads. They were each at a loss for words after witnessing the unexpected care that the normally stoic witch was showing them.
The professor continued to lead them toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest. When they approached the clump of trees behind where the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected with its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.
"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Prof. McGonagall, in a rather shaky voice, "and wait for your turn. Mr. Bagman is in there. He will be telling you what to expect during the task. Good luck, you two."
"Thanks," Harry and Cedric told her.
Prof. McGonagall left them at the entrance of the tent, watching as both Harry and Cedric went inside.
"You have a plan?" Harry quietly asked the teen beside her.
"Yeah," he whispered back. "I've been modifying it since our talk, but I think it will still work. The extra time to plan has definitely helped. You?"
"Finished it last night," Harry continued nervously. "I just hope it's enough."
Once inside the tent, Harry could see that Fleur and Krum were already present. The French witch didn't look nearly as composed as usual but rather pale instead. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing his nerves. Cedric gave her a small smile, which Harry returned, feeling the muscles in her face working rather hard as though they had forgotten how to do it. The tension in the room wasn't helping.
"Ah!" exclaimed Bagman as he noticed them entering the room. "Harriet! Cedric! Make yourselves at home!"
Harry and Cedric nearly laughed when they saw what the man was wearing. Bagman had somehow squeezed himself into his old Wasp robes, and the poor uniform looked as though it was ready to burst at the seams!
"Now that everyone is here," Bagman said to the group, "we can finally begin with the instructions for the first task! When the audience has finally assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them, "from which you will each select a small model of the creature you are about to face! There are different, hm, varieties you see. I am supposed to tell you something else as well. Ah, yes! Your task is to collect the golden egg that is being guarded in a nest!"
Harry glanced around at her fellow champions. Cedric had nodded once to show that he understood Bagman's instructions and then started pacing around the tent. He looked slightly anxious at what they were about to face. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths. That was certainly how Harry felt right now. But at least they had volunteered for this. Harry would much rather be sitting in the stands with Hermione and Regulus cheering for her new friend. She almost thought it would have been better to let Angelina compete and figure it out on her own before remembering that the witch was just as much a victim as she was.
It didn't take long before Harry and the other champions could hear the stadium being filled with spectators. Hundreds of people could be heard passing the tent, each talking excitedly, laughing, and joking about what was about to take place.
"Ladies first," Bagman said, offering it to Harry.
She carefully entered her hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny model of a dragon, the Hungarian Horntail. The miniature dragon had the number four around its neck.
Next was Fleur, who pulled out the Welsh Green with the number two around its neck. By the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, Harry determined that she had been right. Madame Maxime had indeed told her what was coming.
The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball, which flew and breathed fire over his hand. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink. The Bulgarian wizard just sat back down and stared at the ground.
Finally, Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. He breathed out a sigh of relief, noting that he had pulled out the least dangerous dragon of the lot.
"Alright, champions!" Bagman exclaimed. "There you have it! Take this time to prepare yourselves for the beasts that you are about to face. When you hear your name called, please make your way into the arena. Good luck!"
Each champion looked at the man as if he had lost his mind as he left them behind in the tent.
"Vell," Krum grunted with a resigned smile. "It could be vorse. At least ve do not face Nundu. Da?"
That seemed to set off some nervous chuckles around the room. Even Fleur, who had seemed the most anxious of the group, let out a peel of bell-like laughter at Krum's dry humor, which caused Cedric to think back on his earlier conversation with Harry regarding the beautiful witch.
"Lady Potter?" Fleur asked tentatively.
"Yes?" Harry curiously replied.
"I would like to apologize for zee way zat I treated you during zee selection of champions," the French Veela told her. "I deed not know zat you 'ad it so deefeecult during your time at zis school. I should not 'ave called you a leetle girl. Please forgeeve me. Eef you like, please call me Fleur."
Harry was surprised by her fellow champion's sudden apology. She had thought that Fleur was a stuck-up French witch unable to see those that she viewed beneath her. She was glad to see that the teen, who was obviously a Veela, was able to see past their first awkward meeting.
"Thank you, Fleur," Harry said with a growing smile. "I would also like it if you were to call me Harry."
"Same for me," Krum said, inserting himself into their conversation. "I vas quite rude to ignore you. Please. Call me Viktor."
"Now I just feel left out!" exclaimed Cedric as he joined them. "Harry and I are already on a first-name basis, but my friends call me Ced. I think I would like it if you would all use that name as well. We are in this together, after all."
"Da!" Viktor grunted with a smile. "Vat you say is true. I vish you all the best of luck! May the best Bulgarian vin!"
The four champions bantered back and forth for a bit, each trying in their own way to relax before facing the task before them. It wasn't long before they finally heard the voice of Ludo Bagman reaching out over the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" roared the voice of Bagman, his Sonorus charm allowing all within the stadium to hear him as he riled them up for the tournament. Today we make history as-"
The overexcited crowd shouted in excitement, which was soon followed by the roar of the first dragon.
"Can I please get a round of applause for our first champion, Cedric Diggory!" Bagman roared, signaling that it was time for Cedric to leave the tent.
"Well," Cedric said as he passed Harry to exit the tent. "Wish me luck."
"You've got this, Cedric!" Harry shouted to the older wizard as he made his way into the arena.
The champions were unable to view the other challengers attempting the task, so they were stuck listening to the roars of the dragon while Bagman provided commentary to the crowd. Harry thought that the whole thing was ridiculous as the man was so loud that the dragon was sure to be on alert should Cedric attempt to move undetected.
It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed and gasped as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout.
Krum was still staring at the ground while Fleur had now taken to pacing around and around the tent the same way that Cedric had been doing. Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse. Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as she heard: "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow." "He's taking risks, this one!" "Clever move! Ha! It actually worked!"
Then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing. Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg!
"Very good, Mr. Diggory!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"
But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd, who either booed or cheered in response.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
Fleur was trembling from head to foot once she heard her name being called. Harry was starting to feel warmer toward her than she had previously as the witch was finally showing something other than the snobby persona that she had arrived at Hogwarts with. After collecting herself, the blonde witch left the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand.
Harry and Krum were left alone at opposite sides of the tent, each avoiding the other's gaze as they listened to the battle about to take place outside the tent. Finally, the same process started again.
"Oh, I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Ah! Nearly had it! Careful now. Good lord! I thought she'd had it then!"
Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more. Fleur must have been successful too. A pause while Fleur's marks were being shown, followed by more clapping until the whistle was blown for the third time.
"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, causing Krum to stomp over to the mouth of the tent.
"Good luck Viktor," Harry offered to the Bulgarian as he exited the tent.
"Blagodarya," Krum said on his way to the arena, leaving Harry quite alone.
"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling shortly after Krum's exit.
Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek while the crowd drew its collective breath.
"That's some nerve he's showing!" Bagman continued. "He is the quickest to attack the beasts so far today! And, yes, he's got the egg!"
Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished the task more quickly than either Cedric or Fleur. He was bound to have achieved the highest score so far today
It would be Harry's turn at any moment. She stood up, noticing dimly that her legs seemed to be made of rubber. She waited until, finally, she heard the whistle blow. Harry walked out through the entrance of the tent, panic rising inside of her. Now she was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence, until finally entering the arena.
There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at her from stands that had been magicked there since she'd last stood on this spot. There, at the other end of the enclosure, was the Horntail. The mother dragon was crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled as her evil yellow eyes locked upon him. The monstrous black lizard thrashed her spiked tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground.
The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what was required and focus on the task before her. With a stern expression on her face, Harry stepped forward and cast her first spell of the day.
"Magnum Serpentum!" Harry shouted with her new wand raised high, pushing as much magic as she could into the spell.
Before the eyes of everyone in the audience, an enormous green python rushed out of the tip of her wand, the serpent easily reaching 40 ft in length. Harry followed up the spell with an Engorgio, causing the already giant snake to gain an additional 20 ft, rivaling the basilisk that the young Potter had battled in her second year. The Horntail quickly focused on this new threat, completely ignoring the young witch's presence as she started to run towards some rocks for cover.
"Sweet Merlin!" Bagman's voice excitedly boomed over the now silent audience. "Did Lady Potter just conjure a basilisk?! Hm. I suppose not, otherwise, the dragon would be dead by now. I don't know how potent this spell is, everyone. It may be best to divert your eyes!"
"Restrain the dragon!" Harry hissed, causing the crowd to gasp at her display of Parstletongue. "Don't let it get near the nest while I am there."
"As you command, Speaker," replied the giant constrictor as it rushed towards its foe, its yellow eyes glowing briefly as it moved to strike.
"Parstletongue as well!" Bagman gasped in fright. "I hope we won't be seeing anything too dark now! Dumbledore! What are you teaching here?!"
Harry ignored the man's whinging and quickly disillusioned herself from view before casting an Incarcerous at the dragon's mouth and running to a new location. Thick magical ropes wrapped around the dragon's scaled mouth just as it was about to let loose with a stream of its powerful flames toward her conjuration.
While Harry ran towards the dragon's nest, the massive conjured python lashed out at the Horntail as swift as lightning, quickly wrapping the creature within its coils. The serpent was so long that it was easily able to wrap its body around its dangerous foe and pinned its wings to its sides before raising its head to stare directly into the dragon's eyes. Due to the petrifying effect of Harry's new basilisk core wand, the serpent's gaze was able to freeze the dragon in place long enough for Harry to get to the nest and grab the golden egg!
"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling as he jumped up and down in excitement. "Will you look at that?! Our youngest champion is the quickest to get her egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Lady Potter!"
Having finally sensed Harry's presence at her nest, the Horntail was able to gather enough energy to power through the serpent's petrifying gaze and roared into the sky, the magical ropes snapping from around its toothy maw in the process.
With its binding removed, the dragon was quick to spray molten flames into the face of Harry's python, causing an agonizing hiss to fill the stadium and forcing many in the crowd to cover their ears in pain. Harry's conjuration was enormous, but it was still only the product of a spell. It was no match for the most powerful of magical creatures.
While the conjured serpent was being burned by the dragon, Harry continued to run as quickly as she could toward the exit of the arena and the safety of the wards, the golden egg wrapped safely under her arm. The crowd was cheering, especially the Gryffindors, until a large ripping noise was heard. The dragon had finally become free of its serpentine captor and roared toward the sky in triumph!
The magical behemoth was quick to discover Harry's fleeing form as the young witch had forgotten to mask her scent! The dragon roared once more before chasing after her, flames burning in its throat as it prepared to let loose a torrent of its infernal breath to consume the swiftly escaping witch.
Harry quickly conjured several more serpents, and even a few birds, to distract the approaching beast in order to travel the remaining distance and make her escape. In a burst of flames, each of the conjured animals was turned to ash! A hastily erected Protego was the only thing that saved Harry from being burnt to a crisp as the force of the blast sent her flying threw the air, towards the safety of the wards, as the inferno slammed powerfully up against them!
"Rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" roared the crowd as the stadium rocked in excitement at the display of magic from the raven-haired witch.
"Bravo, Lady Potter!" exclaimed Ludo Bagman over the crowd. "Bravo! I hope that she landed alright. Such an extraordinary display of magic! Please get examined by Madam Pomfrey for any injuries and make your way to the platform to await your scores from the judges!"
Harry heard the dragon keepers rushing out to quickly subdue the Horntail before it could cause any more damage to the wards. Over at the entrance to the enclosure, Prof. McGonagall, Prof. Moody, and Hagrid greeted her as she rose to her feet. Each of them congratulated her with large smiles on their faces. Harry was ecstatic as she regained her feet. She had gotten through the first task! She had survived!
"That was excellent, Potter!" cried Prof. McGonagall as she wrapped Harry in a surprising hug. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score. Over there, she's had to clean up Diggory already. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it could have been"
"Yeh did it, Harry!" said Hagrid hoarsely. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors'-"
"Thanks, Hagrid," said Harry loudly so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder and reveal that he had shown her the dragons beforehand.
Professor Moody looked very pleased, too, his magical eye dancing in its socket.
"Nice going, Lady Potter," he growled out with a grin. "Those were some interesting moves out there. Excellent use of your unusual gifts, if I say so myself. If you ever decide to be an auror, let me know. I may be retired, but I bet I could train you up to be something spectacular!"
"Thank you, sir," Harry said with a grin of her own.
"Right then, Lady Potter, the first aid tent, please," said Professor McGonagall.
Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried.
"Dragons!" she exclaimed in a disgusted tone as she pulled Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles, and she could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be too injured. He was even sitting up on his own and talking with someone.
Harry was fairly certain that Cedric was accompanied by a particular French Veela after hearing familiar laughter coming from behind the canvas. Cedric was lucky that he wasn't overly effected by her allure. Something that the Veela seemed to appreciate a great deal. Harry could hear each of the older champions excitedly chatting about what tactics they used in the arena against the ferocious dragons.
The anxious healer seemed to be ignoring that the two teens were closer than she would have normally allowed of her patients, especially after what they had just faced. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously the entire time.
"Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky that you weren't badly injured!" she said as she finished her scans and grabbed some ointment for the minor burns on the back of her neck from the heat of the dragons' flames.
"Now, just sit quietly for a minute," Madam Pomfrey ordered as she began to apply the purple ointment. "Sit! Then you can go and get your score."
Harry didn't want to sit still. She was too full of adrenaline. She got to her feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before reaching the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside. Hermione quickly wrapped her arms around Harry's waist with Regulus right behind her!
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily as she peppered Harry's face with kisses. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "You were amazing! You really were! Why didn't you tell me you could conjure such an enormous snake? That was incredible!"
"Hermione's right Harry," Regulus said happily as he gave her a kiss of his own. "That was easily the largest conjuration that I've seen you complete yet. Dad and Moony were floored the moment you cast that spell! They were bragging about how they helped you create it over the summer to anyone who would listen."
"Where are they?" Harry asked as Regulus released her from his arms.
"They are sitting next to Mum in the crowd," Regulus told her as he cleaned the dust and ash from her clothes and face. "You know Harry, that was pretty awesome what you did out there. I don't think any of the other champions came close to your time."
"Of course, they can't!" squealed Hermione with a large smile on her face. "You were the quickest to finish, Harry! You grabbed the egg in less than eight minutes and even did it without harming the dragon or the eggs! Not even Krum can claim that!"
"We better hurry up, Harry," Regulus said after kissing her once again for her excellent display of magic and skill.
Picking up the golden egg from the chair she had set it in, Harry quickly fled the tent with her lovely witch and the handsome wizard in tow.
"You were the best, you know, no competition," Hermione said as she intertwined their fingers. "Cedric transfigured a few rocks on the ground and turned them into a couple of sheep. He was trying to make the dragon go for the sheep instead of him. It was a pretty amazing bit of Transfiguration, not as good as your conjuration, but it sort of worked. He did get the egg, but he got a small burn on his arm as well. The dragon changed her mind after eating half of the sheep! Apparently, she decided that she would rather have him, especially once she saw him running with the egg. He had forgotten to disillusion himself as you had and only just got away.
"Delacour tried an unusual charm that I have never heard of before. I believe that she was attempting to put it into a trance. It was a good idea as it went to sleep, but with Bagman's constant commentary, it stirred and a large jet of flame shot out. Her skirt nearly went up in flames! Luckily she was able to put it out with a bit of water from her wand before escaping through the wards.
"Krum didn't even think of flying like I thought he would! He was probably the best after you, though. He hit his dragon with some sort of blinding spell right in the eyes. ("Conjunctivitis curse," Regulus told her.) The only problem with that tactic was that it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs. The judges took points off for that as he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them."
Hermione seemed upset at the loss of the eggs, and Harry couldn't blame her. These beasts were deadly, but they deserved to be treated better than that.
"Don't worry, you two," Regulus consoled them. "Those weren't really viable eggs. Dad told me that he made sure the organizers would swap out the eggs and spray the duds with enough pheromones and musk that the mother dragons would believe that they were theirs. The real eggs are still back at the sanctuary."
"That's fantastic news!" Hermione exclaimed as she continued to rant about how so many magical creatures were treated poorly by the Wizarding World. It was clear she had been worried that the dragon's offspring had been destroyed. If Regulus had not told them this bit of information, Harry was certain that she would have had difficulty sleeping that night.
Hermione drew breath as she, Harry, and Regulus reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, Harry could see where the five judges were sitting at the other end, in raised seats covered in gold.
"The judges will score you from one to ten, depending on how well they think you performed," Regulus told her as they approached.
Harry looked across the field and saw the first judge, Madame Maxime. The large woman raised her wand high in the air, and what looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, twisting itself into a large figure eight.
"Not bad!" Regulus exclaimed as the crowd applauded in approval. "I suppose she took marks off for the burn to your neck."
Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione squealed, her grip on Harry's hand tightening in excitement.
Next, Dumbledore. He also put up a large nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.
After the headmaster came Ludo Bagman with a shining ten!
"Ten?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But I got hurt. What's he playing at?"
"You don't think it was him that put your name in the goblet, do you?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Harry and Regulus made eye contact and immediately shouted, "No way!"
Neither of the teens believed that the frumpy-looking wizard could be a threat to anyone but his old quidditch robes.
Finally, Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too. A silvery six.
"You're in first place, Harry!" Hermione shouted excitedly as cheers erupted from the stadium. "You've beaten the other champions! I knew you could do it!"
Harry's heart felt lighter than air as she turned to leave the enclosure. It wasn't only the Gryffindors cheering in the crowd. When it had finally come to it, when they had seen what she was facing, most of the school had been on her side. She didn't care about the Slytherins. She could stand whatever they threw at her now, knowing the school had her back.
The champions were requested to meet up in the tent now that the task was complete. Fleur, Cedric, and Krum all came in together. Cedric's arm was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn, his other hand preoccupied with the hand of Fleur. Cedric grinned at Harry when he saw her and mouthed 'Thank you' before finding a comfortable position in the room to await Bagman.
"Well done, all of you!" said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent, looking as pleased as though he personally had just gotten past a dragon. "Now, just a few words before you get back to the school. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth. However, we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open. See the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg! This clue will tell you what the second task is and enable you to prepare for it! Understood? Well, off you go, then!"
Harry left the tent, rejoined Hermione and Regulus, and they each started to walk back around the edge of the forest as they spoke animatedly about the task. Harry wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Then, as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Harry had first heard the dragons roar, a black dog leapt out from behind them.
"Padfoot!" Harry exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around the shaggy dog.
"Hey there, kiddo!" Sirius replied after shifting back to his human form. "That was some excellent work you did out there. Remus asked me to say the same, as he needed to get back to the Prophet to write up the article for tomorrow's paper. Calliope also wished to say hello, but she has been feeling under the weather lately and returned to the manor."
"Is everything alright?" Regulus asked, worried for his mother's health.
"Everything is fine," Sirius said as he wrapped his arm over his son's shoulders. "You know how she is. The woman can't sit still and always needs some project to work on to keep her busy. I think you three will love what she has been working on once we have you back home for the holidays. The project I've been working on should be finished by then as well. This winter holiday should be quite the event! Have you three decided how you plan to work out your arrangements for the Yule dance?"
"I may have thought of something," Harry said before winking at her godfather. "When will we be seeing you next?"
"I will be picking you up with Remus at King's Cross the day after the dance," Sirius said after catching his goddaughter's wink. He already knew Harry's plan for the ball as they had been writing to each other and scheming for the past month. Sirius thought that it was a marvelous prank and that his son and goddaughter-in-law were in for an unexpected surprise. Sirius' wand let off a small bark, reminding him that it was time to leave.
"Sorry, pups," the Marauder said as he checked his wand. "It's time that I head back. Let me know what you make of the egg. If you need any advice, I'm just a mirror call away!"
Having said his peace, Sirius flamed away, leaving the teens alone on the trek back towards Hogwarts.
"Well," Regulus said as he took the large golden egg from Harry and tucked it under his arm. "I suppose we better head back. I believe I heard something about a party to celebrate your victory."
With Harry in the middle, Hermione and Regulus each grabbed one of her hands before marching back up to the school. Harry thought about the Yule dance and about the surprise she had planned. She was certain that Regulus would enjoy his surprise, but she was a little worried about how Hermione would feel about hers.
She decided that all she could do was place one foot in front of the other and enjoy being in the presence of the two that she loved most. Everything else would fall into place. She was sure of it.
Feeling mischievous, Harry squeezed their hands tightly and flamed the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower, never hearing the sharp squeak of agony as a small beetle was burnt to a crisp before falling from its hiding spot in Hermione's bushy hair.
Rita Skeeter had planned to gather some information against the Potters and Blacks in order to regain her freedom. Sirius' machinations from earlier in the year, when he discovered her secret, had grated on her nerves and limited the types of stories that she could write. However, Rita was a fool to think that the bad karma she had built up over the years would never come back to bite her in the ass. Due to the constant vitriol that was ever-present in her articles, no one would mourn the passing of this particular bug.
It's too bad that Sirius and Remus never got more use out of the witch before she was unexpectedly fired.