There were two days before the First Task and Harry was feeling progressively worse. The other champions were all acing their classes, smart enough to know what the Task would be and what they would have to do. Harry was barely passing. He couldn't cast many spells perfectly and his accio just wasn't working. Hermione had been helping him practise, and he had gotten advice from Professor Moody, but nothing seemed to be working. The best he could do was summon a pencil sitting than a metre away, but even then it would drop at his feet. He just wasn't very good at magic in general.
Ron and Hermione didn't act as though they were hiding anything anymore, and Harry was forever grateful. They were trying to play it cool, he knew that, but none the less, he was thankful that they were trying for his sake. Hermione was looking for ways to help him with the task, even though she knew she wasn't supposed to. Harry was proud of her; she was going against the rules for him.
The only plus side to this whole thing was that Hagrid was taking him to see what the First Task was. Harry didn't know whether to be excited or not, but it was a good thing regardless. He would at least be getting a heads-up, that way he would know what to train for. Perhaps he could tell the others. As soon as the thought came into his head, he erased it. They were pinning badges with Potter Stinks all around the school. It wasn't very nice for Harry, the other champions didn't deserve this sort of help from him.
Harry knocked on Hagrid's wooden door. It felt like ages since he'd been there, to see the half giant with whom he'd become so close to. He had been too busy with his school work to really sit down and chat with Hagrid and even now he wouldn't be talking for long; he'd be going to see what the First Task was.
Hagrid opened the door, beaming. He looked down and ushered Harry inside. "You brought the cloak?" he asked quietly. Harry nodded, rolling his eyes as though 'of course'. He'd been told that he had to bring it, and he would have anyway, because how else was he supposed to sneak back into the tower?
The two went inside the cottage briefly, exchanging general pleasantries. "Always a pleasure to see you, Harry," Hagrid said cheerfully.
Harry nodded. "Of course," he smiled. He did miss the half giant when he didn't see him for however long. He was so strange, with his passion for all sorts of creatures. He always managed to have something dangerous which he loved. The arachnids – let's not go there, Harry thought with a shiver, remembering what happened with Aragog, their leader, in the Forest during first year
Hagrid smiled and offered his dog, Fang, a piece of steak. "That should keep him entertained. Shall we?"
Harry nodded. "Of course," he replied, following behind Hagrid as they left the hut.
The two approached the Forbidden Forest and Harry covered himself with his father's invisibility cloak. Hagrid barely looked down as the boy disappeared, knowing he would still be beside him. Harry followed as they passed trees, weaving through the Forest. He'd had so many bad experiences with this Forest. It wasn't one to take lightly.
Harry heard voices. At first he thought that it was the Centaurs, but he could also hear the sounds of something else, something much larger. He nervously followed Hagrid as they moved towards the noises. There were also lights, which Harry could see as they were approaching.
Laughter could be heard as they got closer still. Hagrid stopped behind some bushes and motioned for Harry to stay there and watch. Despite Hagrid not being able to see, Harry nodded.
Harry peeked over one of the bushes, and almost fell onto the ground in shock.
There, in the clearing, were a group of cages. Inside the cages were dragons.
Harry felt himself begin to hyperventilate. He couldn't fight a dragon! He didn't know enough to be able to control his magic, to do something that a dragon wouldn't be able to fight. From what he'd heard, they were strong creatures that didn't listen to anyone. Of course, he knew that the Vikings didn't kill them...did that mean there was another way for Harry to complete the First Task?
Hagrid walked confidently towards the centre of the group, where a gathering of wizard was formed. Harry could see Ron's brother, whom he'd met briefly once, inside the group. It made sense, now that he thought about it. Charlie worked with dragons, and here was a bunch of them.
Harry watched the conversation between the dragon men and Hagrid before scanning the area and looking at the dragons. He didn't know much about them off the top of his head - that was Hermione's thing - but he knew enough to know that they were all dangerous. The game creators had gone all out this year.
Most of the dragons appeared to be settled in their small cages, but there was one which stood out. It was a large, green coloured dragon. Its head was held proudly as it stood on its two legs. Its tail was swinging warningly around his body, his teeth bared. Harry could tell he wasn't a happy chappie and he knew he wouldn't last long, especially not with this one.
The group split apart for a moment, Hagrid moving towards one of the dragons. Harry stepped closer, trying to hear what they were saying. It wasn't like they would be able to see him or anything.
"- see the dragons soon," one of the keepers said, making Harry wonder as to what they were talking about.
Hagrid nodded. "Ah, yes. How's it all going, anyway?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. Of course, Harry thought. Hagrid loved dragons; had all his life. That made sense now.
Ron's brother nodded, but Harry could tell that something was holding him back. "It's all good. We're just having a few issues..." he said.
Hagrid looked up, his eyes blazing with both worry and curiosity. "How so?" he asked.
One of the other keepers gestured to the dragon that was standing high and proud. "The Horntail, we just can't seem to get through to it," he explained.
Hagrid glanced at the Horntail with a look of awe. Harry would have laughed, but the Horntail seemed to look directly at him. He swallowed and moved, the eyes of the dragon following his every move.
None of the keepers noticed, Harry was thankful, but they did look up. Harry looked up too, hearing a familiar whistling sound shooting towards the clearing. Harry had heard the sound all too often, yet he'd never understood who or what it was.
There was the loud, ear piercing screech, before a loud explosion lit up the sky. A purple light spread in a circular pattern, leaving Harry stunned on the ground. He watched as a large black creature shot towards the ground. He wanted to run forwards, to warn the wizards, but they were looking up with annoyance. Hagrid looked in awe, but he always did around danger.
The large black creature landed lightly on the ground, barely making a sound. Harry tumbled back as he watched with wide eyes at what was happening. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was a dragon standing in the middle of the clearing, just near the people. The keepers didn't look very happy about it, either. They looked incredibly annoyed. Harry had to wonder why.
Harry looked at the large black creature in fear. It was large, majestic, long and silent. Its movements couldn't be quieter if it tried, well, Harry thought bitterly, it probably could, but he wasn't about to think about why it would need to.
The dragon opened Its mouth and growled loudly at the keepers, making them jump back. All the dragons in the cadges stood up instantly, listening to the black dragon. Harry knew instantly that this was the leader of the dragons, the one who could control them if all else failed.
Hagrid looked at the black dragon with a small smile on his face. Harry laughed at him. Of course he would be thinking of that sort of thing! Hagrid just loved dragons. Harry couldn't understand why though. Of all things to love.
"Easy there, bud. It's alright," Harry heard a somewhat familiar voice. He looked around, searching for the source of the voice. He found it, in the one place he never thought he would. Hiccup was sitting on top of the dragon. Harry almost fainted with fright.
Hiccup hopped off the dragon and placed his hand onto his nose. The dragon immediately lifted his head to meet the boy's hand, causing Hiccup to grin. The large beast was practically putty in Hiccup's hands! Harry was shocked, to say the least. Was that what they did to the dragons now? Made them into pets? Harry could feel some sort of resentment towards the treatment, though he couldn't bring himself to hate the boy. He found himself admiring the boy, that he was able to tame such a creature.
"Hiccup! What a nice surprise," 0ne of the keepers said, in anything other than a pleasant voice. Harry found himself disliking the man already, just for talking to Hiccup that way.
Apparently, though, Harry wasn't the only one who was protective over him: the black dragon hissed and curled himself around Hiccup, making it clear that he wasn't going to let them touch him. Hiccup calmed the dragon down instantly, just by talking to him in a hushed voice. Harry knew that this dragon would do anything for Hiccup; it was more than just having him controlled. Hiccup hadn't forced the dragon to do anything, it was all free will. This concept was new to Harry, but he liked it. He was proud of Hiccup.
Hiccup turned back to the keepers. "Thought I'd just drop by," he said lightly.
Ron's brother stepped forwards and smiled. "Always a pleasure, Hiccup. But we've already put the dragons to bed," he said, implying very much so that he didn't want Hiccup around. Harry got the sense that the keepers were intimidated by the small, one legged boy. He couldn't help but find it hilarious.
Hiccup shrugged as he looked around at the dragons, all standing tall and watching the black dragon curiously. "Well, it appears to me as though they aren't asleep."
One of the other keepers looked around, as though noticing for the first time that the dragons were all standing tall and awake. He muttered a curse under his breath but looked back to greet Hiccup happily. "Shouldn't be a problem," he said. Harry didn't understand why they disliked Hiccup so much. How could one hate a boy like that anyway?
Hiccup sighed. "Look, I just came to give some fish to Razor Neck, and then we'll be off. So please, let's not get nasty about this? I've had enough to deal with today without you three ruining the rest of it," he snapped, making the dragon hiss at the keepers. Harry wondered how Hiccup had found the dragon, or, more to the point, how they had come to have this relationship. He also realised that he didn't care, just that he hoped the dragon wouldn't get in the way of their own relationship...if there would ever be one.
Charlie laughed and moved aside, giving Hiccup access to one of the cages, the one containing the Horntail. Hiccup smiled and walked forwards. Harry wanted to leap out and tell Hiccup that it was too dangerous, that he should go back and leave the dragon alone, be safe. But he couldn't. He took one step too far already.
The black dragon swivelled his head and his eyes immediately pinned onto Harry's. Harry blinked rapidly, hoping he was imagining it. But no, the black dragon was staring directly at Harry, green eyes locked onto his own. Harry could see a sneer forming on his lips, his teeth showing. He didn't like Harry, that much was clear. Harry moved back slowly, the green eyes following his every movement. Once he was back in the bushes, out of hearing range, the black dragon nodded his head to himself and followed Hiccup.
Hiccup looked at his dragon briefly, before reaching into the saddle bag. The black dragon waited patiently for Hiccup to fish out whatever it was that he needed, not moving. The dragon was quite a nice little creature for Hiccup, but Harry doubted anyone else could control him.
Harry watched as the Horntail leaned forward, sniffing Hiccup's hands. Hiccup pressed the fish forward, into the Horntail's mouth. The dragon sniffed it, making sure that nothing was wrong with it, before dragging it out of his hands and throwing into the air. He caught it and swallowed the fish whole, causing Harry to laugh out loud quietly. It wasn't loud enough for any of the wizards to hear though, of course.
Hiccup laughed and gave the Horntail another piece of fish. The black dragon nudged Hiccup in the back, probably asking for some of his own. Hiccup chuckled and whispered something to him, which Harry couldn't hear from where he was. Harry assumed that the dragon would be receiving some fish later, though, from the happy looks the dragon was sending Hiccup.
The Horntail made a few clicking sounds, before it surprised Harry. In all the time that he'd been watching the dragon, it had been poised and proud, but it lowered down onto the ground, tucking in its legs and covered its head with its large wings. Harry realised that it had just put itself to sleep. Hiccup laughed gently at it, whispering something, then getting onto the black dragon once again.
Hiccup sent the keepers a wave before the dragon shot off into the sky, his wings making the whistling sound which Harry had heard so often before. Well, at least he knew what the sounds were.
Harry decided he'd seen enough. He walked back towards the castle quickly and even more to his Common Room. He knew his friends would have waited up for him, of course. They knew that Harry would be facing dragons all along. Of all the creatures to be up against, it had to be dragons. How was he supposed to deal with them?
As soon as he reached the Common Room, Hermione and Ron leapt at him, bombarding him with questions. Most of them involved which dragons he liked the most, who he saw, how they acted, what he would do with them. That sort of thing. Hermione did suggest that he ask Hiccup some tips on how to befriend the dragons, but Harry knew that that was not the way that Hiccup dealt with them. He controlled them, nothing more, and nothing less.
"I don't know how I'm going to be able to finish the task, though," Harry mumbled.
Ron and Hermione instantly shut up and looked at their friend, a mixture of emotions running through their eyes. They knew before Harry did, yet they couldn't tell him, and that made them sad. They also felt bad for their friend because they wouldn't be able to help him very much. That really annoyed them.
Hermione put her hand onto Harry's shoulder lightly and smiled reassuringly. "Harry, you've gone up against Voldemort, numerous times, a basilisk and a werewolf. You can handle a dragon," she said.
The way she said it did make Harry feel a bit better. He still didn't have a clue as to how he would be able to get past the dragon, though. They were fast and they could see Harry even with the invisibility cloak. Harry shivered as he remembered the blazing green eyes from Hiccup's black dragon. They were scary eyes, that was for sure.
"But what if it's not good enough? What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked.
Ron patted his other shoulder lightly, trying to be supportive – but this was Ron. It didn't work. "What did Mad Eye tell you?"
Harry paused for a moment. He looked up and out the window thoughtfully. "To use what I'm good at," he murmured.
Hermione nodded. "And what are you good at?"
Harry looked around for a moment, not sure what he was. "Flying, Quidditch...um, that's about it."
Hermione nodded. "Right, well, why don't you use your broom to fly past the dragon?" she suggested.
Harry jerked his head up, an idea suddenly popping into his head. "Accio!" he said, louder than he'd intended, and he hoped that none of the other Gryffindors had heard his loud shouts.
Hermione grinned. "Exactly. Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," she said smugly.
Harry grinned too, liking the idea. Though they would have to work, he had a chance. And that was enough for him to be happy.
Hiccup sighed. It was the morning of the First Task and he wasn't sure how Razor Neck would go. He still wouldn't let the keepers near him. They were preparing the dragons for the arena, attaching the collars and such to them, but leaving them in their cages. Hiccup could only approach the dragon with Toothless behind him, but that made him feel safe, so he didn't mind.
The rest of the Vikings were done and were sitting in the stands to watch the Task. Hiccup was almost done, but he had to stay with the keepers to help switch the dragons over between the turns. He knew that the keepers were doing this to stop him from interfering with the turn, but he couldn't help the way he felt. Dragons shouldn't be treated like this.
Hiccup sat with Toothless as they waited for the announcers. The first dragon was already in the ring, the Swedish Short Snout. Fishlegs had done a fabulous job of training the dragon. He only struck when the attacker made moves towards the egg, rather than just moving to defend himself. Moon Finger was smart in himself, he knew that this was the real deal and that he couldn't mess around as he had been with Fishlegs during training.
Toothless curled up beside Hiccup, allowing him to lean back. Hiccup smiled and leaned against the wings of the dragon, gazing up at the sky. Toothless purred slightly, the sound coming from his throat, as he nudged Hiccup. Hiccup smiled and nodded. "Yep, as soon as the day's over, we are taking a long flight," he said, making Toothless give a happy sounding bark.
Hiccup smiled and looked around. None of the keepers were there since they were all too afraid of Toothless, and with good reason. He was a pretty scary dragon when he wanted to be. Toothless could kill from a distance: he had deadly aim.
After a while, Hiccup could hear the sounds of a bell. He knew that now was the real thing. The Tournament had begun. He tried to turn his attention elsewhere, knowing that the dragon in the ring was about to get pounded. Toothless watched his rider, knowing that he was uncomfortable. He gave Hiccup a lick along his side, trying to cheer him up.
Hiccup grinned and tackled the dragon's head into a head lock. Toothless was quick to get out of it and pounced on Hiccup, trapping him beneath his strong legs. He stared into Hiccup's eyes triumphantly and Hiccup gave a groan of surrender. Toothless gave a throaty laugh and hopped up, sitting onto his back legs and giving Hiccup big eyes.
Toothless watched as Hiccup kicked some dirt from the ground at him, then kicked some dirt of his own at Hiccup. The boy laughed and kicked some more dirt, making Toothless flap a wing against the air, sending a mass of dust flying towards Hiccup.
Hiccup coughed and waved the dust away, sending a small glare at Toothless. He always seemed to find a way to win their games. It was just the way they were. But Hiccup didn't mind. He would rather lose to Toothless than beat him, because the one time that had happened, Toothless didn't talk to him for an hour. It was horrible. Not that the dragon talked to him usually, but he was more subdued that normal and didn't want to play his usual games with Hiccup. So Hiccup learned quickly that the dragon should win. Not that Hiccup ever could now. The dragon was stronger and wasn't going to let Hiccup win so easily.
There were more sounds from the arena, including a very angry sounding dragon. Toothless grumbled and leant down, covering his ears with his paws. Hiccup sighed and walked towards him, putting his hand on his head reassuringly. Toothless barely made any acknowledgement that Hiccup was there, he was too busy hiding the fact that one of his fellow dragons was in the arena, probably being injured.
"It's alright, bud. The keepers may be idiots, but they won't deliberately injure the dragons," Hiccup said. Toothless opened his previously closed eyes to look at Hiccup. Hiccup smiled gently and nodded, assuring him. Though Hiccup also needed the reassurance, he felt it more necessary to help with the dragon.
One of the keepers, Charlie Weasley, walked out of the arena in search for Hiccup. He wasn't surprised to see that Hiccup was leaning against Toothless, but his irritation was evident. He walked over angrily, a scowl on his face. "We have to change the dragons over. Common Welsh Green next," he said.
Hiccup nodded and hopped to his feet. Toothless stood up and shook his scales, following Hiccup. Grass Glow was waiting patiently in his cage for something to happen. Astrid and Stormfly had explained to him that this was the important day, that after this, he wouldn't have to do much so Grass Glow was prepared to give it his best shot.
Grass Glow was let out, a silver chain the only thing stopping him from moving around. Hiccup attached the silver to Toothless' saddle, having made an attachment for it previously. He had originaly made it to fly Razor Neck, but he'd never gotten the chance. Perhaps after the First Task.
Hiccup walked Grass Glow towards the arena. The dragon huffed proudly, steam bellowing out of his nose. Hiccup smiled and let him walk into the familiar arena of his own accord. He knew what to do. One of the other keepers walked in and took the metal chain, casting a spell so that it would lock.
Once Grass Glow was secured, Hiccup and Toothless went back to a shady patch of grass behind the arena. Toothless sat down, allowing Hiccup to lean up against him. Hiccup sighed heavily and rested his head on Toothless' paw, leaning mainly on the grass, staring up at the sky.
"This competition is stupid," Hiccup muttered.
Toothless made grumbles of agreement. Hiccup laughed at him slightly. Of course Toothless hated the competition, the keepers weren't exactly being nice to his fellow dragons. He also didn't like how his Viking was putting his life on the line for their tournament. It wasn't fair in Toothless's eyes.
"They seemed to be doing an alright job without us," Hiccup said. Toothless gave him a pointed look and Hiccup laughed. "Ok, so maybe they weren't. But did they really need us?" Toothless shook his head thoughtfully, looking up at the sky. "I mean, it's not like they actually want us here. Those keepers are making it clear that they don't."
Toothless nudged Hiccup's head, trying to calm him down. Hiccup smiled and gently scratched the dragons head. Toothless mumbled appreciatively, but he knew that Hiccup was still wound up.
Hiccup sighed against Toothless. The dragon leaned against the ground, his eyes watching his Viking warily. He always worried for Hiccup, there were so many things that could go wrong with a person like him. Toothless knew that Hiccup was one of the most poorly designed Vikings, but he still cared for him. He looked after his Viking more than any other dragon did.
The Welsh Green was led back into his cage, much to Hiccup's surprise, fairly clean of wounds. He greeted the dragon and comforted him, calming him down as he settled back into his cage after the round. Toothless watched the exchange from behind, not wanting the scare Grass Glow any more.
Charlie told Hiccup to lead the Chinese Firebolt out next. Hiccup nodded and went to the cage with the large dark dragon. It eyed Hiccup before allowing him to touch him. Hiccup smiled and opened the door, letting the large dragon outside and into the larger area. He waited patiently for Hiccup to grab the chain, before he followed behind carefully.
Despite the trainer of the Firebolt, Fire Starter was pretty well trained. Hiccup had to assume that it was because Snotlout was such a harsh guy on the dragon, he was happy to be in the safe hands of Hiccup. Hiccup could understand that, Snotlout did work his dragons a bit much, but his methods usually worked, especially with Hookfang and his fiery temper.
Charlie and Kingsley took the position and tied Fire Starter to the arena floor. Hiccup watched the dark dragon give one last look towards him, before resuming an attacking stance. Hiccup had to hope that the wizard going against him wouldn't create any lasting wounds, but he knew it was wishful thinking.
Kingsley came walking over to Hiccup after watching some of the round with the Firebolt. His face looked grim, and Hiccup automatically assumed the worst. "Harry's got the Horntail."
Yep, there it is. Hiccup swallowed loudly. Razor Neck was the least trained of all the dragons. He was wild, couldn't care less about where his shots were fired. He would probably love to kill the one reaching for the egg. Hiccup wished that he could give Harry some tips for how to deal with the dragon, but there was nothing that he could do. Nothing to prevent what was to come.
"Can't he swap?" Hiccup asked. Toothless nudged his head under Hiccup's arm, demanding attention, trying to take his Viking's mind off of Harry and the dragon, but it didn't seem to work. Hiccup was worrying about the safety of a wizard. This was one of the few things that he never actually thought he would have to deal with.
Kingsley shook his head. "No. its set, once it's drawn out of the hat, that's the dragon that they face," he replied.
Hiccup shivered slightly. This wasn't looking too good for Harry. He walked over to the furious dragon and looked up at him. Razor Neck looked down hotly, his breath coming out in scorching puffs. Hiccup sighed and reached his hand up, trying to get his head down.
Razor Neck crowed loudly and refused, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. He was beginning to get difficult again. Hiccup looked to Toothless for help, but Toothless was too busy hissing at the larger dragon.
Hiccup gently placed a hand on his best friend, telling him that fighting wasn't good. It wasn't going to help, either. Toothless looked to Hiccup, before looking back at Razor Neck. He hissed again and Hiccup sighed.
"Come on, bud. He's not worth it," Hiccup said.
Razor Neck leapt forwards in the cage, barely shuddering the bars, making moves to Hiccup. Hiccup leapt back, slightly fearful, as Razor Neck pounded against the bars, trying to reach the boy.
Toothless jumped up and leapt straight for the bars, hissing and screaming at the dragon contained. Hiccup didn't have the strength to tell him to stop, he was too busy bringing his breathing back to a regular pace. It wasn't every day that he was attacked by a huge dragon such as this one.
Razor Neck leapt for Toothless, hissing and screaming, flaring his brilliant, sharp wings. Toothless was having none of it, snapping his powerful jaws, flaring his own black wings, standing on two legs to get more height.
Hiccup watched Toothless' swing his tail back and forth, his agitation shown through that. Toothless hissed and Hiccup watched in shock as he prepared a plasma blast. He shot the purple blast at the ground, making Razor Neck jump to avoid being hit by the rebounds.
Toothless sneered at Razor Neck and clawed at the bars, to no effect – the bars were enchanted. He hissed angrily and shot another blast at the ground. He was skilfully missing the dragon, still in his conscious mind, knowing that harming this dragon could mean dangerous penalties for his Viking. He still knew that Hiccup was his top priority in this whole thing.
That was the main reason that Toothless was fighting Razor Neck anyway. Because he had threatened Hiccup and that was a no go. Toothless would not allow anyone to touch Hiccup in a bad way, he just wouldn't. He was his.
Charlie and Kingsley stormed over to Hiccup angrily. Toothless didn't turn around, his attention still on the fight. Hiccup looked at them, his expression worried.
"Can't you get them to stop?" Charlie demanded, over the noise.
Hiccup shook his head. "They won't listen to me now. They are too deep in their fight," he replied.
Kingsley glared at Hiccup. "Well get them to stop before they end up killing each other."
Hiccup looked at the fight. "He's just protecting me. He knows what will happen if he hurts Razor Neck," he said assumingly. He knew that Toothless would do the right thing. He was a smart dragon.
Charlie glared at Hiccup, then Toothless, then back again. "Well do something," he snapped.
Hiccup sighed, but shook his head. "There's nothing I can do. Unless you plan on throwing yourself between the fight, I suggest you wait until he has shown his dominance over Razor Neck," he explained.
Before Hiccup could say anything else, Charlie gripped Hiccup and pulled him close to his body, pinned against him. Hiccup tried to escape, but the wizard held firm around his neck. Hiccup glared out, looking at Toothless. He knew that this was Charlie's way of getting the dragon to stop.
"He's not going to -" Hiccup gasped as Charlie pressed further on his throat, cutting off his air.
Toothless turned around at the sound of his Viking's distressed voice. He narrowed his eyes on Charlie and strode forwards purposefully. Charlie took a few steps back, dragging a wheezing Hiccup with him. Hiccup looked to Toothless with begging eyes, not liking this position at all.
Charlie looked down at Hiccup, the hatred that he'd felt for so long showing in his eyes. Hiccup glared up at him, but he couldn't look directly up or turn, because of the force on his neck. "Perhaps this should teach your pet a lesson," he spat the word 'pet' as though it was vermin, but Hiccup couldn't bring himself to care much.
Toothless, however, did. He growled loudly and crouched into a fighting stance, wings flared, teeth bared, claws outstretched. He flicked his tail behind him and Hiccup knew that Charlie was in for it now and for once, Hiccup didn't want to stop the fight. Charlie deserved it.
Charlie held strong, but his body was shaking just a bit. Hiccup rolled his eyes inwardly, too busy focusing on the fact that it was difficult to breathe. His grip loosened and Hiccup took a deep, much needed breath. Toothless glanced at his Viking briefly before aiming a plasma blast at his head.
Toothless didn't get the chance to actually shoot the blast, as a stream of boiling fire shot past his head and towards Charlie. It missed Hiccup entirely, catching the head of the wizard. Hiccup was released and he fell to the ground heavily.
Hiccup watched as Charlie glared at him, his head dark from the fire remains. He had to laugh, it was pretty funny.
As soon as Hiccup was released, Toothless ran over to him and protectively covered his body with his wing. He looked down with his head to make sure that Hiccup was alright, nudging him with his nose. Hiccup smiled and gave the dragon a rewarding smile.
Hiccup looked around as he stood up. His eyes trailed over to Razor Neck, who wasn't furiously looking at Hiccup, rather at Charlie. Hiccup walked towards Razor Neck and reached his hand tentivly towards him. He knew immediately that this dragon had been the one to shoot the fire at Charlie. He was protecting Hiccup, just as Toothless had been. He felt a sense of pride for the large dragon.
Razor Neck looked down at Hiccup, looking along his body and checking for wounds. Hiccup had to smile, Toothless had already beat him there. He met his hand at the cage, clicking his tongue happily. Hiccup smiled and gave him a scratch behind the chin, just where he could reach.
Jeremy approached Hiccup, for what seemed to be the first time in a long time. He looked apologetic and stopped just near Toothless. He'd met the Night Fury several times, but he hadn't stopped to actually acknowledge him before. Hiccup wasn't surprised, all the three keepers had been assigned a dragon to look after, Charlie just happened to have two. Not that he really looked after Razor Neck at all.
"Sorry about him, he's just a little bit on edge at the moment," Jeremy apologised.
Hiccup shrugged and stepped up next to Toothless. "He was just trying to break up the fight," Toothless grumbled anyway, not liking how his Viking was taking this so lightly. He was just ATTACKED! Surely that warranted some annoyance of his part. But Toothless knew that Hiccup wasn't the one to get angry. Much.
Jeremy shook his head, looking at the Horntail. "Well, we're all under a lot of stress right now."
Hiccup nodded slowly. "I know. Doesn't exactly warrant him to choke me," he added.
Jeremy looked down, ashamed for his fellow keeper. "We're all stressed. Him especially."
Hiccup scoffed. "He's not the one who has to worry about Razor Neck screwing up all the time."
"But he does. Harry's facing him." And just like that, Hiccup paled. He knew that Harry was going to have to face one of the dragons, and he wasn't happy about that, but facing Razor Neck? That wasn't a good thing. Firstly, Hiccup couldn't be sure if the dragon would attack wildly without thought, secondly he knew that the dragon wouldn't stop once Harry had gotten the egg.
Hiccup sighed and looked at Toothless briefly. "He's not the only one that's worried, then."
Jeremy shrugged slightly. "His mum is making him take extra care because of Harry. She'll freak when she finds out that Harry's facing the Horntail."
Hiccup hadn't heard of the mum before, but he could tell that she was one of the worrying ones. Hiccup didn't have a mum himself, so he didn't know what it felt like, but his dad was overprotective of him.
"Well, he won't be the only one, I stand by that," Hiccup said, referring to Charlie.
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. You would be too, I assume. I heard you were friends with him?"
Hiccup shrugged. "Well, I think so, but I can't be sure. We're close enough for me to be worried about whichever dragon he faced," he explained.
Jeremy gave Hiccup a sideways glance, before saying, "Well, he is a pretty important wizard."
Hiccup didn't question it, he'd heard it before. He just didn't know what Harry had done to make him so famous. It must have been something pretty impressive, with the care that the wizards were giving him, Dumbledore especially. He didn't seem to have many friends, but Hiccup figured that that was his own choice.
Jeremy turned his gaze onto Razor Neck. Hiccup looked up too, hoping with all his energy that he would behave and Harry would come out unscathed. He didn't know what he would do if one of his friends was injured because of his dragon. Well, it might be Harry's fault for entering the Tournament in the first place, but it didn't mean Hiccup wouldn't have felt bad if Harry got himself injured because of it.
"You might want to talk to Charlie," Jeremy said, walking away.
Hiccup glared at his retreating figure. Talk to him? After the way that he just treated him? No way. No way. Toothless agreed wholeheartedly. He didn't want his Viking putting himself in any unnecessary danger.
The Firebolt finished his round, and Hiccup sighed. It was time to finally put Razor Neck to the test. Hiccup hoped that he wouldn't do anything rash, anything which could jeopardize the safety of Harry or the wizards around him.
Harry swallowed nervously as Viktor Krum came through the tent doors and back out to his numerous fans, a golden egg in his hands. It was his turn. He knew which dragon he was facing, the Hungarian Horntail, the fiery dragon which Harry had seen earlier. It still haunted him, and now he was facing it.
There were loud roars, ones that came from the Horntail, Harry assumed. They stopped for a moment and Harry was given the 'go ahead' look from someone in the tent. He didn't recognise the guy, but he knew that he was just here to help make sure the Tournament ran smoothly.
Harry nervously pulled out his wand, his fingers shaking, and stepped into the sunlight. Immediately, the people filling the arena stands clapped and made it known that they were cheering Harry on. He looked around. The field was once used for Quidditch, his favourite sport, but had been turned into a rock field.
He glanced at the centre where a dragon, the dragon, was attached to the ground by a long metal chain attached to his neck. The Horntail hissed at him, catching his eye and baring his teeth. Harry watched warily as the dragon flared his large brown wings in a menacing manner and brought his head up to maximum height, standing on his two legs proudly. He was clearly enjoying not being in the cage, Harry thought bitterly.
The dragon made a sound from the back of his throat, before a red flame was thrown in Harry's direction. Harry barely moved out of the way in time. He grumbled to himself, crouching behind the rock as though his life depended on it. Well, it sort of did.
Harry pulled his wand into a casting position and cast his spell. "Accio Firebolt," he said. He didn't know if it worked, but he prayed that it would. He'd been getting pretty good at it, but he wasn't sure if the pressure would get to him and decrease his casting ability.
The dragon made confused sounds, and Harry took this to his advantage. He leapt out from behind the rock quickly and moved to a closer one. He spotted the egg and a plan formed inside his head. He crouched behind the rock, waiting for the dragon to look somewhere else. He hoped that he would, at least.
A whistling sound was heard and Harry looked up. He grinned when he saw that his Firebolt was flying towards him. He reached out his hand and grabbed it as it landed at his feet. He hopped onto it and shot into the air.
The Horntail instantly looked up and aimed his fiery breath at Harry. He darted around, avoiding the flames. He was good on a broom; it was where he felt at home. He could do anything with his trusty...broom. Yeah, that didn't sound great, Harry thought to himself.
In the air, Harry knew he had a shot at defeating the dragon. He eyed the egg and made a quick turn in the air, rushing towards it. The dragon was surprised and moved out of Harry's way.
Harry reached out and missed, his fingers scraping the gold paint of the egg. He groaned and stopped the broom, turning back to face the dragon. This time, the Horntail was prepared as Harry made his swoop for the egg. He stood in front of the egg and shot another blast of fire towards Harry.
Quickly moving away, Harry managed to avoid the blast. The Horntail crowed loudly and screamed at him, flaring his wings and standing over the egg, his wings on either side. Harry groaned to himself, he was just going to make this harder for everyone.
Harry shot towards the egg, trying to make the dragon move, but the Horntail was having none of it. He'd learnt his lesson. Harry was thrown wildly out of control as the Horntail hit him out of the sky with his wing. Harry gained back the control of his broom and was able to keep in the air, for the time being.
Whispers and gasps flowed throughout the arena, worried for Harry. He wasn't able to use any other spells, everyone in the arena knew that he wasn't good enough. Well, most did. There were the few that thought highly enough of Harry to be able to defeat even the toughest of dragons.
Harry made another attempt at the egg. The Horntail blinked, and in that moment, Harry knew he had a chance. He sped up and reached out, grabbing the egg with both hands. He shot as far away from the dragon as fast as he could, climbing into the air. Harry grinned and held up the egg proudly, looking down at the dragon.
The Horntail flicked his tail furiously, but otherwise remained calm. He stayed still on the ground, seeming to realise that he had lost. Harry felt almost bad for him. The treatment mustn't have been very good for the dragon, and he was just in a situation where he felt threatened.
Harry landed on the arena ground, his egg in hand, as he waited for the arena to empty. He was allowed to go straight back to the dorm now, and that was what he planned on doing.
He walked towards the tent again, his broom in one hand and the egg in the other, then went inside. He was instantly engulfed in a hug from Hermione, a pat on the back from Ron and a pleased looking Dumbledore.
"Good work, Harry! You showed that dragon a thing or two!" Ron said happily.
Harry shrugged. "It did a number on me too, though," he said.
Hermione laughed and pulled back to look at him. "Doesn't seem too bad. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."
Harry followed happily as they walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. He knew that his fellow wizards from the house would be inside the room already, but he didn't want to face them. He just wanted to rest and sleep. Too much excitement for one day.
"That was quite the performance, Harry," Ron grinned, his voice showing the awe he felt towards Harry.
Harry looked down, embarrassed. "It was nothing. I just imagined that I was on the field. It was easy that way," he explained.
Hermione nodded. "It would work, I guess."
"Blimey, 'Mione, it did work," Ron said.
Harry laughed. "Guess so."
They started to laugh as they entered the Gryffindor Tower. Harry followed Hermione and Ron up the stairs and towards their room. He wasn't surprised in the slightest when cheers erupted as they entered.
Harry made his way to the stairwell where the rooms were located and waved to everyone. There were groans throughout the room, wanting Harry to stay and chat. Ron and Hermione made their way through the sea of students, telling the others that they should let him rest.
"You can shower him with praises tomorrow," Ron said helpfully.
Laughter filled the room and Harry laughed. "Thanks, Ron. Really nice of you," he said.
Ron rolled his eyes and followed Harry as they went to their room. Hermione waved good bye and disappeared into her own.
The two wizards sat on their beds, conveniently placed next to each other, and Harry started to talk about what he'd seen, not just with the Horntail, but with Hiccup and his black dragon.
Ron started to say something, but held back, trying to let Harry find out on his own. Harry groaned, but understood. It was probably best for Hiccup to tell him anyway. That at least would give him a reason to talk to him, Harry thought happily.