The sandman did not grace my next few nights with much, if any at all, sleeping dust. I tossed and turned all night unable to fall asleep. I was tired as all get out, but my mind and body wouldn't let me sleep. I stared at my food Monday morning feeling almost as colourful as my gravy. I stood up with Harry and Hermione to follow them to Herbology when Harry interrupted my thoughts.
"Guys, I'll see you in the greenhouses," he said as he watched Cedric leave the Hall. "Go on, I'll catch you up."
"Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring-"
"I'll catch you up, okay?"
Hermione rolled her eyes slightly and continued off towards the greenhouses. I continued standing by him, eying him and trying to decipher what he was planning on doing.
"Go on without me. I'll see you in a few," he said while taking my hand and squeezing. I sighed and nodded in agreement, rushing to the greenhouse before I was late myself. I sat down at my table with Hermione and Riley with 15 seconds to spare.
Over the past few weeks, Riley and I had become closer. I guess you could call us friends. Once Ron has abandoned our quartet, we needed another person at our table. No one other than Riley volunteered to fill the missing spot.
"Morning, Stephanie," Riley said with a smile. I replied with a head nod and a grunt that was suppose to represent a 'hello'.
"Are you feeling alright?" Riley asked questioningly.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just really, really tired," I said while rubbing my eyes.
"Not getting enough sleep?" she continued.
"No," Hermione answered before I could open my mouth. "Sorry, but I've noticed you've been waking up a lot in the middle of the night. If you're not awake then you're tossing and turning and throwing your covers all over the place."
"What's up?" Riley asked. "The only reason I can think for you not getting enough sleep is that something's troubling you." She's almost as smart and intuitive as Alexa. Remind me why she's not in Ravenclaw? I looked at them, contemplating whether or not I should enlighten them about my current internal struggles.
Before I could answer, Professor Sprout began trying to start her lesson.
"Attention, attention. I'll let you continue your conversations in a moment, but pay attention to me first, if you please," she said waving her hands to get our attention. The murmurs of the class died down and turned their attention to Sprout.
"Excellent. Now, our Flutterby Bushes are ready to be pruned. Please grab your gloves and shears and get busy. That shall be all for today's lesson," she finished and retreated to her office/private greenhouse, letting the talking commence.
"So what is it that's got your mind so preoccupied?" Hermione asked as we began pruning our plants.
"It's Harry, isn't it?" Riley asked. I looked up for a second before returning my attention to my Flutterby. There's that dang intuition of hers again. "It is. What's going on that's got your brain more jumbled than an unsolved Rubix Cube?"
"It's...it's the whole Tournament. The fact that he was entered in the first place is upsetting, but I've come to terms with that; but not the fact that whoever entered his name in may be trying to hurt him intentionally, and knowing that the First Task is dragons-"
"Whoa, dragons? How do you know this?" Riley interjected holding up her gloved hand.
"That's another story," I said waving that side story away. "But what's worse, or better - well more pressing is, that I might be..."
"You're in love with him," Riley finished. It wasn't a question, but a statement; she was telling me something I think I already knew deep down inside.
"What? How do you know? I haven't told anyone!" I said quickly, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard.
"Sweetie, you don't have to tell anyone."
"She's right," Hermione said, pipping in. "It's obvious to us. The way you look at him says it all."
"It's the same way Sage looks at food," Riley said with a giggle.
"It's the same way Harry looks at you sometimes," Hermione said to me more seriously. I stopped pruning the bush I was on, taking a moment to think to myself. Is it sad that other people can clearly see how I feel when I don't even know myself? I never denied the fact I could fall in love with Harry, but I'm so confused as to where I am now. And he looks at me the same way sometimes? I could imagine myself falling for Harry, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine him falling in love with me too.
Movement from outside caught my attention leaving my thoughts to my mind. Outside the greenhouse I spotted Harry walking quickly towards class.
"Guys, Harry's coming back. Can we please keep this between us? Well, and whoever else apparently can interpret my feelings just by the looks I give people. I'm not sure how I feel, and I don't want Harry to catch whiff of those feelings until I'm one hundred percent sure myself," I said quickly looking from Hermione and Riley to the fast approaching Harry. My two friends nodded and turned their attention back to their Flutterby's, feigning that the conversation we just had ever happened.
"Hermione," Harry said quietly as he entered the greenhouse uttering a hurried apology to Professor Sprout as he passed her. "Stephanie - I need your help."
"What d'you think we've been trying to do, Harry?" Hermione replied, her eyes round with anxiety over the top of the quivering Flutterby Bush she was pruning.
"Guys, I need to learn how to do a Summoning Charm properly by tomorrow afternoon."
And so, we practiced. Hermione and Harry headed towards an empty classroom while I went to the Great Hall to retrieve lunch for us. When I returned with a few PB&J's stuffed into my purse, Harry hadn't made any progress. The books and quills he tried summoning kept losing heart halfway across the room and dropping like stones to the floor.
"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate..." Hermione said slowly
"What d'you think I'm trying to do?" Harry said angrily. "A great big dragon keeps popping up in my head for some reason...Okay, try again..."
Harry wanted to skip Divination to keep practicing, but Hermione and I refused point-blank to skive off Arithmancy. Slightly disgruntled, Harry agreed to go back to class and meet after dinner; there was no point in staying and practicing by himself.
We shoveled down some dinner after class, then returned to the empty classroom using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid teachers. We kept practicing until past midnight. I started in trying to help Harry acquire the spell by practicing it myself. It probably didn't help Harry's nerves that I learned it by 11:30 that night. After receiving a few begrudged and envious looks from Harry I backed off at stood with Hermione, trying to help Harry rather than compete with him.
We would have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think that Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs across the room. We left in a hurry before the noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, which was now mercifully empty.
At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had he really got the hang of the Summoning Charm. Hermione and I were slumped together on the couch, slightly lethargic but still willing to help.
"That's better, Harry, that's loads better," Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased.
"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to us so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon. Right..." He raised his wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!"
The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it.
"Harry, I really think you've got it!" I said delightedly.
"Just as long as it works tomorrow," Harry said. "The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds..."
"That doesn't matter," said Hermione firmly." Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come. Harry, we'd better get some sleep...you're going to need it."
"At least try and get some shut eye," I said while standing up and giving him a quick peck on the cheek before retreating to my dorm.
That night, I actually slept fairly well. It was a serene, calm, dreamless sleep. Maybe the fact that Harry actually had some sort of game plan eased my nerves. The next morning, however, I remembered what was to come this afternoon, and all those nerves multiplied and came crashing into me. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure - though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.
Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops. History of Magic past by much faster than the history of which we were learning. Even Ancient Runes, which always seemed to drag on with the runes and terms we were working on sped by. The next thing I knew, it seemed, Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to us in the Great Hall. Lots of people were watching.
"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now...You have to get ready for your first task."
"Okay," Harry said standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.
"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"
"Yeah," Harry said in a distant voice. Before McGonagall could drag Harry away, I stood up and gave him a reassuring hug.
"You'll do great, Harry. You'll pass the task with flying colours. No pun intended," I added with a small smile. I saw the corners of Harry's mouth turn up in a smile before returning to his nervous and unsure look.
"Thanks." He gave me a quick kiss before following McGonagall out to the grounds.
While the first half of the morning seemed to fly by in a snap, the rest of the lunch hour crawled on slower than a sloth. By the time I had returned to my dorm and changed into my own style of clothes, rather than a school uniform, the rest of the school was making their way to the stadium where the task would be held. As I walked I was joined by more and more friends, our group eventually consisting of Jennifer, Suze, Riley, Sage, Alexa, Hermione, and even Ron. We passed a tent adjacent to the enclosure, where I was sure the Champions were gathered before their moment of truth. My heart ached slightly, knowing that Harry stood just on the other side. I wanted desperately to run into the tent, disregarding the fact that I probably wasn't allowed in there, and hug and kiss Harry one more time before the Task. I turned my head back to the front and continued towards the stands, listening to my brain rather than my heart.
The eight of us took seats in the middle of the stands, slightly off the the right of where the Champions would enter the enclosure, one by one. Alexa stood to my right and Jennifer my left. I leaned up against the railing, taking deep, calming breaths as I did. No doubt Harry was doing something similar; taking measures to compose himself before his moment of truth.
The crowd was already talkative, cheering and chanting for their favorite Champion; however, they quieted down as Ludo Bagman's voice spread over the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, professors, students, and spectators alike, welcome to the first of three exciting tasks for the 2002 Triwizard Tournament! You're in for a real treat this afternoon. Each Champion must face their dragon in order to retrieve a golden egg, without which they will be unable to proceed to the next task. Each Champion will be facing their own breed of dragon, making for different obstacles for each contestant.
"The order goes as such. Mr. Diggory of Hogwarts will face his dragon first; the Swedish Short-Snout. Following him will be Miss Delacour of Beauxbatons. She shall be facing her dragon, which is a Common Welsh Green. The third Champion shall be Mr. Krum of Durmstrang and his dragon, the Chinese Fireball. Last, but certainly not least, concluding today's task shall be Mr. Potter of Hogwarts and his dragon, the Hungarian Horntail."
My mouth and throat suddenly became very dry. Oh great, I thought, Harry has to battle the fiercest, most bad ass dragon we saw in the woods. Alexa took a hold of my hand and squeezed it in a sisterly fashion.
"Let me introduce to you the lovely panel of judges that shall be judging today's event. Each Headmaster from each participating school is seated to my left. Professor Albus Dumbledore, Professeur Madam Maxime, and Professor Igor Karkaroff. Joining them shall be Mr. Barty Crouch Sr, and myself, your wonderful commentator, Ludo Bagman."
The crowd cheered as Ludo took his seat and the dragon keepers, who were standing off to the side, started moving towards an entrance off to the left side. They returned only moments later with Cedric's dragon. Crouch blew a whistle, signaling Cedric it was time.
I payed barely enough attention to the first three champions to talk about what they did to obtain their egg. Cedric transformed a rock into a dog, hoping the dragon would be distracted. It took the bait and left it's post long enough for Cedric to get the egg. Halfway through, however, the dragon changed it's mind and went back to Cedric, burning is face. He did, however, pass the task. Fleur enchanted her dragon to sleep, but while retrieving the golden egg, the dragon snored and let out a jet of flame that set her skirt alight. She extinguished the flames, and retrieved her egg. He used the Conjunctivitis Curse to blind the dragon and retrieve his egg. However, he was docked points when the dragon stumbled around and smashed half of the real eggs.
I took a few deep breaths as Crouch blew the whistle a final time, signaling Harry who walked slowly into the enclosure. He stood there for a moment, taking everything in. The arena, the cheering fans, the fans who wanted him to fail, and the large, menacing dragon perched off to the side. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and raised his wand
"Accio Firebolt!" he shouted.
I stood their waiting, every fiber of my being hoping, praying that it had work.I And then I heard it, speeding through the air behind Harry; I looked up into the sky and saw his Firebolt hurtling toward the arena. It stopped next to him in mid air just waiting for him to mount. He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground.
As he soared into the sky, I saw something miraculous happen. The look of sheer anxiety and fright he'd been sporting vanished. He was actually smiling, honest to God, joyfully smiling. I wonder if that's the kind of smile he gets when he looks/thinks about me? I bit my lip to keep my own smile in as I looked back up to Harry.
He dived. The Horntail's head followed him; he pulled out of the dive just in time as a jet of fire was released exactly where he would have been had he not swerved away. I grabbed Alexa's hand and held onto it with all my might.
"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman yelled as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck. Maybe if he kept it up long enough the dragon would get dizzy and faint. Wait, can dragon's faint?
Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky - he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes -
I gasped suddenly, bringing my free hand up to my mouth. Alexa cupped my hand with both of hers, gasping at is injury too.
Despite the lesions on his shoulder, he began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared...
He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, hike a snake before its charmer...
Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now...She shot fire into the air, which he dodged...Her jaws opened wide...
And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane - and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs - he had taken his hands off his Firebolt - he had seized the golden egg -
And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm. I slackened my grip on Alexa's and breathed a sigh of relief, a huge smile taking permanent residence on my face.
"L is for the way you look at me. O is for the only one I see. V is very, very extraordinary. E is even more than anyone that you adore can," Jennifer sang airily. I didn't object, argue, or rebuttal anything in return as I felt my heart expand five times larger than my cardiac cavity's capacity, a permanent sense of goosebumps spreading across my skin. I knew it was true; I had fallen in love with Harry.
"Stephanie," Hermione said two persons over from me. "Ron and I are going to see Harry in the First Aid tent. Do you want to go see him too?" Rather than verbally saying anything, I started exiting the stands as fast as I could, my enormous smile answering the question. I walked as fast as I could without looking suspicious or running, Ron and Hermione a small distance behind me. I entered the tent first, a good fifteen seconds before either Ron or Hermione, flinging my arms around Harry as soon as I spotted him.
"You were brilliant! I told you you would be! You were by far the best of the four, possibly even the best champion ever!" I said while hugging him tight.
"Stephanie, Stephanie, calm down. It's alright. I'm alright. Just breathe," he said while pulling apart slightly to look at me.
"I'm just...so glad you're okay. I'm so proud of you," I said, smiling. He returned my smile before I leaned in and kissed him. I wanted to tell him desperately how I felt, but refrained. He just got done battling a terrifying dragon. Ron would probably apologize for being an arse. I figured I should wait a little before sharing these feelings.
"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said hurriedly as she entered the tent. I pulled back from Harry, standing next to him and holding his hand. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. How had I not noticed those before? Oh ya, I was feeling the joy of falling in love. "You were amazing! You really were!
But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost.
"Harry," he said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I - I reckon they're trying to do you in!"
It was as though the last few weeks had never happened - as though they were meeting for the first time after Harry's name came out of the cup.
"Caught on, have you?" said Harry coldly. "Took you long enough."
Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn't need to hear it.
"It's okay," he said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it."
"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've -"
"Forget it, "Harry said.
Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. Hermione, however, burst into tears.
"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.
"You two are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling.
"Barking mad," said Ron, shaking his head. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores..." Ron relayed a play by play of what each champion did to defeat their dragon, explaining it as well as I did. Across the enclosure you could see all five of the judges in raised seats draped in gold. The first person to give their marks was Maxime. She shot her wand into the air, a long silver ribbon shooting out of it, which twisted into a large seven. Crouch was next, shooting a large nine into the air. Dumbledore, Bagman, and Karkaroff finished off the with their scores; Nine, ten, and four.
"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!"
But from the look on Harry's face, I don't think he cared. I think the fact that Ron was talking to him friendly again was enough to satisfy him. He may not have even cared if every judge gave him zeros, or even a few negatives. I squeezed his hand again and kissed his cheek quickly.
"I'll let you two spend some time together. I'll see you later." I walked off, leaving the two best friends together again. I walked away feeling weightless. I met back up with Jennifer, Suze, Riley, and Hermione, all of whom were looking at me with great curiosity.
"So," Riley said, smiling as she did.
"So what?" I said a bit breathlessly.
"Feeling...different? Any self realizations you've discovered?" Suze poked.
"Yeah," I breathed again. "I'm in love with Harry." The four girls squealed girlishly and hugged me, congratulating me as they did.
"But," I started, inturupting their dances of joy. "He doesn't know."
"He doesn't know?" They all asked in unison.
"I didn't think now was the right time to tell him. Let the feeling of the First Task die down a little. The next task isn't for three whole months. I'll tell him before then."
A/N: Hey everybody! I hope you all like my stories :) I noticed my hits/views seemed to explode in the last few days, which is great! Makes me feel like I'm flying. Perhaps much like Stephanie feels when she looks at Harry? Naaah, I keed. You're sudden fascination helped make this chapter come out in record time; three days! Nooooow, if you really want a new chapter soon, I would love it if I could get a few reviews out of you. Thanks a lot for reading :))))))