Chapter 9: The First and Second Tasks

Kassidy and Draco had chosen not to go to see the first task. They had chosen to sit in the Astronomy tower and watch from above. It wasn't against the rules or anything, so why not? They were wearing their casual Muggle clothes, as nobody seemed to care during free time, Kassidy in a grey shirt and black jeans with heeled boots and Draco in a simple jeans and t-shirt with trainers. Both were wearing their Potter Stinks badges.

"I hope Potter loses," Kassidy said.

"He'll get burned first," Draco said.

"That Durmstrang kid is going now," Kassidy pointed out.

"I really don't care about this task, it's not the nitty gritty, you know?" Draco said.

"Yeah, I know, I'm not really interested either."

"Maybe the second task will be more interesting."

"Anyways, let's not talk about the tournament."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Draco asked.

"Anything but that, really."

"Okay, maybe we can practice a little magic if you want?"

"I'm game," Kassidy said with a smile, pulling her wand out of her boot.

"What should we practice?" Draco asked as he brandished his wand.

"Dueling?" Kassidy said with a smile.

"Okay, as long as we don't get in trouble," Draco said as both stood up.

"If we're careful, we won't," Kassidy said with a grin.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Kassidy said when Draco woke up in the hospital wing.

"It's okay, it wasn't that bad," Draco said, sitting up.

"No it's not, you passed out!"

"Kassidy."

"I'm so sorry, oh my gosh!"

"Kassidy."

"I didn't mean to do that, I-"

"KASSIDY! I'm fine, stop worrying," Draco snapped when Kassidy kept going on.

"Heh heh… Sorry."

"You worry too much."

"I know, I know."

"Besides, it wasn't that strong of a spell."

"It knocked you out for crying out loud, how is that not strong?"

"Okay, I guess it was a bit strong."

"You'll be okay, Draco, but your girlfriend did a number on you. Nothing to worry about, though," Madame Pomfrey said as she made sure the Tournament champions were okay. They all had some sort of burn wound, but they seemed to all be okay.

"Potter," Kassidy said.

"Williams. Or should I just call you Malfoy from now on?" Harry said.

"Shut up, Potter, or your wounds will be worse than they are now," Kassidy said. "Come on, Draco, let's go," she said when Madame Pomfrey gave them the okay.

"Okay, that Confundus charm was pretty good," Draco said with a smile.

"Thanks, I guess," Kassidy said as the two were sat in the Slytherin common room.

"Relax, I'm not hurt," he said, practically petting her head.

"I'm not a puppy," she said, a little pout gracing her face.

"No, but you're cute like one."

"Shut uhp."

At that point, there was screaming coming from the direction of the kitchens, and everyone in the common room put their hands over their ears. One of the Slytherin prefects came in a minute after it stopped.

"It's just Diggory's egg. It screams," the prefect said before more screaming was heard from one of the towers. The prefect ran off to find out what it was, and came back a few minutes later.

"And that would be Potter's," he said before he left again.

"Draco!"

"No, Kassidy, I'm not staying here instead of going to Hogsmeade tomorrow!"

"Cobe od, don't you want to stay with your sick girlfriend?" Kassidy said before blowing her nose. She was lying in her bed in her dorm, and Draco was with her. Her teachers had been notified that she would be out of class for a couple of days because she had a bad cold. There was also a Hogsmeade trip the next day so she was begging Draco to stay with her as she wouldn't be able to go.

"Look, I promise to bring you something back," Draco said.

"Okay, I'd like that," Kassidy said.

"Okay, I promise," Draco said with a smile. "But I can't stay with you during class, you know that."

"I doe," she said.

"Where's your girlfriend, Malfoy?" Potter asked the next day in Hogsmeade.

"Sick in bed, if you must know," Draco said.

"So that's why she hasn't been in class," Hermione said.

"She's got a bad cold," Draco said.

"So, how does it feel to be separate from her for a couple of hours?" Ron Weasley asked.

"Shut up, Weasley!" Draco said. "You and your pathetic friends need to piss off," he added before walking away.

"The Yule Ball is a Triwizard Tournament tradition where the guests from the other schools and students of our own school gather in the great hall on Christmas Eve night and engage in an evening of well-mannered frivolity. As students of the host school, I expect all of you to put your best foot forward, literally, as the Yule Ball is a dance," Professor Snape said to the members of Slytherin house. The girls, all seated on the left hand side of the room, erupted in excitement. The boys, seated on the right hand side, erupted in complaints.

"Silence! The house of Salazar Slytherin has demanded respect for nearly ten centuries. Do not besmirch the name of this house by behaving in such an unruly manner. I expect that every single one of you in this room will be on your best behavior. You are representing your families as well as your house. That is all," Snape said before leaving, the students leaving the room behind him.

"So, Kassidy Williams, would you like to accompany me to the Yule Ball?" Draco asked with a little laugh at his own word choice.

"Of course, Draco Malfoy," Kassidy said.

It came time for the Yule ball. Draco hadn't been able to find Kassidy beforehand, so he went to the dance without her to wait for her to show. She showed up a few minutes late, wearing a strapless dress that cascaded to her ankles, dark green at the top that faded into lime green at the bottom with glitter that matched, and her hair down, cascading to her hips, with a red flower pinned to the left side. She looked at Draco, who was smiling. She got to the bottom of the stairs and he took her hand.

"You look wonderful," Draco said.

"As do you," Kassidy replied as the two went out to the circle of students that gathered around an open area. The music began and the champions, as well as their dates, danced. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall joined after a minute, as an invitation for other couples to join. Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom were among the first student couples to join in, then Draco and Kassidy. Draco was a good dancer, but Kassidy was only a decent one.

The ball continued for a few hours, and halfway through, Draco and Kassidy could be found next to the wall, simply standing there, hand in hand, watching the others have fun.

"You really do look beautiful," Draco said after a minute.

"Thanks. So do you," Kassidy said with a smile.

After a couple of hours, the crowd was beginning to thin, and the slow songs were being played. Draco and Kassidy had gone back to the dance floor, and were swaying to the music, her head on his shoulder. She raised her head and kissed him as the song was reaching a swelling flourish.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll walk with you back to your room," Draco said after she broke the kiss.

"I'd like that. I really would," Kassidy said. He took her hand and they walked towards the Slytherin Dungeon.

"I had a great time tonight," she said.

"So did I. It was fun," Draco said with a smile. "You're a good dancer."

"No, I'm not," she said, blushing a little.

"You really are."

"You are definitely a good dancer, Draco."

"Thanks. I was taught from a young age."

"Really? And I lived in an orphanage until I was 12 years old, how do you think a majority of the kids there got adopted? Because the orphanage taught skills such as sewing, dancing, woodworking, sports, etcetera."

It came time for the second task. Draco and Kassidy had chosen to go to this one this time, and it was on the lake. The two watched as the champions jumped into the water.

"I hope Diggory wins this," Kassidy said.

"Agreed," Draco said.

An hour later, nobody has come up yet, so people were beginning to worry. A few minutes later, Cedric Diggory came up to the surface with Cho Chang, and everyone from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin cheered. The Gryffindors were still waiting for Potter to come back up. Fleur came back up, but had nobody with her, people still cheered for the sheer fact that she was okay. Viktor Krum came back up with Hermione, and the Durmstrang guys, as well as a few Slytherins, cheered for him. A few minutes later, Ron Weasley and Fleur's sister came back up, but Potter wasn't up yet. It wasn't for a few minutes until Potter came back up, and the Gryffindors' cheers deafened the other students.

"And the winner is… Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore announced, causing the Hufflepuffs to cheer. "And though Harry Potter would have been first up if it wasn't for his commitment to not only save Mr. Weasley, but Miss Delacour as well, we award him second place!" The Gryffindors' cheers deafened once again.

"At least Diggory won," Draco said as he and Kassidy got ready to go back on the boats with the other Slytherins.