The Hungarian Horntail

Disclaimer: HP is not mine.

Ten minutes later, Kitty saw Cedric's dragon being led out, and a bright green dragon being led into the enclosure. Kitty was wondering who the next champion would be, and soon saw Fleur Delacour coming out into the enclosure, looking terrified at the sight before her. Madme Maxime, in the Judges' Pavilion was shouting instructions to her in French.

Fleur, who seemed to be struck dumb with fear, looked up at Bagman who was running the commentary. "One, two, three go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. Fleur, trembling from head to foot, gulped and pointed her wand at the dragon's head. A bright red spark flew out from the end of Fleur's wand and hit the dragon on the head.

The dragon, who seemed to have been angered, darted forwards, when Fleur did the spell again. It bobbed on its right leg unsteadily, and sat down, shaking the ground. Three more times, Fleur did the spell, and the dragon seemed to be falling asleep. Fleur tentatively stepped towards the eggs, and picked up the largest golden ones, which was easy to spot among the other purple ones.

Just then, the dragon gave a loud snore, and a great jet of flame shot out from its nostrils, setting Fleur's skirt aflame. "Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. "Oh...nearly! Careful now...good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

Fleur, looking hysterical, hurriedly pointed her wand to her skirt and muttered a spell. Kitty recognized it as the Aguamenti spell that Snape had told Harry to practise. A jet of water shot out from her wand drenching her skirt and putting out the flame. Kitty could see Ron in the stands, pointing jubilantly at her.

When Fleur's dragon had been led out and a new dragon, which Luna said was the Chinese Fireball, had been brought in, Kitty craned her neck to see who was the champion who was going to face it. She saw Krum coming out into the enclosure, looking stiff and determined. "And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman to the crowd. Kitty saw Malfoy and the rest of his Slytherin cronies stand up and applause.

Krum stepped forwards right up to the dragon. The dragon darted its head forwards towards Krum, who dodged aside, took his chance, and hit the dragon with a flash of purple light from his wand. The dragon let out a earsplitting roaring shriek, and the crowd drew its collective breath. The next moment, Krum lunged forwards towards the dragon's pearly white eggs and looked frantically for the big Golden one.

The dragon trampled about in agony, and smashed the other eggs, narrowly missing Krum who seized the Golden egg and rushed towards the other end of the enclosure. "Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!" Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished - it would be Harry's turn any moment.

Kitty held her breath, and waited while the Hungarian Horntail was brought in, and soon saw Harry enter the enclosure, his eyes wide with shock. The Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground.

Kitty, praying with all her might, saw Harry raise his wand in the direction of the castle, and summon the firebolt. And then she saw it, speeding through the air, was Harry's firebolt. Harry caught it deftly, swung his leg over the broom, and kicked off from the ground. Harry dived, the Horntail's head following him as he flew towards the clutch of eggs. He pulled out of the dive just in time, as the horntail breathed fire, where Harry had been seconds before. Kitty heard Hermione shriek behind her.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?" Meanwhile, Harry was soaring in a circle, just beyond the Horntail's reach. "It's working," yelled Vandyll, beside her, "the dragon's becoming dizzy!" But Kitty daren't move her eyes from Harry.

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. Kitty screamed and clutched Vandyll in fright.

Harry swayed one way and then the other, trying to divert the attention of the Horntail. The Horntail shot fire at him, which he dodged, and opened its jaws wide. And then it reared, spreading its 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.

"He's got the egg! He's got it!" yelled Dennis nearby as the crowd cheered and applaused. "Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that? Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

Kitty left her seat, and Vandyll and she rushed towards the first aid tent where Harry had been taken. Once inside, she saw Madam Pomfrey cleaning Harry's wound with a purple ointment. Kitty ran up to Harry and said anxiously, "You're okay? You were spectacular, does it hurt terribly?" Harry grinned and shook his head saying, "That was fun." Vandyll smirked.

Two more people came darting inside the tent – Hermione, closely followed by Ron. "Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "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!"

"Caught on, have you?" said Harry and Kitty together. "Took you long enough," said Harry coldly. 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, "Kitty said.

They all left the tent together, Hermione, in tears, and Ron and Harry in deep conversation. Ron was telling him of how the other champions had got past their dragons. "It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and Harry squinting up the field, saw the first judge - Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.

"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."
Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.
"Looking good!" Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back.
Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.
Ludo Bagman - ten."Ten?" said Harry in disbelief. "But...I got hurt...What's he playing at?"
"Harry, don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly.
And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - four. "What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!"

"He's tied for first place, with Diggory," said Vandyll to Kitty, who had not seen the marks the judges had given the other champions, as she was too busy worrying about Harry. Harry, meanwhile, had gone back into the tent.

When he emerged out of it, a few minutes later, he said, "We'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." He shoved the egg into Kitty's hands and said, "See these hinges? Well there's a clue in this egg, which will help us to proceed to the second task."

"Right," said Hermione, "So, I suppose you'll start solving the clue immediately—" "Oh give it a break, Hermione! The second task is ages away," said Kitty, "Oh and by the way, you know Krum was asking me about you the other day. Do you know him?" Hermione said immediately, "Well, I have talked to him once or twice. What did you tell him?"

"Nothing," said Kitty casually, "I told him you were obsessed with house elves." Ron stifled a laugh. Hermione looked livid. "You, WHAT!"