Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks again for the reviews!

One of my reviewers offered a really neat idea about the whole newspaper article thing. I never considered that, because Harry absolutely hates talking to reporters. That's why I don't see it happening, but it was a really neat idea!

Please enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 24: The First Task

The next day after breakfast, Harry went up to Cedric at the Hufflepuff table. "I need to talk to you," he said, the anxiety about the dragons still bubbling inside him.

"Okay," said Cedric, seeing the look on his younger friend's face. "Let's go outside the Great Hall, then."

So the two boys walked outside, and Harry explained to Cedric everything he had seen.

"Are you serious?" Cedric said. "Wow, that's unbelievable."

"You're telling me," Harry muttered. "Merlin, hopefully we'll figure something out."

"I'll go to the library later," said Cedric. "If you haven't worked something out by the time I go, maybe you could come, too."

"Thanks," said Harry.

"Well, thanks for telling me," replied Cedric. "Sometimes, though, you're too noble for your own good."

Harry blushed and smiled. "I just figured you should be prepared."

At that moment, Mad-Eye Moody came out of the Great Hall and saw the two boys. "Potter, may I have a word in my office?" he asked.

Harry looked at him. "Okay," he said. "I'll see you later, Cedric."

"Okay. Don't worry, Harry, everything will be fine. I'll talk to you later."

Harry walked along with Professor Moody, hearing the constant clunking noise of his wooden leg. They arrived at his office, and Harry remembered it from the last time he was here; he'd come here with Neville after the class where Moody had demonstrated the Unforgivable Curses.

As soon as Moody had closed and locked the door, he sat down in the seat across from Harry. "I must commend you, Potter," he said. "That was a very honorable thing to do."

Harry felt his heart thumping painfully in his chest. How had Moody known what the two champions were talking about?

"Don't worry," Moody growled. "Cheating often plays a part in this tournament. I'm not going to say anything."

"I didn't cheat!" Harry defended himself. "It was sort of an accident that I found out."

"I'm not accusing you, laddie," Moody told him. "Old Karkaroff and Maxime probably have cheated, though. I have to warn you about old Karkaroff. He's a cunning fellow."

"I know about him," said Harry. "I'll be careful."

"Your guardians are very watchful of you, aren't they?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"I notice you're also getting very close to Diggory. I can see he really looks out for you as well."

"Yeah, he's been really supportive."

"Good. Well, have you thought about what you're going to do about the dragons?"

"I can't think of anything," Harry admitted. He then muttered under his breath, "Professor Trelawney's probably right, I will end up dead."

"Oh, Potter," said Moody. "Don't be discouraged. Why do you put any merit in what that old bat says anyway? I'm not going to tell you how to beat your dragon, but I will give you a little advice. PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS!"

"What strengths?" said Harry miserably. "I don't have any!"

"Oh, come on, Potter!" said Moody exasperatedly. "What are you really, really good at?"

Harry thought for a moment. What WAS he really good at? Well, there was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and there was flying ...

Then, an idea came to him. He had been learning about Summoning Charms from Professor Flitwick this year, and if he worked on it for a little longer, maybe he could summon his Firebolt to him. He'd have to spend every single moment until Tuesday practicing, but maybe he and Cedric could practice together.

"I think Diggory's going to work it out for himself," said Moody, seeming to read Harry's mind. "You two will probably have different ways of getting past your obstacle. But I'm sure he'll work on summoning charms with you. Excellent, Potter. I knew you'd get it!"

"Are you a ... a ..." Harry struggled to remember the word.

"Legillimens? Why yes, Potter. Very, very good."

"Professor, do you have any idea who put my name in the Goblet?"

"Well, I'm putting nothing past old Karkaroff. And old Snape looks suspicious to me as well."

Harry wished once again that Ron and he were talking; the youngest Weasley boy would get into a rant about Snape, and he and Harry would probably talk about the old, batlike Potions Master for hours.

"But I'm not sure who it is," continued Moody. "But don't worry, laddie, I'm keeping an eye out. But you're a very smart boy. Thinking of brooms and flying all by yourself! You hardly needed any prompting."

Harry still felt extremely nervous about summoning his Firebolt and somehow flying to get past the dragon. What if it didn't work?

"Don't worry about the what ifs, boy. Now, I think it's time you left, and you can get back to your Sunday morning activities."

"Thanks, Professor," said Harry, and he got up and left the office.

xxx

Later that day, Harry and Cedric were in an empty classroom. They had asked each other whether they'd found a solution to getting past their dragon, and both had said yes. So they were now in the classroom, discussing how they were going to do it.

"Well, what I was thinking of doing," said Cedric, "was transfiguring a rock on the ground. I figured I'd turn it into a dog, and use that to distract the dragon while I run past it."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Harry. "I mean, I've never learned that kind of complicated transfiguration yet."

"You'll learn it in a couple of years. Remember, I'm a sixth-year, and we've just finished learning about that kind of stuff. What's your idea?"

"Well, I was thinking I'd use a summoning charm to bring my Firebolt to me."

"Wow, that's so cool, Harry!" Cedric exclaimed, beaming. "I told you you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a really good flyer. You'd have won that match last year if it weren't for those stupid Dementors."

Harry flushed embarrassedly. "Thanks, but you're really good, too."

Cedric patted Harry's shoulder. "Thanks, but I mean it," he said.

"But it was Professor Moody who told me to play to my strengths. He really shouldn't be helping me."

"Well, it makes sense that he is," said Cedric. "After all, you were forced into this tournament. It wasn't fair. Why don't I work on summoning charms with you? Are you comfortable with them yet?"

"Almost. Thanks, Cedric. When do you have time?"

"Now, if you want to."

"Okay."

So the two friends worked on summoning charms for a long time. Harry summoned his invisibility cloak from his dorm, and Cedric was ecstatic when he saw it.

"Wow, my father owns one of those!" he said. "Unfortunately, he needs it sometimes when he works at the Ministry."

"That's too bad," said Harry. "Well, I can always let you borrow this if you need it."

"Wow, thanks. You look exhausted. Why don't we sit down and you can relax for a minute?"

So they sat in chairs next to each other, and Cedric thought, since he had brought his father up, he might as well tell Harry what he felt he should have told him earlier. "Listen, Harry, I'm sorry about how my dad acted at your birthday party. It wasn't right of him to embarrass you like that."

"It doesn't matter," Harry answered.

"Yes, it does," Cedric insisted. "See, Dad always wants me to be perfect. I'm the only child in my family, you see, and he's always had really high expectations of me. I got into this tournament mostly because I want to make him proud. I mean, being champion's pretty cool, but all the attention it gives me is rather ..."

"Embarrassing?" Harry supplied.

"Yeah, it's like everyone thinks I'm the best guy in the school or something. And listen, whenever I see people wearing those stupid Support Cedric Diggory badges, I tell them to take them off. It's not fair that they wear those. I saw what they say when they're pressed, and it's not right. You didn't cheat!"

"It's okay, Cedric. I don't like the badges, but there's nothing I can really do about it. I really appreciate your support, though. And that's okay about your dad. I just hope he doesn't stress you out too much. And you should enjoy being champion. At least no one's making fun of you. What Rita Skeeter said in that article about you was awful, though."

"What did I tell you about that woman, Harry? Don't worry about her. Don't pay her any attention."

"I'll try not to. And don't pay any attention to Ron either. I don't understand why he's so horrible to you anyway. Probably still sore about the stupid Quidditch match. Or maybe he's just jealous." Harry thought about all the charisma and charm Cedric had, about how everyone looked up to him and flocked to him, about how he looked the perfect part of a champion.

"Oh, Ron doesn't bother me," said Cedric. "I hope you two make up soon. I can tell you miss him."

Was Harry that obvious? Hermione had said the same thing. "Well, I won't let him be nasty to you," he promised. "I'll make up with him once he grows up."

The two talked for a little longer, and then they left to go back to their dormitories.

xxx

Tuesday came way too fast for Harry. His classes seemed to go by in a blur, and lunch was upon him before he knew it. Ron was completely stony-faced and silent, and Hermione constantly tried to force conversation between them. Harry could tell she was getting sick of the state of affairs.

After lunch, Professor McGonnagall told Harry that the champions were meeting outside on the grounds. She looked really anxious, and so did Hermione. "Good luck, Harry," the bushy-haired girl said, squeezing his hand. "You'll be great."

"Yeah, good luck, mate," said Neville. Ginny gave him a smile, and that smile alone made a warm feeling arise within the raven-haired boy. "I'll see you afterwards," he promised his friends.

Professor McGonnagall walked him to the clump of trees near where the dragons had been. Harry saw that a tent had been put up, and the Transfiguration professor said, "Listen, Mr. Potter. The champions are already in the tent, and Bagman's coming in a minute. You'll stay in the tent until it's your turn. No one will think the worse of you if you just do your best. Good luck."

Harry felt the anxiety in the pit of his stomach again. "Thank you, Professor," he managed to get out. He knew Sirius and Remus would be in the crowd today, and he hoped he could make them proud. He walked inside the tent, and saw that the other champions were nervous too.

"Hi, Harry," greeted Cedric, who was pacing nervously up and down, up and down.

"Hi, Cedric. Are you all right?"

"Just nervous, that's all."

"Yeah, me too."

"You vill be fine, both of you," said Krum, looking the same as he always did. "How have you been, Potter?"

"All right," said Harry. "I saw you at the World Cup, Viktor. Congratulations for your team!"

"Thank you," said Viktor, the expression on his face not changing at all.

"My grandmuzzer was one of the Veela who was at ze Cup," said Fleur, beaming at the others.

"Wow, really?" said Cedric, now knowing why she looked so much like one herself.

"Yes, indeed," said Fleur.

At that moment, Ludo Bagman walked into the tent. "Hello, hello, hello!" he said jovially, beaming. "Are you four ready? We're going to have a good time today!"

"Yeah," said Harry, Bagman's enthusiasm definitely missing from his voice.

Bagman was holding a bag in his hand. "Each of you will take something from this bag," he said. "This something will represent what you have to get past in this task." He handed the bag to Viktor, who took out the Chinese Fireball. The Bulgarian didn't look at all surprised. Fleur was next, taking out the Swedish Short-Snout. Harry's stomach filled with dread. He remembered what Charlie had said about the Horntail, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he got it. But at the same time, he didn't want Cedric to be in that amount of danger either.

Luckily, when the older champion reached his hand into the bag, he pulled out the Common Welsh Green, so he was going to be safer than Harry, who of course got the Horntail. Harry felt his anxiety level increase dramatically. How was he possibly going to survive this encounter?

Viktor's model dragon had a "1" on it, Fleur's had a "2", Cedric's had a "3", and Harry's had a "4." This meant that he was the last champion to get past his dragon. This just kept getting worse! He'd have to wait while the other champions did their thing, and he was not looking forward to the waiting at all.

"Deep breaths, champions!" Bagman boomed. "When I blow the whistle, Krum, it will be your turn. Delacour, you will be after Krum. Diggory, then it'll be you, and then it'll finally be you, Potter. Your goal is to CAPTURE THE GOLDEN EGG. Harry, can I have a quick word with you, please?" he said.

"Er ... okay," said Harry, wondering what the man wanted.

He and Bagman went outside the tent, and Bagman put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Anything I can get you, my lad?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," said Harry.

"Are you sure? I don't mind sharing a few pointers with you."

"No, it's all right. I know what I'm going to do. And if you did share anything with me, that would be cheating."

Bagman beamed at him. "You cherish honesty, don't you, Harry?" he chuckled. "You're a good lad."

Harry flushed. "Can I go back in the tent now?"

"Yes, you can. Good luck! I've got to run!"

Harry walked back inside the tent, and a few minutes later, they heard a whistle blowing. Viktor hurried out, and for once, his facial expression had changed. He now actually looked nervous.

"Good luck, Viktor," Cedric said. "Show that dragon what you've got!"

The waiting was as horrible as Harry had imagined. He had to suffer through Bagman's commentary, and the roars, oooooh's, and aaaaaaah's from the crowd. About fifteen minutes later there was one deafening roar and the blow of a whistle.

"Krum must have gotten past it," said Harry.

"Yes, I believe he has," said Fleur.

"Very good, very good!" Bagman was yelling. "Now, the marks from the judges!"

The marks must have been given silently, because Harry couldn't hear any sound from the judges. But then there was more cheering and clapping from the crowd, and another blow of the whistle. Fleur hurried out, her beautiful Veela face also showing signs of anxiety.

So the afternoon rolled on. Fleur and Cedric both had their turns, Harry hoping that all the champions were all right. Before he knew it, though, the whistle blew again, and it was Harry's turn.

He faced the vicious-looking dragon, and drew out his wand. "Accio Firebolt!" he screamed.

Some people in the crowd snickered at him, the loudest of the laughers being those of Draco Malfoy and some other Slytherins as Harry simply stood there, waiting. "What is he doing?" he heard people saying to each other. "He's going to get mauled!"

But suddenly, the spectators went crazy as Harry's broom came zooming towards him. He caught it swiftly, and was on it in the blink of an eye.

The next few minutes went by in a haze. It was a game of chase, and Harry was very quick and tried his best to avoid the torrents of fire pouring from the dragon's nostrils. Come on, Potter! he told himself. This is a Quidditch match, just a Quidditch match! It's like catching the Snitch! Come on, you can do it! He could hear the crowd yelling, and he thought he could hear Hermione and Ginny screaming with fear for him.

Then, miraculously, it was over. Harry dismounted from his broom, clutching the golden egg in his hand. The crowd went absolutely ballistic. The dragon keepers hurried over and cast "Stupefy!" on the Horntail, who slowly fell. Hagrid, Moody, and McGonnagall came rushing to meet Harry, and they were all looking very proud and pleased.

"Very good, Potter! That was excellent!" smiled Moody.

"I'm very proud of you, Mr. Potter," said McGonnagall.

"Wow, I knew yeh had it in yeh!" boomed Hagrid, patting Harry's shoulder so hard that he almost fell. "Yer parents would be so proud of yeh, my boy!"

Unfortunately, Harry had not come out of the ordeal totally unscathed. He had a burn on his shoulder, and McGonnagall informed him that he had to go see Madame Pomfrey. She ushered him toward the medical tent and he went in, only to see Cedric there also. "Are you all right, Cedric?" he asked in concern. "You did great out there!"

"Thanks, Harry. You were wonderful too!" Cedric said, smiling happily. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just got a little burned. You?"

"Yeah, me too. But Madame Pomfrey's going to take care of it."

The mediwitch looked exasperated as she finished with Cedric and began to fix up Harry. "What will be brought into the school next?" she harrumphed. "First Dementors and now dragons! Will it be lions and tigers next year, or what?"

After Harry's healing was finished, he and Cedric walked out of the tent together. Then Cedric bid Harry goodbye and walked over to Cho and his parents, who gave him a big hug. Harry could see Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Fred, George, and all his housemates, and he ran over to them.

He could also see Sirius and Remus, who looked full of joy. "Wow, you did so well, Harry!" beamed Ginny. "I'm so proud of you! You were wonderful!" She threw her arms around him.

"Wow, kiddo, you were amazing," said Sirius. "I was so scared for you, but you convinced me there was nothing to worry about."

Remus ruffled Harry's hair. "Your parents would be so proud of you," he said fondly. "I know we are."

"Well done, Harry," said Neville.

"Knew you could do it, mate!" said Fred.

"You took the shortest time to get the egg!" yelled George.

"Wow, I'm so impressed, Harry," grinned Hermione.

Ron just gave him a long look, and finally said, "Whoever put your name in that Goblet definitely was wrong about you if they didn't think you were smart."

"Caught on, have you?" Harry said slowly, looking at the redhead.

"Look, I'm sorry," said Ron. "I was a real prat. And I'm sorry about what I said when it came to Diggory. I know you're friends with him and all. Can you forgive me?"

Harry just looked at him. "Listen," he said honestly, "it's going to take a while for me to trust you again."

Ron looked uncomfortable. "I know. But can we just be friends again, please?" He put out his hand for Harry to shake.

Harry gave him another look, and finally nodded his head. Ron smiled, and the two shook hands.

Hermione burst into tears. "What's the matter, Hermione?" asked Ron, concerned.

"Boys!" she sobbed. "Can't live with them, can't live without them!" She buried her face in her hands. Sirius couldn't help letting out a chuckle, but also gave Ron a piercing look that clearly said, "If you ever hurt my godson again, I'll hurt you." Remus was just happy the two were friends again.

"'Mione's as insane as ever," muttered Ron conspiratorially to Harry; Harry gave a slow grin. Fred and George patted Ron's back.

"Now, it's time for you to get your score!"

The crowd grew quiet after a minute, and Harry received his marks out of ten. Dumbledore gave him a nine, Bagman gave him a ten, Percy gave him a seven, ("you big prat!" interjected Ron), Maxime gave him an eight, and Karkaroff gave him a four ("you bigoted pig!" shouted Ron. "You gave Krum ten!") Harry couldn't help but feel a swoop of happiness that he had Ron back again. It was true what Cedric and Hermione had said; he had missed his very first friend.

After it was over, Harry and his guardians and friends went walking back towards the school. "Wow, you're tied in first place with Cedric!" Ginny exclaimed. "That's wonderful!"

Harry couldn't believe it.

"You were unbelievable, mate," said Charlie Weasley, running towards them before they could disappear into the school. "Listen, you've got to hang around a little longer. Bagman wants a word with all the champions."

"Okay," said Harry. "I'll meet you all in the Gryffindor common room, okay?"

"See you there," grinned Sirius. "I bet there's a party planned!"

"Got it in one, Padfoot," said Fred, chuckling.

Harry went into the tent, which now looked friendly and inviting. Bagman gave each champion an egg, telling them to uncover the clue lodged inside. "This will be extremely important for your second task," he beamed. "This task will take place on February 24. Now, you all may go!"

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman," said Fleur. The champions began walking back to the school.

"Good job, all of you," said Harry.

"You, too," said Krum. "Vonder vot the next task will be."

As Harry headed back to his common room, his heart felt light. He couldn't fathom it, but he'd managed to defy death and Professor Trelawney just one more time.