So I've decided how I'm going to handle the chapter length situation, and its pretty simple. A chapter is going to be as long as I need it to be to write what needs to be written. See? Simple.
Also, I'm going to be keeping the canon tasks but I will be making some changes in regards to how they are handled.
Thank you again for all the support you've given me on this story!
His movements felt sluggish as he entered the champion's tent for the first task, and his eyes felt heavy. He had stayed up until at least two in the morning with Hermione coaching him on the summoning spell, which he had finally mastered. Having mastered the spell didn't make him feel any more confident though; he still had to fight a dragon and that was no small task for anybody.
The other champions' eyes flicked his direction for a split second before they resumed what they were doing; Cedric and Fleur pacing, and Krum leaning against a pole in the center of the tent. They all looked nervous, but not as nervous as he himself felt. Sure, he had a plan but this was also a dragon.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts as Ludo Bagman, as ever in his wasps robes, entered the tent and beamed at the champions as he bounced on his heels. His cheeriness was almost enough to make Harry sick.
"All here? Good! Now I suppose its time to fill you all in! Inside this bag-" he held up a small leather bag, "is a model of the thing you are going to face in the challenge today; oh yes, the challenge itself is to get the golden egg...ladies first."
Fleur warily reached into the bag that Bagman held out to her and gently removed her hand, revealing the model of a Welsh Green with a number 2 hanging from its neck. She looked relieved, no doubt knowing that she could well have drawn the Horntail. Krum was next with the Chinese Fireball. Harry became nervous as Cedric put his hand into the bag. There was now a fifty-fifty chance that Harry would get the Horntail for himself. His heart sunk as Cedric pulled out the Swedish Short-Snout. Harry paused with his hand over the bag for a brief moment before plunging his hand in and pulling out the model of the Hungarian Horntail. Bagman let them know that the numbers on their dragons indicated what order they would go in, before asking Harry to step outside with him.
"How are you feeling, Harry? Anything I can get for you?"
"What? No, no I'm alright. If you'll excuse me, I need to focus on my plan..." Harry deflected.
"Oh yes. Well - best of luck." And with that Bagman was gone and Harry walked back into the champions tent and took a seat on a stool towards the back and desperately tried to not fall into a slumber.
"Don't look so nervous, Potter!" Cedric shouted across the tent. "After a basilisk, a dragon should be no problem, right?"
"Except the basilisk almost killed me without breathing fire," he called back in a shaky voice.
"Well yeah...there is that..."
He barely heard the cannon blast that indicated the official start of the first task, and Cedric exited the tent. He shook his head and tapped his foot on the ground, hoping that the movement would help. He was watching his feet and didn't notice the presence of another until he felt a hand on his shoulder. His head jerked up in surprise at the contact, and he was greeted by the site of what was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
"Arry, are you okay? You look sick," Fleur asked with real concern.
"Yeah. Fine. Tired, nervous, the usual," he muttered. Fleur quirked an eyebrow at him.
"So what about a bazilizk?" she asked, pulling up a stool next to him before sitting down and crossing her legs. Harry couldn't help but notice how perfect her legs were. Shapely and well muscled, yet they also looked soft.
"Oh...er...nothing," he stammered out, somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't told many people about the events of his second year, and none of the people he told were named Cedric Diggory. Ron must have told him, he thought.
"Almost being killed by a bazilizk does not sound like nozzing," she snorted.
"Fine. There was a basilisk attacking muggleborns in my second year and -" he was interrupted by the sound of a cannon blast. "Looks like you're up. Good luck, Fleur."
"Thank you, 'Arry. Maybe you can finish telling me about zis bazilizk later." She said as she stood and made her way to the exit. Before she stepped through, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. "Zat was not a question, 'Arry Potter."
Krum and Harry sat in silence for the next ten minutes, occasionally hearing 'oohs and ahhs' as Bagman would commentate on Fleur's performance. Eventually there was a loud round of cheers shortly followed by another shot from the cannon, leaving Harry alone as Krum entered the arena. In a show of impatience and nerves, Harry took to pacing around the tent while he waited for his turn and after what seemed just short of an eternity, the cannon signaled that Krum was finished.
On the other side of the tent exit, he found himself in an arena that was about the size of the quidditch pitch with stone and boulders littering the area. Considering his plan to handle the horntail, the size and shape of the arena was enough to make him internally chuckle. He scanned the area quickly and not seeing anything took a couple cautious steps forward only to be assailed by a loud roar and the appearance of the fearsome black and spiked dragon from behind a rock outcropping on the other end. That's where the egg is.
He took cover behind a large boulder and flicked his wand, "Accio firebolt!" After a few seconds of nothing happening, he began to get even more nervous thinking that maybe his summoning spell had failed. As he was abut to cast it again his ears picked up a woosh and he looked to the sky just in time to see his sleek broom barreling towards him. Wasting no time he threw his leg over his broom and kicked off hard, soaring high above his adversary and circling as he fine-tuned his plan to get closer to the egg.
As the dragon seemed to glare at Harry, he decided that the only way to get his prize would be to lure the nesting-mother away from the clutch; whether by righteous fear or legitimate intelligence, he planned on keeping as much distance as possible unless given no other choice.
He gave a short experimental dive towards the golden egg and watched as the scaly creature just eyeballed him. Wanting to test the dragon's speed, he pushed his firebolt to the limit and circled around the beast being sure to keep high in the air out of reach. With an unforeseen grace, the dragon spun on the spot, keeping her wing covering her clutch. He took several more experimental dives at the egg all, all with similar results as the last. Finally he concluded that he wasn't getting anywhere and he had to push the limits and see how close he could get before he would incur the wrath of the horntail.
He pulled his broom up high and directly above the nest and with nothing else to be done he dived as hard and fast as he could. With a sound reminiscent of a belch, a great gout of flame erupted from the annoyed reptiles maw, and only Harry's seeker reflexes allowed him to roll out of the way in time to avoid being incinerated. As it was he could feel blisters raising on his face and exposed skin and the crowd gave several cries and shrieks as he was hidden by the torrent of fire. With a hard jerk of his broom he was again behind the dragon and was resolved to fly directly under the belly of the beast to grab the egg. He had made a very heavy mistake though; the front of the horntail wasn't the only dangerous place to be, which he realized too late as with a sickening crunch a long spike was driven into Harry's shoulder.
As bad as he wanted to let go of his broom and grab his shoulder this was a life or death situation and he held on for dear life. Biting back the intense pain and dizziness, he pulled hard on his broom and managed to right himself mere feet of the ground. He grit his teeth and shot forward under the dragon and bracing his chest against the handle of his broom, he scooped the egg up in his good arm before racing out from between the confused mother's front legs and toward the arena's exit. He felt blisters raising on his back as he barely outraced another spew of fire and as soon as he made it through the exit, he slumped off his broom and finally let his weary eyes close. I did it. I'm still alive.