She listened as Dumbledore announced the girls from Beauxbatons and watched as all the boys enjoyed watching the girls go by, except the twins, who were normally all over that, then she noticed Fred was sitting next to Angelina, and so it made sense, but George was sitting next to a third year male, so that didn't. She shrugged it off as the headmaster introduced the boys from Durmstrang. Her eyebrows immediately rose at the sight. She felt someone nudge her under the table and looked over to see Angelina hinting at the boys walking past.

Fred noticed the exchange, "Come on you cant really like that can you?"

Angelina laughed at him and Bridget spoke, "What's not to like? Strapping young lads wielding big sticks, what could be more masculine than that? You two really need to work on your jealousy."

The surrounding people laughed and Hermione spoke up at the flame that had just appeared at the front of the room, "And one of them breathes a Phoenix."

"Man after my own heart it would seem." Bridget laughed with the girl and George just sat there wondering how he would ever get a hint if she felt the same. When it was the two of them he thought she was always flirting with him, but when people are around he can never tell.

Bridget listened as Dumbledore explained the rules and knew that the twins and Cedric were going to want to enter, and she didn't know which one she didn't like the idea of more. When the age limit was announced she felt a great deal of weight come off of her shoulders knowing the twins wouldn't enter. She looked around and saw Cedric, looking very interested and their eyes met for a moment and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop him.

In their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class Bridgets blood ran cold when the unforgivable curses were brought up. She knew Hermione was thinking the same thing when her voice shook answering the questions asked. Watching as Moody made the insect bigger so everyone could see she tried to calm her nerves and stomach as he used the imperious course on the poor victim. Everyone laughed as it flung around the room but her and Hermione, Neville didn't seem to be enjoying it either.

She had toned out everything, or at least she thought she had until she heard the words Torture Curse come out of Moodys mouth. Her entire body was cold now and Hermione could see she had grown pale. She pressed her eyelids together as hard as she could but she couldn't stop the squealing coming from the front of the room. Bridget couldn't take it anymore, the memory to over powering, stronger than she was and her legs moved before she could think about what she was doing and ran from the room.

Her legs took her down the stairs, and down the hallway until she finally tripped by a statue and she held onto it for support. Fred and George were walking by, being escorted by McGonagall, having just got in trouble when they noticed her out of breath. George walked over to her and McGonagall was about to call after him when he saw it was Bridget and she followed him over. George bent down to see her face and the tears that had streamed down it had stopped and instead her eyes were just wide, "Bridge, I thought you were in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I was." Her eyes connected with him, "He's mad… showed us the unforgivable curses. I-I-I couldn't do it."

"Of course you couldn't child. Fred, George, take her back to the common room. We'll talk about what you did later."

The twins got her to Gryffindor tower and she instantly ran to the bathroom getting rid of the contents of her stomach. Fred looked at his brother, "I'm not going in there. That's the girls lavatory."

George rolled his eyes at his brother, "When you get up the nerve to break a rule come and join me."

"It's not me she wants in there mate and you don't want me there." Fred held his hand out for his brother to go into the bathroom. George gave him a small smile and walked into the bathroom which thankfully was empty other than Bridget. He walked to where she was knelt in front of a toilet catching her breath. She jumped when he put his hand on her back and he instantly withdrew it.

"Sorry, its just when the memories are so vivid I get jumpy." She looked at him over her shoulder.

"It's alright, you have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong." He sat down next to her and was slightly surprised when she curled up next and put his arm around her. When he heard her sniffle he looked down and saw a tear streaming down her cheek again and pulled her closer making her look at him. He wiped away the tear, "He wont hurt you anymore, I wouldn't let him if he tried or anyone for that matter. I'm sure a Ton-Tongue Toffee or a Fainting Fancy would do them in."

She let out a small laugh but he didn't see her smile, "Especially since they are still a work in progress."

They looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Hermione walking briskly towards them, she fell to the ground and all but pulled Bridget from his arms. George decided it was best to get out of the girls washroom since classes must have just gotten out and he and Fred did have some work to do.

Hermione had convinced her to leave the dormitory and go to the great hall to be around people. While they were there the seventeen year olds were putting their names into the Goblet of Fire. She looked up from her book when she heard a loud group of students coming into the hall and wasn't surprised to see Cedric heading for the Goblet. Before he put his name in he looked at her and gave her a wink, letting her know that he would be fine even if chosen. She just shook her head at him.

Bridget didn't understand the want for 'eternal glory' as Dumbledore had called it. Even if she was old enough to enter she wouldn't want to, she was already put in the spot light more than she liked being raised in America since she was five, then hanging out with Fred and George, and of course the trouble she got into with Harry. She went back to her book for a moment before being interpreted by loud screams coming into the hall. Looking up she saw Fred and George running in with vials in their hands. She knew something bad and very funny was about to happen.

She attempted to hide her amusement when George came to one side of her and Fred sat on one side of Hermione and her friend tried to explain why it wasn't going to work. The boys tried to justify how it would and Bridget looked over at George, "I'm smarter than you remember? She's smarter than me, so she's right, it isn't going to work."

"We'll see about that." George smiled at her, "Make ya a deal, it works and we get a smile from you."

"And if it doesn't work then what do I get?" She looked at him with a confident face.

"Then love, you get the pleasure of being right, like always." He gave her a charming smile and she just rolled her eyes.

"Deal." She watched as the two stood up and toasted their potions, chugging them in one whole gulp then jumping past the age line. George looked back at her with a huge grin on his face and she motioned towards the Goblet telling him to try and put his name in.

Once he did George high fived his brother and immediately went to turn and look at Bridget but was knocked back by the fire throwing them out of the ring. She couldn't hold back the laughter when the twins hair began turning gray and they both grew long beards and started fighting each other. Hermione looked at her, "I thought you would only smile if it worked."

"Yeah but this is too good not to enjoy!" She was still laughing.

Bridget sat trimming Georges beard since they had been told the only process to make it go away faster and turn back to its normal color was to trim the hair manually. She wore a small smile the whole time and he knew that she would hold this over his head for the rest of his life. He studied her face while she concentrated on his. Her eyes were brown and dark as she worked the scissors through the nappy gray hair hanging from his chin, but he knew the second she stepped out into the sunlight the hints of red in her eyes would shine through. He couldn't help but smile when she pulled the corner of her bottom lip in between her teeth as she worked a spot close to his skin and when she paused for a moment he knew she had seen the smile.

Her eyes met his, "Well at least now you know what you would look like with a beard. I wouldn't suggest it. It isn't a flattering look."

"Really now?" He leaned in closer with a mischievous smile, "So then if I don't grow a beard I'll look good when I'm older?"

"You will always look good as yourself." She said moving a lock of hair that was slowly turning back to red away from his eyes and he could feel his cheeks get warm. Bridget wasn't sure what to do considering his close proximity and so she quickly turned his head to the side so she could reach a different part of his beard.

Fred bust into the room, "Alright fine I can't take it anymore! It itches so much!"

The two laughed at him, he had contemplated keeping it until it went away on its own and Bridget had decided not to tell him otherwise, "Good choice, Angelina wasn't fond of the way it made you look a hundred and seventy."

"She said that?" Fred got excited.

"Yeah. Word for word." Bridget laughed at him then looked at George moving his face from one side to the other, "Well I think that's as good as I can get it by hand, it should be gone in an hour or so I think. Fred, come take a seat."

"Life saver you are."

"The Hogwarts Champion is:" Bridget listened to the words the headmaster spoke and in her mind she kept hoping, Not Cedric, Not Cedric, "Cedric Diggory!"

She closed her eyes, the tournament came with mortal danger and that wasn't something she liked her friends, let alone her bond mate being in. This was going to be a long year.

She opened her eyes again as Dumbledore began speaking about the Cup and she got a bad feeling when the flame of the Goblet turned red again, signifying that it had another entrant. Dumbledore walked over and looked at the piece of paper. The name he read wasn't one, but two mixed together written in such a way the Goblet would think it was one name. He murmured at first, but she heard it, and when he spoke louder she knew she hadn't been imagining it, "Harry Potter Bridget Faltey."

This was going to be a very long year.

Dumbledore continued to yell their names and she looked at Harry, neither of them wanting to move, "For real though, why is it always us?"

When Hermione finally shoved them both up and they walked to their headmaster he as equally perplexed as they were and handed them the paper. They walked to where the champions were sent in the trophy room and didn't have to say a word to each other, they knew that neither of them put their names in and they knew they didn't ask anyone else to. They both knew that something was horribly wrong.

When she walked into the trophy room Cedric gave her and Harry a questioning look until he heard the yells coming behind them in the hallway and his face lost its color. He began shaking his head, "No. No. No No No. No. There is no way I think what is happening is happening."

"I want to be standing here as much as you want me to be." She looked at him, with the bonding he was also given the strong urge to want to protect her, after all it was a connection like no other.

After a few minutes of arguing it was decided that there was no way they could have put their names in and since the Goblet was a binding contract they had to compete, but since their names were drawn together and they were not as learned in the magical arts as the others, they could compete as a team.

Dear Remus,

I've been doing my best to keep my mind off of the tournament. I don't know who would have put our names into the Fire like they did. It's strange having us both on the same paper. I know nothing good is going to come of it. I also don't know how I feel about competing in tasks that are considered life threatening while trying to keep my background hidden. I think I did a good job being as ambiguous as possible while talking to that reporter from the Daily Prophet, but I'm not sure. I hope all is well with you and I hope you stay safe since your next cycle is coming up. It's nice to know that I have someone I can talk to that will understand what I'm going through. Talk to you soon.

Love,

Bridget

She had gotten off of her run with Cedric and Harry had told her about going to see Hagrid. When the time came they got under the cloak and went to meet him like he had asked them too and they had seen the dragon and they were both dumb founded. On the way back to the castle Harry finally spoke, "They cant be serious!"

"Well I guess they are." She rubbed one of her shoulders, "You just think they would have started out with something a little more easy than dragons!"

"And I can't believe Ron didn't tell me!" Harry continued to get madder, "Speaking of have you been having issues with Hermione?"

"No, just the same as always. Why? Whats going on with you and Ron?" Bridget looked at him as they walked into the common room.

"He thinks I put our names in the Goblet and that I should have told him." Harry fell back into a chair in the corner of the room and she sat on one across from him, "Youd think people would be more upset that I didn't tell you if I had."

"I don't see how people can even think that we put our names in there." She rolled her eyes, "Why would one of us put someone else's name on there with us and why the hell would it even make sense for us to put them on together. Do people not see the bigger picture going on here?"

"It would be easier to say that if we knew what the bigger picture was." He rubbed his eyes and then decided he was going to bed.

She grabbed his arm as he walked by, "Harry, I'm sorry that everyone is singling you out thinking you dragged me into this. It isn't fair that they're treating you like they are just because your name is more well known."

"As long as you and I know then it's fine. They can all think what they want." He gave her as sincere of a smile that he could.

"Don't let them push you around Harry. It's okay to stand up for yourself." She called after him.

The next day Harry did just that, she was walking towards him after having lunch with the twins and saw him yelling at Malfoy, who drew on him as he turned around then was immediately turned into a ferret. Bridget walked beside Harry getting a pat on the back from Cedric as she did and watched the ordeal and McGonagall attempting to call Moody off. She knew the woman was only being as persistent and rude as she was because of what Moody had shown them in class.

As he walked off he called for her and Harry to follow him. When they got to his office he asked what the plans were for the dragon. The two looked at each other then looked back at him and she spoke, "All we really have right now is that I'm good with animals, but I think dragons might be a little different."

Moody went on to explain their competitors strengths and then asked what Harrys was and she spoke up, "He's a great flyer, first year seeker."

"Yeah, but I'm not allowed have a broom." He looked at her.

Moody leaned in closer, "You're allowed a wand."

The three went through and devised a plan that involved her getting closer to the dragon than she would have liked but she knew that it was the only chance of giving Harry enough time to allow his broom to get to the arena. When they left back for the dormitory she walked with her mothers ring in her hand and Harry practiced the new spell, wanting to make sure he had it mastered before the first task, "I just don't want you close to that dragon any longer than you have to be."

"Yeah I have a feeling it won't be as nice as Buckbeak was." She took the ring back from him, "But all the same, don't put yourself in harm's way, I don't want the boy who lived to die on my watch."

"I've gotten lucky so far when it comes to that." He smiled at her before saying Accio.

"Yes but we don't know how long that luck will last." She smiled at him like a sister would, in fact that's how they thought of each other, both were orphans and were both wanted by Voldemort, even though she didn't know why, just something else her mother didn't tell her. Perhaps her Death Eater turned under cover Auror has something to do with it.

Once they got to the common room Harry said he was going up to his room to keep practicing and Bridget nodded then noticed the real reason was Ron sitting with Seamus and Dean.

The day of the first task came sooner than she wanted it to and when Harry said she could put her hand in the bag to pull out their dragon she knew that he was testing to see if her animal charm would work on the smaller version. Bridget was even surprised when it didn't bite but crawled up her arm and nuzzled on her shoulder. When Cedric went to leave the tent he turned around for a moment and walked over to her, "I'll be fine. Promise me you will be too."

"Do my best, yeah." She tried to reassure him with a smile but it didn't really work. He gave her a hug and she felt a small burst of energy. Bridget whispered into his ear, "Don't do that, you need all the energy you have."

"I'll be fine, I just said that." He brushed a lock out of her face and left the tent.

She and Harry just sat by themselves until they were the only ones left. He was staring at his lap and she was staring straight ahead. His voice was quiet when he spoke, "Hey Bridget?"

"Yeah Harry?" She looked at him but he never looked at her.

"I'm glad it's you here next to me. I wouldn't have chosen anyone else even if I could have." He locked eyes with her when he was done speaking and they heard Dumbledore talking about them going next.

She stood and held her hand out to him, "I'll always be right next to you." He took her hand and she smiled, "Now let's go get that egg."

George felt a knot in his stomach when Bridget appeared next to Harry in the entrance way. He watched as she pushed her friend out of the way when the tail came swinging at them. Hermione knew that her friend was probably going to have to do something she wasn't comfortable with in order to protect herself from the dragon to be able to get that egg.

Bridget saw the mouth open and ran hitting Harry out of the way as the fire came bellowing towards them and she used the hand that her wand was in to block the flame to make it seem like she was using some kind of spell. When she landed next to Harry behind a boulder he looked at her out of breath, "What spell was that and why didn't you teach it to me?"

"We'll have class time later Harry." She said and they split up. Harry ran in front of the dragon, drawing its attention while she ran towards the chain that was wrapped around its neck. Bridget went as fast as she could dodging its feet since she could hear that her friend was having a hard time. She grabbed onto its leg as she saw its tail fling him across the arena and hoped she could do something to help.

The dragon was now focused on her but its movements weren't as damaging as before even though it was stomping up and down and trying to get her off of its leg which she was now climbing. It went to bite her off but she saw its head coming down and she quickly reached out to the chain and jumped to it, the links were perfect size for climbing. Since she was no longer directly on it the creatures focus went back to Harry and she began yelling to him, "HARRY YOUR WAND!"

She heard others screaming the same thing and prayed he could stop scrambling long enough to perform the spell. The dragon took to the air and she was clinging to the chain but she was almost to the animals neck.

George had no idea what she was climbing for, if it was supposed to be a distraction it wasn't working very well, but Hermione knew what she was trying, and she hoped to god it worked. They heard her yelling for Harry to get down as the animal blew out more fire.

She heard a wizzing sound and knew it from all the quidditch she had seen, her eyes located the broom and called out to Harry, "It's coming on your left!"

His head peaked out and saw where it was and she watched as he flung himself of the boulder onto the broom and it was exact timing for her to grab onto the main collar. She tried to get footing on the hide of the animal but since it was moving towards Harry who was now on the broom she just had to hold on tight. The dragon took off into the air and she felt the chain pull taught and then a jerk and she was flying free hanging onto nothing but a chain on the dragons neck.

The dragon was gaining on Harry and she knew she had to do something now that the dragon was free, she had to make this work. He used all of her might to pull herself onto the dragon and positioned her legs to where she was locked in by the spikes sticking off of its neck.

Fred and George first applauded the dragon when it destroyed the covered seating until George looked down at the arena, "Where's Bridget?"

"She was still hanging from the chain!" Hermione called to him and watched as his face grew pale at the thought of her hanging from a free flying, untamed dragon.

Her hands were right behind the base of its head as she tried to get the dragon to listen to her. She was slowly working her way into the animal connection with it but dragons were stubborn, violent creature and none of hers were, it was like trying to understand a different language. She got into its mind that it wanted to go another way from the way that Harry went so that he could go back to the arena but when she rounded the tower she screamed out as she saw Harry coming right towards her. She watched him fall off of his broom and grab onto a window seal.

Bridget got the dragon to land on a roof top so she could call out to him, "Harry I'm trying I swear to god. When you get back on your broom you just head straight back to the arena!"

"I'm not leaving you on the back of a dragon!" He called back to her fighting to get his broom free.

"It's me being selfish really, if I cant get him to obey then he's going to follow you back to the arena anyways and I can have someone help me get off of him." She was trying to slow the dragon down from climbing to close to Harry. Loosing her concentration for a moment she almost screamed out again when the dragon bit the window out that Harry had been hanging off of. She heard him scream and mustered everything she had, grabbing a spike that was sticking out of the top of the head, and placing her other hand right next to it, she yelled at the dragon, "Follow him!"

Bridget was surprised when he obeyed. The dragon followed him and when she felt him about to breathe fire she yelled for him not to and watched as his mouth shut. She yelled for him to back off and he did. She had a smile across her face, "Harry! I did it! You're safe now!"

Harry turned around to watch as she had the dragon spin in the air and he started laughing and she did too, they couldn't believe they had done it. She let out a victory cry and so did the dragon. She and Harry laughed before they headed back to the arena.

The audience heard the dragons cry and they all thought the worst. Cedric knew she was alright, she had to be. George didn't know what to think and Hermione, her mind was blank for the first time that she could remember. They all let out a cheer when Harry came over the rocks and then were all amazed when Bridget was behind him and she landed the dragon in the center of the arena as Harry grabbed the golden egg. He flew around to right next to where she was and they both lifted it into the air with the dragon once again letting out a roar.