Author's note: This series follows the books but will include details from the movie series for drama. Please note that the major events of the story remain true to the series and will be summarized into small sections to help progress to the story's love interest. I do not want to be claimed for plagiarizing but the original story line is needed to explain the changes in character development.
M rating for sexual content anticipated to start in year 4.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter series. Thank you to J.K. Rowling for bringing us the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The Doting Rival
Chapter 28
The wait was torture. Stuck in the tent, listening. The crowd created horrible pictures in Adelyn's mind with every noise they made. Screams. . . yells. . . gasps. It was worse than she had imagined it to be. The commentary only kept her guessing.
"Clever move – pity it didn't work."
"Oh, I'm not sure that was wise."
"Very daring!"
One-by-one, each champion left the tent, until, at last, it was only Adelyn. She took it as a good sign that she had yet to see any of the others return for medical attention. Though, Madame Pomfrey was scurrying in and out of the tent repeatedly.
Applause shattered her thoughts. The third egg had been successfully obtained. She stood up, ready at the exit. And then she heard the whistle blow. She walked through to find a trail leading through the trees. It ended at a gap in an enclosed fence. She went through.
She found herself in a tall fenced arena. Stands had been magically erected above since the last time she was here. Hundreds and hundreds of faces stared down at her. The enclosure was mostly rock. Boulders of various size and shapes were scattered about. On the opposite end was the Horntail, chained to the ground with a massive iron peg. She crouched low over her eggs, her wings half-furled. Her large yellow eyes were fixed on Adelyn. She thrashed her spiked tail back and forth warning not to approach. Each time it made contact with the ground a yard-long gouge was left behind.
Adelyn dashed behind the nearest boulder. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths trying to drown out the noise around her. She focused her mind, trying to ignore the fears surrounding her. Once she could no longer discern whether or not the crowd was friendly or not, she honed in on one thing.
She raised her wand. "Accio Firebolt!" she shouted. Now, all she had to do was wait. Wait and hope.
The sudden exclamation roused the Horntail. The ground shook as it stepped towards the boulder. Adelyn stumbled and grabbed onto the boulder to prevent herself from falling. A deafening roar warned of the incoming threat. She peered around the boulder. Instant regret. The dragon opened its mouth and a light began to form in the back of her throat.
As Adelyn tucked back behind her boulder, an immense blast of fire erupted around her. The heat started to creep around the sides, inching closer. She took a chance by darting across the open enclosure to a different boulder.
"Good Lord, that was a risky move," Bagman commented.
Adelyn looked around the sky. Waiting. Hoping. Please. Please, work. And then she heard it, speeding through the air behind her. She looked back towards the woods to see her Firebolt hurtling towards her. It ripped through the enclosure, stopping dead in midair beside her. The crowd grew louder, drowning out Bagman's words.
She swung her leg over the broom and kicked off. She rushed straight into the sky, higher and higher, until the crowd's faces became small specks below. The fear melted off her as the wind rippled through her hair. She was back where she belonged.
This was just another match of Quidditch. And the Horntail was the opposing team. She examined the enclosure below. Amongst the clutch of eggs between the dragon's feet was one golden egg. "Okay. Divisionary tactics."
Adelyn dived.
Draco
Draco jumped from his seat to lean against the railing of the stands. His heart dropped into his stomach. He had seen Adelyn do this maneuver countless times and knew what she was going to do. "Pull up, Adelyn. Pull up!" He slapped his hand against the rail repeatedly.
Hermione mimicked him and was now standing against the railing. "What is she doing?"
Adelyn pulled out of the dive just in time. A jet of fire shot from the Horntail hitting the exact spot she would have been had she not changed course.
"Great Scott! She can fly!" exclaimed Bagman. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
"Of course, she can fly," Draco remarked with irritation. It ought to be common knowledge, by now. He was offended by the ignorance of someone not knowing.
Adelyn soared above the enclosure in a circle. The Horntail followed her incessantly. "She's making sure it marks her," Draco explained to a fretting Hermione.
Adelyn plunged a second time, just before another spew of fire erupted. She missed the flames, but had to swerve to miss the spiked tail whipping up in retaliation. As she steered her broom to the left, one of the spikes grazed her right shoulder. She screamed, echoed by the crowd.
"Adelyn!" Draco's hands clenched the rail, turning white with the force. He was fighting every urge to jump into the enclosure and run to her aid. He knew any interference would harm her scores or possibly disqualify her from the task. Not to mention the potential legal ramifications he would likely have to endure. I hate this.
Adelyn began flying back and forth, pestering the dragon. It became more frustrated, furling and unfurling its wings, stretching its neck to snap at her. She inched gradually higher, causing it to sway as it stretched to its fullest extent.
Draco understood. "No. . ."
"What? What is it?" Hermione looked around the enclosure frantically.
"She's trying to get it to take off. She wants it to chase her."
"What? Why would she do that?"
"She's trying to separate it from the eggs." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Ohh, that Horntail is going gulp her down in one bite!" Pansy Parkinson snickered a few rows up.
Draco whipped around fuming. "Shut it, you chav git! Some of us are actually watching what's happening."
Pansy's mouth fell open in disbelief. "What's got into you?"
"Don't test me, or you'll find out," he snapped back.
He returned his attention to the task below. Adelyn continued to climb higher. The Horntail began to spread its large, black, leathery wings, casting an immense shadow across the majority of the enclosure. Draco swore he saw a smirk across Adelyn's face.
The dragon thrashed her wings and left the ground. Adelyn quickly zipped to the side as it pursued her. Suddenly, a distinct metal snap resounded throughout the arena. Within an instant, Adelyn raced out of reach, past the stands, out of the enclosure. The Horntail followed without hesitation, dragging its chain through a portion of the stands.
Draco rushed to the top of his section of the stands to get visual. He could hear the Horntail roar but couldn't locate them in the sky. "Come on!" He turned to the judges stand. "Someone intercede!" Draco looked at the edge of the tent hoping to see dragon keepers rushing forward.
Anger seething from him, Draco stormed towards the judges. "This can't possibly be allowed! A dragon is loose on the grounds. Do something!"
Barty Crouch answered. "According to the rules and regulations of the Triwizard Tournament, each champion entered knowing the possibility of endangerment they may -"
"What about everyone else here?" Draco interrupted.
Suddenly, a quick bolt of wind rushed above them. Draco followed the sound to see Adelyn diving towards the now unprotected eggs. She removed her hands from the Firebolt and seized the golden one. The crowd screamed and applauded as loudly as the Irish supporters at the World Cup. Dragon keepers rushed forward to subdue the Horntail as it plummeted toward her eggs.
"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling over the crowd. "Our youngest champion is quickest to get the egg!"
Without a thought, Draco bolted from the stands. The continuous change in emotions left him restless. He could no longer sit on the side lines. He had to get to her. To see for himself she was alright. Draco skipped two steps at a time as he ran through the maze of the arena stands.
Time felt like it was against him. He could hear the crowd finally settle after the final scores were called. How was he not on the ground yet? A short, exasperated yell escaped his lips as his feet finally reached the bottom. He raced toward the tent as fast as his feet would carry him.
As he approached the entrance to the tent, he called for her. "Adelyn!"
He came to an abrupt halt just inside the tent. He desperately looked around. There were many witches and wizards scuffling about; some reporters, some tournament staff, and of course the champions. But he didn't see Adelyn.
"Adelyn. Where's Adelyn?" Panic began filling his voice. His eyes met Krum's as he pointed to the nursing station at the far side of the tent.
"Draco?"
He turned at the sound of her voice as she pushed aside the divider from the nurse station.
"Adelyn! Thank Merlin, you're alright." Relief flooded through him as he strode toward her. In one fell swoop, he cupped her face between his hands and pulled her lips to his.
Adelyn
Warm. Content. Safe. These were the feelings running through Adelyn as Draco Malfoy kissed her. It was deep and consuming. All the things he had never said were conveyed in the kiss; desire, worry, need, relief. It created a hunger in her she had not previously experienced. And then it stopped.
Adelyn was a bit light headed as Draco's lips retreated from hers. She didn't expect the sudden change of shock that appeared on his face.
"Addy. I – I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He slowly lowered his hands from her face.
Before she could respond, Madame Pomfrey came forward from just checking on Cedric. "Alright, Ms. Potter. You're next. Come this way." She motioned to the other side of the divider.
Adelyn grabbed Draco's arm. "Wait for me?"
His face relaxed and he nodded with a gentle smile. "Sure."
Adelyn returned to the cot of the nurse's station.
"Last year, dementors. This year, dragons. What's next?" Madame Pomfrey mumbled as she removed Adelyn's jacket to expose her shoulder. "You're lucky. This is quite shallow. But it'll need cleaned before I heal it up."
She dapped at it with a purple liquid that smoked and stung. A hiss escaped Adelyn's lips. With a poke of a wand, she felt her shoulder heal instantly.
"Now, sit quietly for a minute before leaving – sit!" Madame Pomfrey coaxed Adelyn to stay in her seat before leaving. Sitting still was the last thing she wanted to do.
She grabbed her jacket and rushed back across the divider. She sighed with relief to find Draco waiting for her, leaning against of the tent poles. "You're still here." She smiled.
He abruptly stood up straight. "Is everything okay?" Worry was evident all over his face.
Adelyn meandered over to him. "Just a graze. All healed now. See?" She turned her shoulder towards him so he could get a clear view.
She felt his soft fingers gently caress where the wound previously was. "Good."
She could have sworn she saw him gulp. Is he nervous too? Butterflies danced in her stomach at the touch. She quietly cleared her throat and began to put her jacket back on. "Shall we go to supper?"
"You actually going to eat anything?" he teased.
That's better. "Ha, ha. You're very funny."
"Alright, Champions. One more moment of your time." Bagman made his way to the center of the tent. Once he had everyone's attention, he continued. "You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will occur at nine on the morning of February twenty-fourth. If you look down at those eggs of yours, you will see they open. . . notice the hinges there on the top? You need to solve the clue inside the egg as it will tell you what the second task is! Work hard as it will enable you to prepare for it. Well, off you go, then!"
As Adelyn turned to collect her things, Draco grabbed her Firebolt. "Let me."
She smiled, scooping up her golden egg, prior to leading the way from the tent. It was growing dark and many other students had already made their way back toward the castle. This meant they were able to walk virtually alone. She glanced periodically at him, the silence making her nervous.
Draco suddenly blurted out. "Adelyn, about what happened back there. I should have asked you first."
She stopped walking to face him. She looked directly in his eyes and replied, "Ask me now, then."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"
She stepped closer. "Ask me now," she repeated, leaning in.
"Addy. . . would it be alright if I -"
"Adelyn!" Hermione screamed across the lawn running towards the pair. She threw her arms around Adelyn. "You were brilliant!"
As she stepped back, she could see the scratch marks on her face when she had been clutching it. Her eyes darted over Hermione's shoulder to see Ron just behind her. His face was white.
"Adelyn," Ron said, "you'd have to be daft as a bush to put your own name in the Goblet."
"Caught on then, have you?" Adelyn said with anger. A part of her was still hurt by him.
Ron opened his mouth, but couldn't get the words out. "I -I -"
"Forget it," Adelyn sighed. She had missed her best friend. "It's okay."
Ron smiled and embraced her. "You were the best, you know. No competition!"
"Of course, she was," Draco agreed.
Ron looked in his direction. "What's he doing here?" he scoffed.
"Ron. You have a lot of catching up to do," Adelyn scolded.