Chapter 33
The First Task
Note from the Authors: Once again, we just want to thank you for your support, and your reviews and comments. For me (J.M. Jackson), it's what helps keep me going, knowing that you enjoy our work so much. Even when I've had struggles, I just read through the reviews again, and they make me smile, so thank you all for that.
As the morning of the first task approached, Lily found herself struggling to want to do anything, a deep sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach. She had to force herself to eat something for breakfast (at Hermione, Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, and Ron's insistence), and of course, she had to endure taunts from the Slytherins, most notably Malfoy telling her that he had a bet on with his father, how she wouldn't even last ten minutes into the task.
"Ignore that prat, he's gonna look like an idiot when you complete the task, mate," Ron insisted. Lily smiled at her friend, thankful for the support.
"You got this Lily; you've got your plan, and you've trained for it," Hermione added, as Cedric and Fleur came over and sat down.
"Lily, Fleur and I have been talking, and we agreed; we'll be standing by when its your turn, and the second you feel overwhelmed, send up red sparks. Tournament be damned, we'll jump in and help you," Cedric insisted.
"What matters most, Mees Potter, is zat you survive zis thing," Fleur agreed. Lily smiled at the two of them.
"Thank you. I'm lucky to have friends like you, all of you," Lily said, smiling at them.
"Hey, we're the lucky ones. Thanks to you, and to your uncle, neither of us actually feel concerned," Cedric commented, smiling. "Just remember, we're all here for you."
"I wish I felt as confident as you two," Lily admitted.
"Hey, you've got your plan, and it's a damned good one," Ron commented. "Just remember; we're all here for you. Like Cedric said, the second you need help, and we'll be in that arena to get you out."
"Speaking of which, we should head down there," Cedric said. "I think they want the Champions in the tent beforehand."
"Alright, we'll get going. See you down there?" Lily asked. Ron nodded as Lily got up, following Fleur and Cedric down to the arena that had been set up. As they walked out of the castle, they saw Krum and Karkaroff speaking whilst walking towards the arena.
"Be careful," Lily said, looking at Fleur and Cedric. "I heard Charlie Weasley saying that the Hungarian Horntail was the worst, so watch out for that, although, knowing my luck, I'll be saddled with it."
"Hey, don't think like that," Cedric said, smiling at her.
"Are you all ready?" Sirius asked, as he, Remus and Madam Maxime approached the trio.
"As we'll ever be," Lily confirmed. "Is it set up?"
"Ginny is standing by with it now, so you'll only have to wait a matter of seconds before it arrives," Sirius replied.
"Remember, be quick, be careful, and don't get complacent. You all remember the Flame Freezing charm, yes?" Remus asked. The three champions nodded.
"Good. Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, I am grateful for all ze help you have given Fleur," Maxime said, with a smile.
"It's our pleasure, Madame Maxime," Remus bowed his head slightly as the group neared the arena. "Good luck; we'll be watching and standing by."
As Fleur, Cedric, and Lily entered the large tent, they saw Rita Skeeter standing there, along with Ludo Bagman, Mr. Crouch and Professor Dumbledore. Crouch was holding a bag that appeared to be wriggling within his grasp. Bagman was giving Rita a glare before the trio had arrived.
"Excellent, now you're here, we can begin," Bagman said. "Barty, the show is yours."
"In this bag, there are four items. Each has a number assigned to it. The number is the order in which you will face your trial. The item is what you'll be facing. Your task is to get the Golden Egg," Crouch said, looking at each of them. He held the bag out, with Krum pulling out a small, moving dragon with smooth red skin, fringed with golden spikes, with a small number 3 around its neck.
"Ah, the Chinese Fireball," Bagman said, smiling. Fleur went next, looking at the others before pulling out a small, green, scaly dragon, with the number 2 around its neck.
"The Common Welsh Green, the easiest one," Bagman commented. Lily and Cedric nodded at one another, with Cedric drawing the next one, a silvery-blue dragon with the number 1 around it's neck. Lily's sinking feeling grew, knowing what she would be facing.
"The Swedish Short-Snout," Bagman exclaimed, offering the bag to Lily, who drew the final dragon, which had black scales, bronze horns, and yellow eyes, with the number 4 around its neck.
"The Hungarian Horntail," Bagman said, with an unusual smile at Lily. "Now, all four champions have their task, so Mr. Diggory, you'll go first, followed by Miss Delacour, then Mr. Krum, and Miss Potter last."
Lily felt gobsmacked; Bagman hadn't deadnamed or mis-gendered her! Had the article written by Rita made a difference? As Bagman and Crouch led Cedric away, Rita approached Lily.
"How are you feeling, Lily dear?" Rita asked, her quick notes quill floating next to her.
"Nervous, but we've got a plan," Lily said.
"We?" Rita asked. "You, Cedric, and Fleur still working together?"
"They're helping me stay alive, and honestly, that's what I'm worried about most," Lily replied. Rita nodded.
"I've got a couple of friends from the Ministry standing by, if things get risky, they'll be on hand to help you," Rita said. Lily felt tears welling up at the simple act; she hadn't realised Rita was that caring towards her. She hugged Rita, who returned the hug with a smile.
"You can do this, Lily. I've got faith in you," Rita assured her. "On top of that, you might like to know that I've had a lot of letters for you, all of them supporting you in your transition. Next weekend, I'll bring them to the castle. One of them is from a Witch who has just come out as Transgender, citing your story as giving her the confidence to be the witch she knows she is."
"That's incredible!" Lily exclaimed, a feeling of joy within her heart. "And its thanks to you as well, and your amazing story, although… you did get Cedric's name wrong, it's Diggory."
"Oh Merlin, I owe him an apology then. Thank you, dear," Rita said, patting her cheek. "Now, go out there, and show the people how it's done!"
Cedric took a deep breath as he stood at the exit of the tunnel, after having been given the green light to go, and stepped out into the area. He could see, and hear, everyone cheering loudly for him as he stepped into the area, seeing a rocky hill in the centre, and a bundle of eggs with the golden egg shining in the centre. Cedric couldn't see the dragon, so he decided to start with the first spell.
"Odoratus Obculto!" Cedric cast the spell at himself, covering his scent, hearing Ludo Bagman's voice aloud.
"And Mr. Diggory has started by covering his scent to the dragon, an excellent idea given the sense of smell a dragon has!" Bagman exclaimed. Cedric walked forward carefully, staying low, although he jumped out of the way as he heard a roar, a fireball hitting where he had been standing moments before. The crowd cheered as he did so, so Cedric quickly turned, facing the dragon.
He felt terrified as he saw the face of the dragon, realising that as prepared as he was, this was not going to be easy. Still, he had his strategy.
"Oculus Obscuro!" Cedric cast, hitting the dragon in the centre of his face with the spell. The dragon roared in pain, swinging his tail towards Cedric, who quickly moved again, before aiming for the mouth.
"Ignis Frigidus!" he called out.
"And Mr. Diggory has launched a series of charms, including the Flame Freezing charm. Mr. Diggory is taking no chances with his dragon," Bagman said, as Cedric raced forward. He was nearing the eggs when he heard the tail coming towards him. He was a little too late, because as he leapt, he felt the tip of one of the spikes strike his shoulder. He let out a cry of agony as he fell to the ground, rolling back down the hill.
"Oooh, that'll cost Mr. Diggory time and points," Bagman's voice echoed.
"Yeah, thanks," Cedric muttered bitterly to himself, wincing in pain as he got up. He quickly cast another spell away from the eggs, creating the sound of a roaring dragon. The Swedish Short-Snout turned and moved towards the fake sound, so Cedric quickly pulled himself up, and raced for the eggs. This time, he grabbed the golden egg, hearing the entire crowd cheer as dragon tamers came racing into the arena, starting to take control of the Short-Snout.
Cedric felt elated as he held up the egg, before he headed back to the tunnel. He was quickly led by Madam Pomfrey, and as he sat down, he hoped Fleur would be okay. He looked up as Madam Pomfrey was treating his wound, wincing as she put a potion on the wound, with Cho Chang smiling.
"You did brilliantly, Cedric," Cho exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks Cho," Cedric smiled at her as she walked over and kissed him gently.
"You got Thirty-Eight points. Karkaroff… that… you got Nine from Dumbledore and Maxime, eight from Crouch and Bagman… and that slimy, arrogant, evil jerk only gave you four points!" Cho exclaimed indignantly.
"Not surprising, he's biased, and he doesn't like anyone else. Why he's a judge, I don't know, especially given how much of a git he is. I finally found someone who I hate more than Snape," Cedric joked. Cho giggled as she carefully hugged Cedric, who smiled.
As Fleur emerged into the arena amidst the cheers, she immediately cast the scent obscuring charm. "And Miss Delacour starts the same way as Mr. Diggory. It would seem that they know what they're doing," Bagman's voice echoed.
"I hope so," Fleur whispered to herself as she looked around for the Common Welsh Green Dragon. She had decided to go with a sleep charm, one she had learnt at Beauxbatons. Sirius and Remus had helped her train to make it strong enough to go up against a dragon, and she hoped it would be enough.
As the dragon came into view, she took a breath. "Ocular Obscuro!" she called out, hitting the dragon dead centre.
"And like Mr. Diggory, Miss Delacour makes excellent use of the Conjunctivitis curse, aiming it perfectly," Bagman called out. Fleur moved out of the way, quietly, before taking another breath, waiting for the right moment, for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes.
"Somnus!" she cried out, hitting the dragon. It let out a loud roar, and sent out a fireball towards her, so she quickly leapt out of the way, although her kit caught fire. She let out a gasp of pain before pointing her wand at it.
"Aguamenti!" she cried, water quickly putting out the flame. She felt a slight pain on her leg; she knew she'd been singed by the dragon. She looked up, before casting the Flame Freezing charm, cursing herself for forgetting to do that first.
As she got up, she cast the sleep spell again, hitting the dragon. Again, it roared, but it wasn't as loud, and it was getting slower. Fleur smiled as she cast the spell three more times, moving after each incantation, until the dragon finally laid down, sleeping. The entire crowd cheered as Fleur let out a sigh of relief; she had done it! She walked up the hill, and grabbed the golden egg, with the dragon tamers entering the area to remove the dragon.
Fleur held up the egg as she looked at the crowd, before leaving the arena quickly, feeling proud. She was led to the tent, where she saw Cedric and his girlfriend, Cho, talking.
"Are you okay?" Cedric asked, indicating that he had seen her task as one side of the tent showed the arena clearly, projected by magic. Fleur sighed.
"I forgot to cast ze Flame Freezing charm," she said bitterly, as she sat down, with Madam Pomfrey starting to treat her wounds.
"Hey, it's okay, it's… well, it was terrifying, seeing the dragon. You managed to get past it though, didn't you?" Cedric asked. Fleur nodded.
"Krum's next," Cho commented. "This should be interesting."
As Krum stepped out into the arena, he remembered what Professor Karkaroff had told him, and thought of his own plan. Seeing the dragon ahead of him, Krum made his way behind a rock, listening carefully for the dragon's movements.
As he waited, he held onto his wand, and looked around. Seeing a large rock a decent distance from him, he levitated it, using a non-verbal spell, before dropping it. The dragon immediately went to investigate, and as it did, Krum stepped out and faced it.
"Oculus Obscuro!" he cried out, striking the dragon directly between its eyes, causing it to roar angrily. He then fired several curses at its eyes, causing it to start to rampage. Krum ran towards the egg pile, leaping out of the way as the dragon sent fireballs near him.
Nearing the eggs, Krum let out a silent curse as the dragon stepped on several, but thankfully missed the golden egg. As he reached the eggs, he noticed that they were all hollow. It made sense to him that the organisers wouldn't risk real dragon eggs, and as he grabbed the golden egg, he leapt out of the way of another fireball, smirking as he did.
The dragon tamers raced into the arena, subduing the dragon as Krum held up his egg, showing off. Karkaroff had told him to do so; what was the point of being the best champion in the tournament if he didn't show off a little?
As he exited the arena, he saw Fleur and Cedric with another witch, smiling and talking with one another.
"You did it," Cedric said. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Krum acknowledged, with a nod. "I understand you did vell," he added.
"Well enough, I hope," Cedric replied, with a small smile. "Got a little stung by the tail but got there in the end."
"Just Mees Potter to go," Fleur said, taking a breath. She looked at Cedric, both nodding.
"Cho, go just outside, please, and call us if you see red sparks go up," Cedric said.
"Sparks?" Cho asked. Cedric nodded.
"If Lily's in trouble, we're going out there to help her. We can see the arena, but I don't want to risk missing the sparks," Cedric explained. Krum frowned as he sat away from the group; Karkaroff had told him that they would only look out for themselves, and yet here they were, willing to risk disqualification to help the fourth champion. How could Professor Karkaroff have gotten that wrong? What else had he gotten wrong?
Lily took a deep breath as she emerged from the tunnel, holding her wand tightly as she heard the crowd cheering. She knew it was going to be a tough one, but as she entered the arena, she looked around, studying the area. She had to take another deep breath as she looked around for the dragon.
When she couldn't see it, she took a step out, seeing the eggs, but stopped as the dragon came up from the other side of the hill, glaring at her, before letting out a blood-curdling roar.
"Oculus Obscuro!" Lily cried out.
"And our youngest champion starts off with the same spell. Have the four champions been sharing ideas, or are they in tune with one another?" Bagman's voice echoed as Lily leapt out of the way of a fireball. She went to cast another spell, but before she could, the Horntail sent her tail down towards Lily, who leapt out of the way again.
"Accio Firebolt!" Lily cried out as she ducked down behind a rock. She closed her eyes as she waited for a few seconds, before she heard the sound of her broom flying towards her. As the Firebolt flew at her, Lily ran to it and leapt on it, pointing upwards as she felt a fireball hit the ground behind her.
"GOOD LORD, HE CAN FLY! Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?" Bagman's shocked tone or misgendering her didn't matter in that moment to Lily. She felt safe and at home as she flew around the arena, the Horntail following her. She could see that the Horntail's eyes hadn't swollen up – Lily must have missed.
She cursed as the Horntail took off, trying to reach Lily. It was stuck to a chain, but as it flew up, it pulled away, breaking the chain away from the wall, making a beeline for Lily.
Without hesitating, Lily flew up and out of the arena, with the Horntail following her. She flew towards the castle, winding around the towers, with the Horntail shooting fireballs at her.
Lily knew she had to get the dragon back to the arena, and to blind it, so she flew down underneath a connection bridge between a tower and the main castle, with the dragon flying through the tunnel. She was glad that the entire school was watching the tournament; she didn't want anyone hurt because of her.
As Lily flew towards the arena, with everyone cheering, Lily flew towards another tower, flew around it, just as the Horntail flew towards the arena. Lily turned around, facing the dragon, which was now between her and the eggs. She aimed for the dragon's eyes and attacked. "Oculus Obscuro!" she cried out. This time, her spell hit perfectly, causing the dragon to let out a roar of anger.
Lily flew forwards as the dragon prepared to send out a ball of fire. She took aim, and again, without hesitation, made her move. "Ignis Frigidus!" Lily cried out. She saw the fireball heading for her as she made a beeline for the eggs, and not feeling any heat, she flew straight through the now cold fireball, with the crowd letting out cries of fear and concern.
As she emerged on the other side, she flew straight at the eggs and grabbed the golden egg, flying back up as the dragon tamers began to subdue the Horntail. The entire crowd roared in delight as Lily held up her egg.
"AND MR… MISS POTTER GETS HER EGG! THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING MOMENT I'VE EVER WITNESSED! This will definitely lower the odds on our youngest champion!" Bagman's voice cried out as Lily landed and walked down the tunnel to where the other champions were.
"LILY!" Ginny was there, waiting for her, and ran to her, hugging her. "Oh my god, you were incredible, we saw it all! It was projected in the tent so we could watch it!"
"You flew perfectly, Lily," Cedric complimented. "I've never seen any flying like it! You were… amazing!"
"You flew vell," a male voice said, so Lily turned, seeing Krum standing there. "I vas vondering, how long haff you been flying?"
"Three years," Lily replied, as Hermione joined them, smiling at Krum. "I joined the Quidditch team in my first year."
"Perhaps you misunderstand. How long haff you been flying in general, not for Quidditch?" Krum asked, frowning.
"Three years. I hadn't flown a broom until my first year. My uncle Sirius raised me as a muggle because he didn't want me to be overwhelmed because of who I was," Lily clarified.
"Oh, vow," Krum said, his eyes widening slightly, clearly impressed. "Ve must fly together, you and I, and perhaps have a Quidditch game."
"I… I'd like that," Lily agreed, shocked that the world's best seeker, Viktor Krum, would think her worthy of flying together.
"I vill send an owl so ve can arrange a time," Krum told her. "You were the best of us all, I think."
"Thank you, Mr. Krum," Lily said, smiling.
"Viktor, please," Krum told her.
"Then please, call me Lily," Lily replied, as Ron came in, followed by Rita.
"They gave you forty points, Lily," Ron exclaimed. "Karkaroff only gave you four, but you're drawing with Krum."
"He did vot?" Krum asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "I vill speak with him. Excuse me," Krum said, before leaving the tent. Lily didn't care about how many points she got; as she celebrated with her friends, she would have been happy with no points. After all, she survived, she had spoken with Krum who wanted to fly with her, and she and her friends were together. As far as Lily was concerned, she had achieved everything she had wanted to that day.