Chapter 34

The First Task Report

Note from the Authors: Like the last time we published a task report, we're putting out two chapters this week! Enjoy!

The Tri-Wizard cup took off this weekend with the first task, and what a task it was! The Ministry managed to import four dragons for the champions to face, where the challenge was to get past them and fetch a golden egg. Cedric Diggory, of Hogwarts, faced off against the Swedish Short-Snout, Fleur Delacour went up against a Common Welsh Green, Viktor Krum went toe to toe with a Chinese Fireball, and the youngest contestant, Lily Potter, faced down a Hungarian Horntail.

So how well did they do? Diggory went first, and in an impressive display of skill, he managed to cover his scent and blind the dragon. He had to be quick as the dragon went on the attack, and wounded Mr. Diggory. Thankfully, he was okay, and managed to get past his dragon with little consequence.

In an incredible show of talent, Miss Delacour began by blinding the dragon, but then put the creature to sleep. She was a little slow to succeed, unfortunately leading to her getting singed, but again, she got through the challenge with little consequence.

Mr. Krum's attempt was to just blind the dragon and run, and his skill was exceptional, although during his attack, the dragon trampled some of the fake eggs, which were supposed to be unharmed.

Miss Potter's method, however, was by far the most daring, most exciting, and most brilliant show anyone could have asked for. Her first attempt to blind the Horntail failed – unfortunately, they can be difficult to stun or blind – so she summoned her broom, a Firebolt! It was so easy to see why Lily Potter is considered the best Quidditch player at Hogwarts; she flew through the air so effortlessly, as though she belongs in the air all the time.

Of course, the Horntail didn't want to make it easy, and was able to break free of its chains, which scared so many people. However, it was so focused on Lily that it ignored the crowds watching and took off after her.

Unafraid, Lily Potter flew around the castle, with the dragon following her, until she led it in a circle back to the arena. As the Horntail blocked her path to the arena, and the golden egg, Lily struck it blind, but it got out a fireball, which was unavoidable, and it struck Lily!

However, a second later, she flew through the massive fireball, having expertly used a flame freezing charm, and flew down, collecting her golden egg. Even Viktor Krum was impressed with her flying, inviting her for a game of Quidditch sometime!

When I met with Lily after, she was so full of adrenaline and excitement at having succeeded in her task unharmed, and at having been named an equal by Viktor Krum, a Quidditch hero of hers, especially after she saw his Wronski Feint during the Quidditch World Cup!

But what worried this reporter was the scoring for Lily. There is definite bias within some of the judges. The first is from Ludo Bagman. Giving Lily a perfect score of ten might seem quite nice, but the worrying part was how, from the start of the tournament, Bagman kept deadnaming Lily (Calling her by her male name, which is, for all intents and purposes, dead), and mis-gendering her.

However, the more worrying score was from Karkaroff, who gave Lily a four! Why, you might ask, did he do so? Well, he gave his own student a 10, and again gave a four to Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour, so this was a clear violation of fair scoring rules. Of course, this reporter can confirm how he has been biased from the start of the tournament.

I heard from Viktor Krum, who is quite a sweet, and fair, young man, despite the dour appearance he usually keeps, that he had been lied to by Karkaroff. He was told that the others would cheat, show no sportsmanship, and would try to sabotage his attempt at victory.

However, when Mr. Krum finished his task, he overheard a discussion between Miss Delacour and Mr. Diggory, asking someone to watch for red sparks. They had told Miss Potter, it seems, that if she ran into trouble, to send up red sparks, and despite their injuries, they would run to the arena and face the Horntail together.

That, to me, shows a level of sportsmanship and decency that the tournament is meant to promote; international cooperation, and it is an act that I was proud to see after. It would seem that Cedric, Fleur, and Lily have become friends already, and now Viktor is becoming a part of that social circle.

So, why, I wonder, is Igor Karkaroff so determined to remain isolated from the rest of the competitors and the hosts? It seems that the Durmstrang students have been told to remain within their ship, except for mealtimes as Hogwarts, it seems, provides better meals than the ship does.

Is there a hidden motive, or is it simply that Karkaroff wants the glory of the tournament to go to Durmstrang? After all, this is the first time the tournament has been played since 1792, when the heads of all three schools were badly injured by a rampaging cockatrice that the champions were meant to be subduing.

Still, even with the unfairness of the scoring, Lily remains optimistic. Sitting down with me after the event, we were able to enjoy each other's company whilst discussing the upcoming tasks, as well as the Yule Ball, a traditional part of the Tri Wizard tournament.

Having picked out a gorgeous dress before the start of term, Lily admitted she is more nervous about dancing, having now faced the dragon, since she has never danced before. To help her, I promised to make arrangements for the finest dance instructor to assist the champions; it's the least I could do, especially since they were kind enough to grant me exclusive interviews.

Cedric told me that he felt less confident when he first saw the dragon, but thanks to training for anything beforehand, he was able to quickly formulate a plan to take on the dragon. It seems that one of the skills that he, and others, decided would be useful was to cover their scent, as well as any noise they would make.

That skill, along with the Conjunctivitis curse, proved to be useful for the task, and he smiled as he held his golden egg, looking proud despite his injury. Thankfully, Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the Hogwarts Medi-witch who has helped create the Femininus Draught, healed all injuries quickly, leaving no scars or even indication that there were ever wounds.

I met with Madam Pomfrey, who said that when she first heard of Miss Potter being Transgender, whilst she had no idea about what it meant, she would begin researching immediately. She has made it her life's mission to help any and all students at Hogwarts, and anyone else who might need help.

She is, and with good reason, particularly proud of the Femininus Draught, which involved working with multiple Healer's from around the world, including Healer Walton from England, Healer Mylroie from New Zealand, and Healer Heller from America. All three are world renowned Healers, and from what I understand, they are all eager and excited to see the results of the Femininus Draught.

The results, so far, have been exceptional, with Lily stating that she feels much freer now she's starting to see the results of the Draught, with her breasts starting to grow, and her shape becoming more feminine all the time.

Just as equal a success story, it seems that Healer's Mylroie and Walton have led the way in also developing the Masculinum Draught, to help Transgender men, and has tested it on a Transgender Wizard who came forward after hearing of Miss Potter's transition. So far, the Wizard, who wishes to remain anonymous, has begun to develop facial hair, his voice has begun to deepen, and he has already had surgery to remove his breasts.

It would seem that during the tournament, despite the dangers that Lily Potter faces, there is a new movement beginning, and one this reporter hopes will help others come forward to be who they feel they are inside.

I will be the first to admit that before meeting Lily Potter, I would not have understood this, and perhaps I might have questioned the sanity of the people involved. However, it is impossible to spend time with Lily and not feel the kind energy radiating from her. Every action she has taken since starting at Hogwarts has been to help others, from helping her friend Hermione from being hurt by a Troll, which their friend Ron Weasley also helped with, to facing down the giant Basilisk that terrorised the school in Lily's second year.

Why is it, then, that there are still those who are bullying Miss Potter, including one Draco Malfoy, who, according to anonymous sources, is leading a campaign to have everyone label Lily a 'freak' and a 'cheat' whilst also attacking her personally. Whilst some might question the naming of a school bully, it is clear that Hogwarts is powerless to help, since Mr. Malfoy only bullies Lily and others when there is no Professor around.

That having been said, my sources also say that earlier this year, not long after the start of term, Mr. Malfoy attempted to attack Lily from behind her. However, Professor Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody witnessed the attempted and stopped it. There are rumours that he transfigured Mr. Malfoy into a ferret, but these are only rumours, although many agree that it was deserved.

Still, whilst sitting with all four champions, I became aware very quickly of the strong bond developing. It would seem that Miss Potter has the ability to form strong bonds of friendship quickly and easily, which goes to show the strength of character Lily displays on a daily basis.

As the tournament progresses, I intend to spend time with each champion and learn much more about them, finding their stories and helping them as best I can, especially Miss Potter, since she confirmed that she even considers me a friend, a feeling I reciprocated.

She has, after all, taught me much about the world, and over the next few weeks, I'll be writing more articles about the Transgender community, and helping them find their place within the world, which they truly deserve. Some may see this as fame seeking, but having heard the stories of Miss Potter, and others, I feel that we are not doing enough to help those who need us, which means we are failing as a society.

Can we really accept such a failure? I don't believe so, and as I continue my research, and my reports, I intend to find more ways to help those in need. Keep reading my column, dear readers, and together we'll take this journey together.

Anyone who has been affected by any part of this story should send an owl to myself at the Daily Prophet, where I will be on hand to offer advice, support, and guidance.