Chapter 6

"Really, a dragon, Peter? What kind of school sends children to fight a dragon?"

"Who asked for children to fight the White Witch?" Peter muttered in return.

The hour chimed late as Susan and the others snuck out of their respective dormitories, where they had been gathering almost daily together in the North Tower.

Harry thought he would be alone as he pondered how to fight a mythical creature, so the Pevensies bringing him into their inner circle was a complete surprise. One he was glad to be a part of. Ron was in a sulk thinking the boy had purposefully left his best friend out of the loop, and Hermione was holed up in the library.

"Research Harry! I have to run!"

"It's so difficult not to be believed," the boy complained.

"Yes, I completely agree with you."

The chosen one wondered why Lucy's triumphant look brought winces to her three sibling's faces.

"Moody suggested I summon my Firebolt to help me fly to retrieve the egg," the dark haired Gryffindor piped up.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "He did, did he?"

Susan beamed, "That's a fantastic idea, Harry. You're good enough on a broom to grab the egg before the dragon can reach you."

"We're supposed to be not participating," Edmund interrupted. "Someone put your names into the contest for a reason. If you lose and are out, the plan's foiled."

"We can't not participate when a dragon's involved. It'll eat us before we can wait it out. Plus, how will we know who put our names in the goblet?" Peter stood pacing around the room. In a lower tone, he murmured, "We let Caspian and Eustace fight their own battles. Let the boy fight."

Edmund sighed. Peter was always one for action. The silence in the room seemed to echo his brother's conviction.

"Perhaps the tournament will reveal more," Susan bid them all a goodnight as she and Harry walked back to their rooms.

"Harry's done it! His skills on the Firebolt have snatched the golden egg from under the vicious Hungarian Horntail like a winning Snitch!"

Edmund whooped in relief as he watched from the Ravenclaw bench.

"Good on ya, Harry!" he shouted. Still he worried how badly the boy's arm was injured. Both he, Fleur, and Viktor could not escape the First Task unscathed. How would Peter fare?

Padma Patil leaned in close to him, "What will your brother do, Edmund? Peter's picked the Common Welsh Green Dragon. Not as fierce as the Horntail, but it still breathes fire and has sharp claws."

"I know," the dark-eyed Pevensie brother replied to his classmate. "And Peter can't stay on a broom like Harry just did."

A roar came from the crowd as the large dragon appeared on the field. The golden egg rested between its great talons.

She gave a musical screech as she saw the teenager approaching slowly towards her nest.

Edmund held his breath as Peter had to dodge a blast of fire.

"Eustace said the golden band around his arm hurt so much he couldn't fly well. Maybe we can bind his wings?"

"But what about the dragon fire? No spell can freeze that."

They had ended that night without any ideas, but Colin Creevy had spotted Peter speaking with Hermione in the library a few days later.

"Hear me, Eldest one!"

The eldest brother's voice projected over the noise of the stadium and the dragon's irate roars.

"Oh Peter," Edmund muttered. "I never imagined you of all people would choose to talk your way out of this."

The Hufflepuff boy stood up from his hiding spot behind the thick rocks.

"I do not wish to harm you, or your eggs. I ask only for the golden one which is not yours."

The dragon inhaled to char the intruder into ash.

"Look at me, and know who am I!"

The thunderous voice reverberated like an earthquake across the stadium crowd. Several students actually cowered. The Hufflepuff's voice demanded authority and to be obeyed, like a stern but kindly elder.

To everyone's shock, the dragon bowed its serpentine head until it rested on the ground. Its eyes were shut and the great bulk of its body, trembling.

Peter Pevensie paced sedately up to the dragon's clutch, calmly taking the golden egg. He placed a gentle hand, tiny upon the creature's maw, whispering thanks and blessings upon it.

A few of the students gasped as the Green Dragon's eyes opened and its head and neck surged up.

"Run, Peter! It's going to roast you!"

But the Hogwarts champion merely bowed formally to the mythical beast, turned his back, and walked back to the gathered judges.

Silence, then a deafening cheer resounded as the crowd realized the 7th year student successfully completed the first task without a scratch on him.


Sorry this is the correct chapter now.