Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
$Parseltongue$
Chapter 86: The first task
The Quidditch field has been turned into a stadium with an enclosure in the middle for the champions to face the dragons.
"Wow!, look at that one, he is huge!" Hannah was looking excited at the red dragon.
"That's a Chinese Fireball, they are extremely aggressive," Luna commented.
"I'm sure He is going to be alright," Susan said, but could not help to feel a bit worried.
"What would you do if you had to face something like that, Harry?" Hannah asked curiously.
"Their scales are very magic resistant, but their eyes are still vulnerable. You can also use magic in indirect ways, like using transfiguration to create spikes that can injure the beast." Harry explained.
The commentator gave the signal to start.
Krum jumped into action and used conjuntivitus curse to blind the dragon. And it seem to work fine at first, but the effects ran out when Krum had just taken the egg.
"Oh no!" Susan yelled.
Krum started to run as fast as He could and escaped, but not without suffering some burns.
The audience cheered happily and the commentator introduced the next champion.
The handlers removed the red dragon and brought a Welsh Green dragon. This one looked smaller and a lot calmer than the other one.
Fleur used her allure to confuse the dragon long enough to get the egg without suffering any injuries.
And last, Cedric had to face a Swedish Short-Snout.
"That's a dangerous one," Luna said with a serious expression.
"Really?, is a lot smaller than the other two." Hannah pointed out.
"They are extremely aggressive and the flames they shoot are bluish in color and a lot hotter than the other dragons. One can easily die if hit by those flames." Harry added.
Susan and Hannah's faces became a bit paler and looked at the arena with worry.
Cedric used transmutation to turn a group of stones into rabbits and had them run all over the place to distract the dragon.
He then used a disillusionment charm on himself to blend into the environment. Everything seem to be going great, but when He managed to get the egg and was making his escape, one of the rabbits He created got too close to him without his notice.
The dragon shot his fire breath at the rabbit, but also ended up hitting Cedric on his left side, burning him badly.
The audience gasped and the handlers quickly entered the arena to distract the dragon while the healer team took Cedric out.
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The next day, everyone was having breakfast at the great hall and discussing the events of the previous day.
"I heard that He will have to be in Saints Mungo for at least a week." A Hufflepuff student said.
"Well, at least He will recover, but He will probably have some scars." A seventh-year girl said.
They all then heard professor McGonagall calling for silence in the hall.
She went up to the podium and cleared her throat.
"I have an announcement to make. But first let me just say that Cedric Diggory is going to make a full recovery and He will be back in Hogwarts by next week."
There was a round of applause from most of the students in the hall. Once the noise died down a bit, McGonagall continued.
"There is going to be a Yule Ball on December 25. Fourth years and older can attend freely, but those in the younger years can only attend in the company of an older student. The event is going to be a very elegant ball, so I expect those of you who will attend, that you will be dressed appropriately."
Students started to cheer.
"Whoa, a Yule Ball!. I can't wait to go." Hannah said.
"Yes, but…don't we need like, dates?" Susan asked.
"Oh…yes," Hannah said with mixed feelings. "I'm sure, you'll get a lot of invites, Susan."
Luna was intensely looking at Harry, who seem to be lost in thought, as usual.
Ernie Mcmillan, a fourth-year Hufflepuff, who was sitting next to Luna, turned to her.
"Hey Luna, would you like to g-"
"Get lost, im busy." Luna said sharply and gave the boy a quick glance.
"Oh, ehmm, yeah. I have a thing to do." Ernie quickly left the hall.
"Soo, Harry, about the dance…" Luna was hesitating.
Harry seems to be woken out of these thoughts at the mention of his name. He looked at Luna.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Harry asked.
"Amm, no, that's okay. We can talk about it later on." Luna stood up and left.
Harry was wondering if He did something wrong.
When He looked at Hannah and Susan, they gave him an angry look.
"You need to pay more attention, Harry!." Hannah said before leaving with Susan.
Harry was left baffled.
"What did I do?"
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The next day, at dinner
"Excuse me"
They heard someone speak and turned around to see Viktor Krum staring at Susan.
"Would you like to attend the ball with me?" Krum asked Susan and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
And she wasn't the only one, it seems like Krum's invitation has gathered the attention of the entire table.
Susan was very embarrassed at the situation, but she gathered her valor and looked at Krum.
"Ok, ill go with you." She answered, trying hard to look calm.
After Krum left Susan turned to Hannah.
"Can you believe it?, I'm going to the ball with Viktor Krum!, the best seeker in the world"
Hannah smiled gently at Susan.
"I'm happy for you, Susan."
Susan spotted a hint of sadness in Hannahs's voice and thought that maybe she was worried about her date.
"Don't worry Hannah, I'm sure, a lot of guys are going to ask you. You are quite the catch" Susan gave her a thumbs up.
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After the commotion of that event had died down a bit, students started to murmur again when they saw Fleur Delacour approaching the Hufflepuff table.
Once it was clear, who the veela was approaching, Luna, who was sitting next to Harry made an anoyed expression.
Harry did not pay attention, but Luna had noticed the veela looking at Harry on more than one occasion, and this was the thing that she was worried about the most.
'Oh…now she is going to ask Harry, He is going to say yes and I'm going to be left alone…I cant compite with Her.' Luna thought.
"Excuse moi monsier Potter." Fleur said to gain Harrys attention.
He turned around to look at her.
"Yes, Miss Delacour?"
"I am in need of a gentleman to accompany me to the ball, would you mind?" Fleur was not used to having to ask guys out. But for what she has observed about Harry, it seemed unlikely that He would ask her. So she decided to make the first move and take what she wanted.
Harry heard a gasp and gave a quick side glance at Luna noticing her expression.
'So, that's what it was...I should have been paying more attention.' He realized at that moment what Luna wanted to say the day before.
He looked at Fleur directly.
"My apologies Miss Delacour, but there is already someone else I wish to take. I assure You, there are plenty of gentlemen in Hogwarts who would gladly take you."
The entire hall became silent.