In the week leading up to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, a massive stadium was erected near the entrance of the Hogwarts grounds. Its grandeur suggested that the spectacle within would be nothing short of monumental. For Harry, with his growing knowledge of potential creatures he might encounter in the arena, the nervousness was palpable and escalated daily.
Fortunately, Saturday morning offered him a reprieve from his anxious thoughts. Katie had somehow secured the Quidditch pitch for the day, allowing Harry to focus on training the new Seeker instead of dwelling on his looming 'date' with a dangerous beast. However, once practice concluded, his thoughts inevitably returned to the impending task and the fearsome creatures he would face in front of an audience.
As dinner approached, Harry's anxiety peaked, prompting a certain blonde witch to take matters into her own hands to help him relax. Whatever she did, it certainly worked; when Harry was seen again just moments before curfew, he bore a silly grin, seemingly unfazed by the upcoming challenge.
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By the next morning, some of Harry's tension had returned, yet he still managed a full breakfast. Hermione, however, was relentless in her efforts to drag him to the library, adamant that he finish any unfinished essays. Although practicing spells he might need for the first task would have been a wiser use of their time, working on homework at least distracted him from the lurking monsters in just a few hours.
Lunch arrived sooner than Harry would have liked—right before the first task was set to commence. He wasn't the only champion feeling on edge; Fleur barely touched her food, and Cedric seemed similarly strained. While Harry couldn't see Viktor Krum from his position at the Gryffindor table, it was likely he was equally apprehensive.
Once lunch concluded, they followed Mr. Bagman outside, who led them to the back entrance of the stadium and into a small, barren room with just four spaced chairs. The walls seemed to absorb any sound; even with the door ajar, the outside noise was muted.
"Alright, everyone, sit down," Bagman instructed, allowing them a moment before continuing with an enthusiastic tone. "Each of you will receive a bag." With that, he produced a silk sack that appeared to contain something writhing within—hardly comforting for the already anxious champions. "You'll each select a small model of the creature you will face! There are various... types, as you'll see. And remember, your task is to collect the golden egg!"
At least it wasn't a dragon they had to battle, Harry thought—though having to take an egg from an unknown beast was daunting in itself.
"Ladies first," Bagman announced, handing the bag to Fleur. She hesitantly reached inside and withdrew a petite, silver-green serpent with feathery wings and a collar marked with the number three. The creature, clearly irate, crackled with electricity. "A Quetzalcoatl from Central America," Bagman said, earning a glare from Fleur as she plopped down into her seat.
Next was Viktor Krum, who grimaced as he pulled his hand from the bag to reveal a miniature dragon, its teeth embedded in his finger while it clung to his palm. The dragon displayed a collar with the number one. "A Hungarian Horntail from Central and Eastern Europe," Bagman explained, perhaps for the benefit of the less informed.
Cedric followed suit, retrieving a creature resembling a snake with a split tail and dragon-like head, and a collar labeled with the number two. "A Great Wyrm from the Kazakh steppes." During his research on the beasts, Harry had encountered wyrms renowned for their ability to manipulate earth and fierce territorial instincts. He briefly felt sympathy for Cedric, but his own impending combat with a creature was far more daunting.
Finally, Bagman turned to Harry, who reluctantly stood and reached into the bag. Right away, as several sets of teeth sank painfully into his skin, he recognized he had drawn the most formidable opponent. "Great—a hydra," he cursed while prying the creature off his hand. The hydra's nine heads, adorned with sharpened teeth and fierce claws, loomed large in his mind, with a collar marked four.
"Don't worry; the model's bites aren't poisonous," Bagman reassured them. "This is a Great Hydra from the Amazonian swamps." After a brief pause, he continued, "You all now have your assigned creatures, and the numbers indicate the order in which you will face them. Soon, I'll lock you in this room until it's your turn. Once you complete your task and pass the healer's check, you'll be allowed to watch the remaining champions."
Harry scowled at the prospect—he had drawn the most dangerous creature and would be the last to enter the arena. As he sat, he could still feel the ground beneath him tremble from the beasts struggling against their confines, a constant reminder of what awaited.
By the time Cedric was summoned, Fleur looked as though she might faint. Harry, too, was feeling the pressure, though distracting thoughts of his time with Draconica eased his anxiety, at least for a moment.
Eventually, Fleur was called, leaving Harry alone and dwelling on the approaching encounter with the hydra. Just as panic threatened to overwhelm him, he found a place of acceptance: there was little he could do to avoid the task ahead.
After what felt like an eternity, Ludo Bagman unlocked the room for Harry's turn to confront his adversary. Moving almost robotically, he followed Bagman to the imposing iron gates leading to the arena.
"Your task begins when these gates open," Bagman informed him. "It concludes when you retrieve the golden egg or when you're unable to continue." As Harry nodded, Ludo hurried off, and the gates opened, engulfing him in an unexpected wave of tropical heat.
The arena had transformed into a semblance of an Amazonian swamp. The hydra's nest sat at its center, surrounded by a chaotic mess of moss and leaves, with several eggs scattered atop. The hydra itself lay a few feet away, three heads surveying the nest, while the remaining six scanned the area for threats.
Harry realized he was at a disadvantage—the swamp's unstable terrain gave the hydra a distinct advantage over him. He shook off the negative thoughts, focusing instead on securing the golden egg without becoming the hydra's next meal.
"Accio golden egg!" he mouthed, trying to summon it. But predictably, the tournament's organizers had anticipated this move and placed an anti-summoning charm on the egg. Marking this as a failed attempt, he steeled himself for the next step.
Determined to not let the crowd's reactions distract him, Harry devised Plan B. With a tap of his wand, he cast a Disillusionment Charm, hoping the hydra's vision wouldn't pierce this veil of invisibility. Next, he cast a Silencing Charm, reducing the likelihood of detection. He followed this with a charm from Salazar's grimoire to enhance his speed and strength, the strain on his body a small price to pay to avoid becoming hydra bait. Finally, he cast a modified Feather-Light Charm, allowing him to skim across the swamp's surface.
With spells in place, he crept towards the nest, focusing on making no sound or movement that would alert the beast. As he neared the nest, he created an illusion of the golden egg disappearing, which triggered the hydra's alertness. It searched for the misplaced egg while Harry took cover behind a thick tree.
Moments later, when it became clear the hydra was confused and distracted, he crafted another illusion—a creature resembling a cow struggling in the swamp—drawing the beast's focus away from its nest. The hydra, being less than brilliant, perceived itself victorious after spitting poison at the illusion, thinking it had slain its target.
Once it wandered off, Harry seized the opportunity to snatch the golden egg from under his illusion. Now, he just needed an escape plan. He dropped the illusion of the dying cow and began sprinting towards the gates in a zigzag pattern, no longer concerned about stealth; with his speed and the invisibility spell, he outpaced the beast that showered the ground with poison in a futile attempt to hit him.
After what felt like a frantic eternity, he reached the gates, just ahead of the raging hydra. As they swung shut behind him, he exhaled deeply, his heart racing as he bent over in exhaustion.
"Congratulations on completing the task!" Bagman greeted him, cheerful as ever. "Madam Pomfrey will escort you to the first aid booth now..." The medi-witch eagerly guided him toward her care. "Meanwhile, I'll return to the judges to finalize your scores."
As he settled onto a bed, the exhaustion hit him full force. To his right, Fleur trembled, clearly shaken. Cedric was tending to a badly injured leg, and Krum lay prone, his back covered in healing salve from severe burns.
"What on earth happened out there?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, studying him with concern. "You look like you've run a marathon!" She rushed off to prepare a restorative potion, leaving Harry reflecting on the chaotic whirlwind that had been the first task.
"Alright, everyone!" Ludo's voice boomed magically across the booth. "The judges are ready to announce Mr. Potter's scores." The stadium fell into silence, eager for the outcome.
"Mr. Dumbledore?" The headmaster raised his wand, and a silver ribbon coiled into the number four appeared. "Mr. Potter's methods were neither noble nor astonishing; I cannot justify a higher score," Dumbledore stated, provoking discontented shouts from the crowd.
Karkaroff quickly bestowed a score of three, while Grand Headmistress Maxime awarded Harry a nine, emphasizing his achievement without harm to either the beast or the eggs. Crouch followed suit with a score of seven, and Bagman concluded with another nine, reiterating Maxime's points.
"Congratulations to all of you for successfully completing the first task of the Triwizard Tournament," Ludo announced a few minutes later. "You have a long break before task two, set for half-past nine on the 24th of February." With a flair for drama, he continued, "But don't think you can rest easy; here's something to ponder in the meantime!" He turned to Viktor Krum, who nodded his consent.
"Inside each golden egg you retrieved is a clue for your next task." As he displayed the egg, Harry saw runes wrapped around its equator. "You'll need to open it to reveal the clue and prepare accordingly. Clear? Off you go, then!"