The Difference in Reality [A Harry Potter Fanfiction]

Year 4: Chapter 6

By Sunday evening, all of Willow's friends knew about Mirlisa becoming a real thing, and by Tuesday, nearly all of Ravenclaw was cheering them on. Willow had never seen Lisa blush as often as she did those first few days. Miranda took it in stride and made his happiness very obvious. The pair constantly held hands as they walked around the castle, and every once in a while, Miranda would peck Lisa on the cheek before leaving for class. Willow was happy to be the one that finally got them together.

Meanwhile, Cypress was taking his sweet old time asking Oliver out, and it was driving Willow insane. She didn't know how Oliver had the patience; she would have definitely asked Cypress out by now if she were in his shoes, but then again, she was a domineering personality, and Oliver was one of the shyest people on the planet. Willow decided to give them a few more months before she stepped in to rectify the situation.

On Wednesday morning, Willow woke with a start. She clapped a hand to her mouth when she realized what day it was. The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was happening today! Her gut roiled with sickening regret; she hadn't tipped Harry off about the dragons! She hoped against hope that someone else had gotten to him in time and he'd put together a plan. If worse came to worse, Willow was prepared to jump into the arena and tackle the dragons herself. What were they going to do? Expel her for protecting her friend? Harry wasn't supposed to be in the Tournament in the first place!

After a hasty run, a quick shower, and completely forgetting about breakfast, Willow joined up with Paige, the Weasley twins, and Lee on her way to the stadium. They seated themselves among their fellow rowdy Gryffindors. Willow wished she shared their enthusiasm. Just thinking about Harry facing one of those dragons made her sick to her stomach. She made sure she had an aisle seat in case of an emergency, and her wand was firmly in her grasp. She didn't care if the Ministry took all the precautions in the world to protect the Champions; the only way to protect against a dragon was another dragon. Revealing herself as an "animagus" might get in the papers, but if all she got for saving Harry was a newspaper article and some teasing, it was well worth the pain.

The Gryffindor Sisters surrounded Willow the moment they found her in the stands. They picked her up and set her on her feet. So much energy and enthusiasm radiated from that small group of girls that Willow questioned if they weren't high on unsafe levels of caffeine. They handed Willow a sign that read, in bold letters, "THAT'S OUR SEEKER!" Willow rolled her eyes but held the gift up proudly. A few minutes later, she noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Sally?" Willow asked.

"She isn't feeling well again," Parvati sighed. "I told my sister to bring her a famous draft of her Super Pepperup Potion after the task. Poor thing, always getting sick and never getting any sleep..."

"Huh. This is the third time this year," Willow realized. "Hopefully her immune system isn't getting run down from the extra stress."

"We've already got a plan, don't worry!" Lavender giggled, winking. "We're going to get her a real boyfriend that will help take her mind off things without hurting her in the process."

"...Whatever works?" Willow said.

As her Sisters dissolved into further chatter about possible dates for Sally, Willow's attention turned toward the task. The arena was circular, bordered by sturdy metal fences, and encased with strong chains to prevent escapee dragons. The floor was very rocky with multiple nooks and crannies in which the Champions could hide. A nest of dragon eggs was planted in the exact center of the arena. For some reason, amid the stony grey real dragon eggs, a golden one was shining between them. Willow wondered what on Earth the task was when the announcers answered her every question.

The Champions were tasked with successfully stealing the golden egg from each dragon. The one to do so the quickest and with the least amount of damage would receive the most points. Madame Pomfrey was ready in the Champion's tent for the moment they returned. Willow thought she was going to throw up. Dragons were bad enough, but mamma dragons, protecting their soon-to-be babies? That was ten times worse than an already impossible situation. Willow fond Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Colin huddled together, faces a rather sickly shade of white. She scooted over and let them squeeze her arms until the bone nearly shattered.