O, CURSED CHILD. ﹙ harry potter ﹚

XXXII ; the first task

            at two o'clock in the morning, harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of gobstones, and neville's toad, trevor. only in the last hour had harry really got the hang of the summoning charm.

            "that's better, harry, that's loads better," hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased.

            "yeah, now i'm eighty-nine percent sure you won't die," said elara, feigning cheerfulness.

            "well, now we know what to do next time i can't manage a spell," harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to elara, so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon. right . . ." he raised his wand once more. "accio dictionary!"

             the heavy book soared out of elara's hand, flew across the room, and harry caught it.

            "harry, i really think you've got it!" said hermione delightedly.

            "just as long as it works tomorrow," jarry said. "the firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and i'm going to be out there on the grounds. . . ."

            "you'll be fine," said elara firmly "as long as you concentrate and don't make stupid decisions, it'll come. you two better get some sleep . . . especially you, harry, you're going to need it."

            "you're not going to bed?" harry asked mid-yawn.

            "nope," said elara with a smile. "i'm going stargazing."

            "okay, crazy."

            the atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure — though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.

            harry, elara, and hermione were at lunch when mcgonagall rushed over to them.

            "potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now. . . . you have to get ready for your first task."

            "okay," said harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

            "good luck, harry," hermione whispered. "you'll be fine!" 

            "yeah," said harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.

            "hey, look at me," elara said softly. "you got this, okay?"

            harry gave a small nod and went off with professor mcgonagall. hermione pushed her plate of food away, insisting she had lost her appetite. elara didn't feel much like eating, either. nevertheless, she finished her sandwich. down the table, ron was looking at them in an odd sort of fashion. elara scowled at him and he turned away.

            it seemed like no time passed at all, and hermione left to get seats. elara went to try and get into the champion's tent to talk to harry. if he was feeling even half as nervous elara was, he'd be throwing up.

            she was able to dodge around crouch without much suspicion. elara neared the tent, and was able to slip through a flap. harry, credric, fleur, and krum didn't seem to notice her. cedric looked impossibly green, fleur didn't look like her usually composed self, krum looked surlier than ever, and harry looked like he might pass out.

            "harry," elara whispered, and he whirled around so fast tat elara thought he might've just given himself whiplash.

            "you scared me!" harry whisper-yelled, eyes wide from anxiety.