The next morning, before charms class, Olivia had decided she was going to tell Cedric about the dragons. Forgetting that he was the only champion that didn't know, she felt that it was wrong to keep him out of the loop.
She was getting ready to ask to speak to him when his bag ripped open. Olivia bent down to help him pick up his things and clean the broken ink bottles. Harry had walked up and helped them too.
"Cedric I need to talk to you." Harry said. Olivia looked at him with a brow.
"I was just about to tell him too." said Olivia realizing that they were on the same page. Cedric gave them both a odd look.
"It's about the first task," said Harry.
"It's dragons." Said Olivia.
Cedric looked at them stunned. "What?" He said.
"One for each of us. And we have to get past them." Harry told him.
"It's true Ced, we've seen them." Said Olivia nodded her head.
"But how do you know? We weren't suppose to know." Cedric said.
"Nevermind how we know, the point is that we aren't the only ones that do. Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too. I'm sure that Fleur and Krum will know by now too." said Harry.
"Why are you both telling me this?" Said Cedric, more to Harry than Olivia.
"It's just... fair isn't it? We all know now we're on an even footing aren't we?" said Harry. Then Mad Eye Moody emerged behind him.
"Come with me Potter, Diggory and Evans off you go." Said Moody leading Harry away.
In charms, Olivia could see the gears turning when she looked at Cedric. Clearly, just as shocked by the news as they had been.
That evening after their lessons, Olivia and the twins found an empty classroom to form a plan to get past the dragons. They had cleared an area in the middle, pushing the desk to the perimeter of the room.
"Alright, anyone got an idea?" Asked George rubbing his hands together. Olivia looked at Fred and he looked at her, they both shook their heads. "Okay, so starting out strong I see." George said sarcastically
"I've been thinking about it, and I know I have to get passed the dragon but I don't want to have to cast a spell on it, that seems wrong." said Olivia
"Ollie, that dragon is gonna try and kill you. And from what you told us about what Charlie said, it's gonna try and eat you too. You can't base your plan around not hurting the dragon, it's a bloody dragon." said Fred
"Well, it's not like she can stun it, because it takes multiple people to do that effectively. And I'm sure the judges would count off for spells that harms the dragon. If only you could just not be seen, you could get passed it." said George sitting on top of one of the desk.
The idea struck Olivia like a train, "Oh George that's it! You brilliant boy!" she said kissing his cheek.
"Well we knew that I am brilliant of course, but maybe you should explain to Fred why I am? You know for his sake." Joked George
"I need to be able to remained unseen, from the dragon." said Olivia like it was the most amazing discovery. The twins only looked more confused at her words.
That night after dinner, Snape called Olivia too his office. When she walked in, he was restocking his shelves. Olivia walked over and sat on the edge of his desk, and picked up a half empty vial.
"Dang you must really go through lacewing flys, don't know why you would be using so much of them for." said Olivia handing him the vial.
"I know, and it's not the first time this year I've had to refill it. If I had to guess someone is using it for their own personal projects." said Snape
He refilled the bottle and put it up, he turned around and seen Olivia kicking her dangling legs back and forth humming to herself.
He raised a brow at her, "You seem fairly calm for someone that has their first task tomorrow." He said
"My philosophy is that worrying means you only suffer twice." Said Olivia with a smile.
"Newt Scamander," said Snape naming the person she quoted.
"The wise words of a fellow hufflepuff." she said
"So are you ready then?" He asked
"Yes I am." said Olivia with a mischievous grin.
The next day lessons were planned to end midday for the first task. All morning, people kept wishing Olivia good luck. And strangely she felt no nerves at all. In fact she seemed happier than usual.
She would smile to people in the corridor, with her shoulders back and her head held high. She was prepared. She was ready.
Soon the morning was gone and she sat at lunch with the twins, like any other day. Across from her Harry looked bad off. He seemed to be on edge.
Professor McGonagall came to the table, "Olivia, Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now... you have to get ready for your first task." She said.
Olivia stood up, Fred and George stood with her and hugged her. They both kissed her cheek. "You'll do great, Ollie!" said Fred with a soft smile.
"Yeah you will, Good luck! We love you!" said George. Both their faces had a hint of worry, she gave them a reassuring smile and left with the teacher and Harry.
Out of the hall McGonagall didn't seem like herself either. In fact she looked nearly as anxious as Harry did. As she walked them down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hands on both their shoulders.
"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head... We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand... The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you two.. are you both all right?" said McGonagall
"Yes, yes I'm fine." Said Harry not very convincingly.
"Yeah me too." said Olivia.
Once they reached a tent near the dragon enclosure, McGonagall said, "You're to go in here with the other champions, and wait for your turn. Mr. Bagman is in there... he'll be telling you the procedure... Good luck, both of you." Her voice was rather shaky. They said their thanks, and she left them to go inside.
"Come in make yourself at home!" said Bagman. Inside the tent, Fleur looked pale and clammy. Krum looked even surlier than usual. Cedric was pacing up and down, but he gave them a smile that they returned.
"Well now we're all here- time to fill you in! When the audience has assembled I'm going to be offering each of you this bag- but not you Miss Evans." Bagman said holding up a purple silk sack. "From which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different varieties you see. And I have to tell you something else too.... Ah yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"
No time later, hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent. And Bagman was opening the purple sack. "Ladies first," he said offering it to Fleur. She put her shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny perfect model of a Welsh Green dragon.
Krum pulled out a scarlet Chinese fireball. Cedric put his hand into the bag next, and out came the blueish gray Swedish short-snout. Olivia knew that this left the Hungarian Horntail for Harry, if she was right about the Vipertooth being for her.
"Well there you are!" Said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face do you see? However Miss Evans, the judges have personally selected your dragon." He told her, in a different bag, he pulled out a model of the Peruvian Vipertooth. It's copper scales shining. "You are to face the fastest breed of dragons, and one of the deadliest, for it has the appetite for humans." He handed the small dragon to her. "you go in the numbers that are on the models that you have picked, that is when you will face your dragon. Leaving Miss Evans last. I'm am to leave in a moment, because i am commentating. Mr. Diggory you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle all right? Now Harry can I have a quick word? Outside?" Said Bagman taking Harry with him as he left.
Olivia sat on a stool, wearing the special made jerseys that she got for the tournament. Unlike Fleur, Olivia asked for pants. Although she felt calm, she could feel her heart pound louder by the minute. Finally a whistle blew and Cedric left while Harry came back inside the tent.
She blocked at the sounds of the crowd, and Bagmans commentary. After fifteen minutes Cedric was done and it was Fleurs turn. The minutes ticked by and then it was time for Krum to leave.
Harry looked faint. "Don't worry, you've got this! And besides there are trainers on stand by in case something bad happens." She told him squeezing his hand. He only gave her a nod, then it was his turn to leave.
Olivia sat alone. Focusing on her breathing. She hummed to herself while she waited. Then she heard the whistle.
She exited the tent, and stood at the entrance of the enclosure, Charlie was standing there with the other trainers. When Olivia walked passed him, he nodded his head to her, and she gave him a soft smile. She could hear Bagman voices over the crowd.
"Due to Hogwarts having three champions, and Mr. Potter already having a disadvantage because of his young age. Miss Evans tasks will be a considerable amount more difficult. That is why the judges has selected the Peruvian Vipertooth Dragon for her." He said and the crowd began to murmur. "This breed of dragons, is the fastest of all, and though it's size is the smallest of all dragons, it is one of the most deadly, due to its taste for human flesh. And now, I give you Miss Olivia Evans." The crowded cheered as she stepped out to be visible to everyone in the stands.
Looking around, she seen many faces, she could see the twins had painted a banner for her. On a yellow sheet, in black paint they wrote, Go Ollie! The twins waved at her, and she blew them a kiss. Olivia continued to look around and saw the worry faces of Snape and McGonagall.
The crowd became silent, and Olivia was ready to give them a show. She gave them her best pageant winning smile, and raised a finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet.
Olivia waved her wand around her, casting a disillusionment charm, concealing her from the eyes of everyone. Including the copper dragon, that was standing protectively in front of her eggs. Among them was one shimmering gold one.
Snapes face seemed to approve.
"It seems as if Miss Evans, has used a disillusionment charm on herself, as for her tactic of collecting the golden egg." said Ludo. The crowd shushed him.
The audience was as soundless as Olivias feet. Everyone leaned in, trying to find any sign of her.
Olivia was half way to the dragon. Keeping her mind focused on the charm so she would stay invisible. She was closer, getting closer. Only a few feet from the egg.
The dragon noticed nothing. As Olivia picked up the golden egg, the crowd began chattering again.
"It seems that Miss Evans has gotten the egg or is levitating it. It is hard to tell which." Ludo commented.
The egg was in her arms and she was retreating back to the entrance, she was about clear of the dragon, when it moved it's tail at the last second.
Olivia stumbled over the tail, and the golden egg was sent clanking towards where the trainers stood. She laid chest down on the cold stone, a foot away from her out stretched arms was the golden egg, and she knew that her charm had stopped working.
She knew, because the dragon was looking dead at her.
Before she could move, before anyone could move, the dragon reeled back its head and aimed its fiery breath at Olivia.
Charlie stood at the entrance, it happened so fast. He thought she had made it, thought she finished her first task successfully.
But then she appeared out of thin air, laying flat on the ground and no one had time to respond. The dragon was so fast, and before he knew it there were flames everywhere.
There was a ringing in his ears, he was shouting for her but he couldn't see her. Why couldn't she hear him calling? Panicking, Charlie kept trying to get to her but the other trainers were holding him back.
The flames had engulfed the entire enclosure. That's all he could see.
In the stands, the audience was screaming, and crying. No one could have saved her. Snape ran to the edge of the stands but someone held him back. He turned to see, that it was Moody. Snape thrashed against his hold. But it was Dumbledore that got him to stop, it was his words that made him go numb all over.
"Severus, it's too late." said Dumbledore, sorrow filling his eyes, eyes that lost its twinkle.