The champion's tent was situated strategically. It blocked the entire arena Annabeth could hear behind it.
Annabeth fiddled with her wand in its holster. If Harry had been telling the truth, she was going to be facing dragons in a few minutes, and she longed desperately for her dagger. Annabeth knew summoning charms were a thing, but she had never tried it and she hadn't had time to study up on it, plus she wasn't even sure the Celestial Bronze blade would be affected by magic.
The inside of the tent was empty, save for a few benches and the three people inside.
Victor Krum was standing in the corner. He looked grumpy, but Annbeth could tell by his tense shoulders and wandering eyes that he was nervous. Fleur Delacour was sitting on a bench in the corner. Her hair was frizzy and she looked very pale. Ludo Bagman stood in the center, holding a pouch and looking excited.
"Ah, Miss Chase!" he said when Annabeth walked in. "Now we just need Harry!"
Annabeth wasn't stupid. She noticed the change in Bagman's tone when he mentioned Harry, and how his face perked up at the prospect of saying his name. She could tell by the man's eyes that he didn't like her. She also knew from certain eavesdropping sessions that he had lost a lot of money betting on the Quidditch world cup.
Annabeth's best guess was that since Bagman's betting loss, he had decided to compensate for it by betting more on the tournament. And based on the cold looks he gave Annabeth and the rest of the champions, he had bet on Harry. That was another reason that Bagman might have entered Harry's name, but Annabeth didn't think he was smart enough to fool the goblet of fire.
With too much energy to stand still, Annabeth set off pacing the inside perimeter of the tent. The tangle of nerves in her gut was growing, but not as big as she knew the other champions must be feeling.
They had never done this before. Never had to face the unknown. Never had to fight for their lives. Never had to fight anything bigger than their peers.
They had never done this before, and it showed.
Annabeth knew they were expecting her to be nervous, too. And she was. The ones who weren't nervous were the ones who didn't survive. But she wasn't as nervous as them.
Plans raced through Annabeth's mind, half baked and useless. She couldn't make anything ironclad until she knew the terrain, the size, the kind of dragon she'd be facing.
She continued pacing, thinking hard. Something was forming in her mind... but she needed to know a few things before it could be useful.
Finally, Harry entered the tent, looking pale and shaky. He caught Annabeth's eye, and she could see the fear written in them. Annabeth nodded at him in acknowledgement.
"Harry!" Bagman exclaimed. "Good-o! Come in, come in, make yourself at home!"
Harry walked farther in, but he didn't sit. He stood in his place, fidgeting with his wand and shaking very slightly. Annabeth wondered how anyone could think that Harry had put his own name in the goblet of fire. Clearly he didn't want to do this.
"Well, now that we're all here, time to fill you in!" Bagman said. He was almost bouncing in place now. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag—" he held up the pouch, shaking it in his excitement. "From which you will each select a model of the thing you are about to face! There are different, er, varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else, too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"
Annabeth nodded, then continued pacing, her thoughts racing. A golden egg. That would suggest that there would be other eggs. It wouldn't be a challenge if the egg was just lying around. Animals were fiercely protective of their young, so it would stand to reason that the dragons they would be facing were nesting mothers. The egg was probably sitting with a clutch of the dragon's real eggs.
Annabeth found that kind of cruel. Why make a dragon think her children were being threatened for the sake of a stupid tournament?
Then Annabeth heard the sounds of thousands of feet ricocheting through the ground.
Fleur was hugging her stomach now. Krum was tapping his foot against the ground. Harry looked like he was going to be sick.
And then, in no time at all, the footsteps had settled and Bagman was opening the neck of the silk pouch. He held it out to Fleur.
"Ladies first," he said.
Fleur's hand shook as she plunged it into the pouch. When she withdrew it, there was a moving figure of a green dragon in her hand. It had a number two around its neck. Fleur showed no surprise at the dragon. So Harry had been right, then.
Next Bagman offered the pouch to Annabeth. She could see the bottom of it squirming.
With a deep breath, Annabeth reached into the pouch. Little things wriggled inside. Annabeth grabbed one fast and brought it out. A blueish gray dragon sat in her hand. It had the number one around its neck. Wonderful.
She didn't pay attention as Krum and Harry retrieved their dragons. She was busy studying her own.
The first word that came to mind was thick. Its face was a little squashed, with a horn on its head like a rhinoceros, but there were three horns instead of one, and huge teeth that poked out of its mouth. It had a huge, thick body with two legs that had wide, sharp claws. Its tail was also very thick, looking like it could do a lot of damage with a swipe.
"Well, there you are!" Bagman said, practically quivering with excitement. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragon, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Miss Chase, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear the whistle, all right? Now, Harry, could I have a quick word? Outside?"
"Er... yes," Harry said. He followed Bagman out of the tent.
If Annabeth's assumption had been right, Bagman was likely offering Harry advice or guidance. What a cheating gremlin.
After a minute or two, Annabeth heard running footsteps and a whistle. Her cue.
Annabeth took another deep breath and exited the tent. She passed Harry on his way back, and he made a small grunting noise at her. She took this as a good luck wish.
The enclosure was a huge fence. There was a gap in it that Annabeth took to be the entrance. She steeled herself, then walked through.
Thousands of faces watched her from the stands, in every house color and holding various signs that Annabeth didn't bother to read.
The field inside the enclosure was rocky, hilly, and jagged. There was no straight path towards the dragon that waited on the other side.
It was an exact replica of the figure now in Annabeth's pocket. It stood protectively in front of a huge nest, blocking the eggs within from sight. Its wings were unfurled, its two legs spread behind the nest, its head bent low over it. It glared at Annabeth with bright yellow eyes, slitted like a cat's.
As Annabeth breathed in the crisp air, the world slowed. The roar of the crowd dimmed. The knot of anxiety soothed as it always did in battle. This was Annabeth's world now. She knew this. This was familiar.
Bagman's voice echoed across the field, but Annabeth didn't listen. She had other things to worry about.
Okay. First thing's first. Assess the danger level. The dragon's fangs were wickedly sharp, as were the claws, but dragons were famous for an even worse threat: fire.
Annabeth needed to assess the limits of that fire. Every dragon had one, whether a shot limit or a cool down time... Annabeth's new knowledge of British dragons told her that they needed time between each fiery breath. Annabeth needed to find out that cooldown time. And for that she needed to get close.
She started with a flat out run, up a hill and around rocks. The dragon wouldn't leave its eggs just to get to Annabeth. When she got close enough, she stayed in range just for the dragon to let out a long column of blue flame that singed the hair on Annabeth's arms before she dived behind a boulder. The flame sputtered out after a few seconds.
Step two.
Annabeth left the safety of the boulder, running closer to another. She counted the seconds in her head as she ran. She got to thirty before the air heated up again and another torrent of flame blew past her.
Thirty second cool down time. Annabeth could work with that.
A plan was forming now, blurry around the edges but enough. She scanned the ground, assessing. She found a path to the next boulder, a little closer.
Annabeth knew she wouldn't be able to get to the eggs like this. If the fire didn't get her, the teeth or the claws would. She just needed to see the eggs. That was all she needed.
Before the cooldown ran out, Annabeth darted to the other boulder. This time, instead of hiding behind it, Annabeth climbed. She kept flat to the rock, staying low as she reached the top. It took a small push upward to see inside the nest and the color of the eggs within.
They were perfect, just as Annabeth suspected. The golden egg rested in the middle of the clutch, standing out amid the dull colors.
Before the dragon could blow more fire at her, Annabeth slid off the rock, turned, and booked it. She skidded to a stop just in the middle of the field, in full sight of the dragon but out of firing range. She needed the dragon to see this.
Annabeth searched her mind for one of the spells she had come up with, pointed her wand at herself, and said, "lateo."
When she looked down at herself, she saw only the rocky terrain beneath her. Perfect.
Annabeth knew she couldn't get close to the dragon like this. Even if the dragon didn't hear Annabeth, it would definitely smell her, and it would be over. That was ok. She wasn't planning on getting close just yet.
Her plan relied on the dragon's panic at not being able to see her.
She ran to the side, keeping her eyes on the ground as she went. Finally, after a few seconds, Annabeth found what she was looking for.
A large gray rock, oval and perfectly smooth. Annabeth found upon picking it up that it was lighter than a rock should be, which she blamed on magic. It only made her job easier, though. It wasn't a problem.
Annabeth ran back to the center, right at the crest of a steep hill. She had made herself invisible. Now she needed to be seen.
"Videri," Annabeth said, pointing her wand at herself again. She raised the rock high above her head. "Hey!" she called. "Hey, lizard legs! Look what I have!"
The dragon's head snapped towards Annabeth, its nostrils flared in anger.
Annabeth hoped its motherly instincts would overrule its rational mind. She hadn't been close to the nest, but in the dragon's anger and panic, it didn't think of that.
With a gut wrenching roar, the dragon reared and ran towards Annabeth, its feet shaking the ground with every huge step. It blew another torrent of blue flame, and this time Annabeth didn't get away fast enough.
The fire grazed her left shoulder, sending a searing heat through it and making Annabeth gasp in pain. Her eyes watered, but she wouldn't fall now.
Annabeth ran to the side, still clutching the fake egg. As the dragon got close, Annabeth, counting the seconds for the cooldown and ignoring the clench of her stomach and the burning pain in her shoulder, threw the rock down the hill with all her might.
The dragon roared again, a sound that reverberated in Annabeth's bones and would have made her feel guilty if not for the searing pain in her shoulder. While the dragon raced down the hill, Annabeth ran in the opposite direction, pumping her legs with all her might.
Years of training at camp and experience running for her life had trained her for this. Annabeth ran faster than what should be humanly possible, but Annabeth was only half human. Her goldy blood pounded in her veins in unison with her feet on the ground. The wind rushed by her, pulling the hair off her face and soothing the burn on her shoulder.
Finally she reached the nest, right at the same time the dragon let out another ground quaking roar.
Annabeth vaulted over the edge of the nest, landing amid the clutch of gray eggs. She ran to the middle, barely stopping to grab the golden one.
It was heavy, but still Annabeth ran. She was slower now that her arms were occupied, but she was still almost as fast as an olympic runner.
The dragon was heading her way, but Annabeth didn't slow. She raced right by it, the dragon letting out another roar as she passed, but it didn't stop, too frantic to see if its eggs were all there and accounted for.
Annabeth ran the entire way back across the field, vaulting over rocks and dodging boulders. A particularly wide one stood in her way, and rather than run around it, Annabeth jumped right over, landing in a roll and getting straight back to her feet.
Finally, she reached the exit about a quarter mile away from the entrance, the gap in the fence growing bigger with every pounding step. Annabeth let her momentum carry her through the exit and a gate slammed shut just as her feet crossed the threshold.
"An outstanding strategy!" Bagman was saying in a magically magnified voice. "A cunning and resourceful trick worthy of Slytherin House!"
Annabeth slowed to a stop, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum. She took in huge gulps of air, bending over.
She had barely begun to examine her shoulder when Madam Pomfrey rushed over with a container clutched in her hands.
"Dragons!" she yelled, grabbing Annabeth by the arm. "First a basilisk roaming through the school, then those horrible dementors, and now dragons! What were they thinking, I have no idea, get over here, Miss Chase!"
Annabeth pulled her arm back just as Snape rounded the medical tent.
"Now, now, Poppy," he said in his oily drawl. "Miss Chase needs to go back in and get her score."
As much as Annabeth hated Snape, she was grateful for the save. Madam Pomfrey retreated, looking grumpy, and Annabeth followed Snape back to the exit. The gate had been lifted, and the dragon was gone, as were her eggs.
A judges podium Annabeth hadn't noticed before sat on a raised platform on the other side of the field. Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Crouch, Bagman, and Maxime sat there, wands raised.
Annabeth watched as Madam Maxime waved her wand, sending a huge purple ribbon that formed an eight into the air. Next up was crouch, who's purple ribbon formed a nine. Then Dumbledore, who also gave her a nine. Bagman was next, who sent up a large number eight. And last was Karkaroff, who's ribbon twisted for a second before forming a huge six.
Of course. Annabeth knew something like this would happen, but that didn't stop her anger. A six? A six? What a biased, self absorbed, half brained troll. She deserved much better than a six.
Annabeth surged forward to yell at said half brained troll, her arm was once again gripped by Madam Pomfrey, which was probably what stopped her from getting herself disqualified from the tournament.
Madam Pomfrey dragged Annabeth out of the arena by her right arm, then dragged her into the medical tent. Annabeth would have pulled away, but her heart was still beating like it wanted out of her chest and her adrenaline was fading.
So she let herself be pushed into a cot, and sat still while Madam Pomfrey applied a weird yellow paste to the burn on Annabeth's shoulder.
When Madam Pomfrey left, Annabeth drew up her legs and sat criss cross on the cot. She examined the burn, which was red and shiny and (unsurprisingly) burning. She had to admit, though, Madam Pomfrey had done a good job.
The sting and burn was ebbing, the salve nice and cooling. If Annabeth looked closely, she could even see the red of it lightning to a deep pink.
Annabeth settled herself, listening to the roar of the crowd as Fleur faced her dragon.
She didn't know what the second task would be, but she had completed the first, and that had to be enough.