Chapter 13 – The first task
Bold – in French
Cats pov
On Sunday morning I woke up to see Fleur shaking me awake fear in her eyes.
"Cat, listen to me, the first task is dragons, Madame Maxime just told me, now, I know what to do but I need to teach you, it's quite an advanced spell."
"Fleur stop," I interrupted, "I already know, I found out last night, I was going to tell you this morning,"
"Right ok then, well this is what we need to do."
"Wait," I interrupted again, "I need to work this out myself with Harry, we're already being doubted in this competition, we need to do this alone."
"Fine," Fleur sighed, "but if you don't know by the morning of the task tell me, you are not dying out there, got it?"
"Got it," I gave a faint smile.
"Good, now go and plan with your brother."
Harry's pov
The morning after our talk with Sirius I explained everything to Cat and Hermione, and together the three of us went off to the library to look for the 'simple' spell that Sirius had mentioned. But soon after we arrived Viktor Krum came in,.
"Oh, no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?" Said Hermione irritably, as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at us, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books. "Come on you two, we'll go back to the common room, Cat you can go back to the carriage, his fan club'll be here soon."
So I said bye to Cat and agreed to meet up with her tomorrow, before me and Hermione headed off to the common room with a huge pile of books.
Cat's pov
I hardly slept that night; I was too busy worrying about the upcoming tournament. When the morning finally came, I rushed out of the carriage towards the library to meet harry, before Fleur could offer me any help, no-matter how worried I was, I was determined not to ask her for her assistance.
That morning I sat with Harry for breakfast, but when Cedric Diggory got up from the Hufflepuff table Harry called a quick apology over his shoulder and hurried off after him, sighing I set off to the library again, I was determined to find a solution to the dragon problem.
At lunch time, I was heading to the Great Hall, when Harry suddenly came whirling round the corner, with a panting Hermione following me.
"Cat come on, I know how to get past the dragon."
Feeling slightly confused at this turn of events, I followed my brother and Hermione into an empty classroom.
"What we need to do is fly." Harry explained.
"We're not allowed a broom," I pointed out.
"We're allowed a wand," Harry explained, "We need to summon brooms from the castle and use them to get past the dragon."
"That's a brilliant idea Harry with one problem."
"What is it?" Harry asked, "It's fine if you can't use a summoning charm, nor can I, Hermione's gonna teach us."
"No Harry, I can do a summoning charm, look," I said, "accio" I pointed my wand at a book and it zoomed towards me.
"Well then what's the problem? You can help teach me as well."
"Harry," I interrupted, "I can't fly."
There was silence.
"Hey guys," we all spun to face the door, it was Fred and George, my heart gave a little flutter. "We heard raised voices, is everything okay?"
Hermione suddenly gave a squeak of joy, and we all turned to look at her.
"Fred, George, you need to teach Cat to fly by tomorrow."
I was about to protest when Harry cut in.
"Yeah that's a great idea, I'll see you tomorrow, Cat."
I tried to say something but Fred and George had already grabbed me by my arms, "Come on," they said, "let's learn to fly."
Harry's pov
Hermione and I were practicing summoning until about two in the morning, but finally I think I'd got it.
"That's better Harry, that's loads better," Hermione told me looking exhausted but very pleased.
"Well know we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," I said, tossing Hermione a Rune Dictionary so I could have another go, "threaten me with a dragon." I raised my wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!"
The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and I caught it.
"Harry, I really think you've got it!" said a delighted Hermione.
"Just as long as it works tomorrow," I stressed, "The Firebolt's going to be much further away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there in the grounds..."
"That doesn't matter," Said Hermione firmly. "Just as long as you're concentrating really hard it'll come, and if worst comes to the worst, Cat can do it for you."
A wave of guilt washed over me, I'd been concentrating so hard on learning the summoning charm, that I hadn't thought of Cat since she went off with Fred and George, hopefully she could now fly.
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Next morning
Cats pov
I had been focusing so hard on learning how to fly last evening, that some of my blind panic had left me. It returned, however, in full measure on the morning of the tournament. The atmosphere around Hogwarts was one of great tension and excitement. I was to stop my studying at mid-day (when the main school were stopping their lessons), to give the students time to get down to the dragon inclosure.
I felt oddly separate from everyone that morning, whether they were people from Durmstrang and Hogwarts hissing insults at me, or other girls from Beautibaxtons telling me not to worry.
Before long it was lunch time and Madame Maxime was heading down from the staff table towards me and Fleur.
"Come along girls, it is time to go."
Me and Fleur both pushed aside our half eaten lunches and stood up, on the other side of the hall I could see Harry and Cedric doing the same thing as they joined Professor McGonagal.
"Now you both know what to do don't you?"
Madame Maxime checked, she had come to us both a few days ago to tell us the task was dragons, although of course I already knew. Besides me Fleur gulped and nodded, I did the same.
"Good girls, come along then we mustn't leave anyone waiting."
The walk to the dragon enclosure seemed to go twice as fast as it should, when we arrived Madame Maxime showed us into a tent and left us with the other champions.
By know I was starting to shake, whilst I was now pretty confident about my flying, I was still incredibly nervous, what if I didn't even have a chance to summon my broom, what if the dragon took one look and swallowed me whole.
I felt Fleur place on arm around my back as she guided me towards two stalls next to each other.
Soon enough Harry, Cedric and Viktor entered the tent.
"Hello, hello," bagman greeted us all, as me and Fleur made our way to stand next to the other champions. "Well, now we're all here time to fill you in!"
I zoned out as Bagman started to xplain to us what was going to happen, I only started paying attention again when Fleur reached inside some sort of bag.
Fleur withdrew her hand to reveal a welsh green dragon, it had the number 'two' around its neck.
Next went Viktor, I had spoken to him a few times over the past weak and he seemed nice enough. Viktor pulled out a scarlet Chinese fireball, it had a number 'three' around its neck.
Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came a grey Swedish short-snout, with the number 'one'.
I took a breath, and knowing what was coming next, I reached into the bag and pulled out a ferocious looking Hungarian horntail with a 'four' hanging around its neck. Harry nodded at me.
"Well there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you will face them. Mr Diggory, you're first just head out into the enclosure when the cannon goes, Harry could I have a word?"
I watched as Harry walked outside with Bagman, Cedric came over and stood next to me.
"I wonder what he wants?" he mused.
"Hmm," I murmed, but then the cannon went off.
"Good luck," I called after Cedric.
"And you," he yelled back.
Just then Harry walked back in, I didn't even bother to ask what Bagman wanted, I was too nervous.
It was worse sitting in the tent than I could have imagined, I could hear the crowd outside screaming, yelling and gasping, and then after about fifteen minutes I heard a deafening roar, Cedric had got past his dragon.
It was the same, if not worse as Fleur and Viktor went out, each minute passing meant that I was a minute closer to fighting my dragon.
But all to soo the inevitable happened.
"And finally, last, but not least the Potter twins!"
Together me and Harry stepped out into the arena were our magnificent beast was waiting, behind her I could spot two gold, gleaming eggs. Together me and Harry raised our wands, it was now or never.
"Accio brooms."
I could see the brooms hurtling towards us, Harry's firebolt, and George's cleansweep that I was borrowing for today.
As one me and Harry leapt upwards onto our brooms. Immediately I felt better, although this was only my second time on a broom, I knew it was where I belonged.
Up in the air me and Harry looked down at the clutch of eggs, we didn't need to communicate, it was if we could read each other's thoughts, we started diving, dodging and swerving. I felt a blast of heat hit my wrist but I didn't care, I was going to do this.
Harry and I started to fly higher, tempting the Horntail away from her precious pile of eggs, eventually, after what seemed like a life time, she unfurled her great wings and shot up towards us. But we were too quick, in seconds Harry and I had shot down past her to our eggs, we grabbed them and we were away again.
Suddenly a blast of noise crashed onto my eardrums, we'd done it, I realised, we'd beaten the Horntail.
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A/N
I am SO sorry everyone its been nearly 2 whole months since i last updated, hopefully this chapter will make up for it, i really enjoyed it.
So hopefully the next update will come soon but we'll have to wait and see. Again i'm really sorry, but i hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Ella x