The first task was today, right now, and Rosalyn was getting ready. She was in a tent with all the other champions. She was wearing a Quidditch hoodie with 8 POTTER on it. She placed the tent nervously and wondered what was going on outside.
The truth was, nothing much. Fred and George were rampaging around with boxes round their necks yelling. "Bets taken! Make your bets here! Who do you thinks gonna win?"
Draco Malfoy was constantly hoping for Rosalyn to go down in ten minutes. Harry and Ron were rethinking their life decisions, Tristan was biting his nails in anxiousness for 'Rosaleen' and Hermione and Rosalie, well they were...
Rosalyn was walking around the tent, and when she got to the edge of it, there came a low hiss. "Psst, psst, Rosie, is that you?"
"Yeah," Rosalyn said.
"How're you feeling, okay?" Hermione asked, on the other side of the tent fabric, and Rosalyn restrained herself from telling her the truth.
"The key is to concentrate," Hermione said. "After that you just have to-"
"Battle a dragon," said Rosalyn, breathing hard.
Hermione heard her, and in that instant she launched herself into the tent and Rosalyn's arms. The best friends's hug would've been great, if a flash of a camera hadn't sounded just then. Rosalyn and Hermione looked round and saw Rita Skeeter and her camera man coming into the tent.
"Oh, these two must be friends," Rita rubbed her hands together. "At least you have one friend, Rosalyn, from what I've been hearing..."
"And what've your twisted ears been hearing?" Rosalyn was already pissed enough, she didn't need more unnecessary hassle.
Rita said. "Ooh, Rosalyn that was so... stirring. And anyway, if everything goes... unfortunately today, you two 'besties' might even make the front page."
"Shut. Your. Mou-" Rosalyn said, but someone else cut her off.
"You haf no business here," Viktor Krum stood behind Rita and he looked angry, even though she wasn't pestering him. He looked at Hermione and Rosalyn. "This tent is for champions... and friends."
"And since you're neither so I suggest you get going," Rosalyn said cuttingly with a sarcastic wave.
"No matter," Rita said, leaving just as Dumbledore came in.
He had Crouch, Karkaroff, Madam Maxime and Filch beside him. "Good day, champions. Now, you've waited, you've wondered, and at last the moment has arrived, a moment, that only four of you can really appreciate-"
He looked at Hermione several times before asking her. "What're you doing here Miss Granger?"
"Oh, erm- sorry I'll just- go," Hermione said awkwardly. She mouthed "good luck" at Rosalyn and then she was gone.
Dumbledore spoke again. "Barty, the bag."
Crouch, who was holding a leather bag in his withered hands said. "Champions in a circle round me, please," and he spent at least a minute getting them into a 'proper circle'.
Finally, he offered the bad to Fleur. "Now, Miss Delacour, if you will."
From the bag a small amount of smoke came, and before she could get it properly in, Fleur withdrew her hand from the bag as it was obviously quite hot. After she had managed to get the first prize out if the bag.
It was a miniature dragon that was green, scaly and had a lethal tail. Fleur looked up at Madam Maxime as it breathed a small jet of fire in her hand.
"The welsh green," Crouch said, then moved on.
"Mr Krum..." Crouch let Krum take a dragon and he selected-
"The Chinese fireball," Crouch said to him.
Rosalyn didn't get a look at his dragon, Crouch was blocking the way, but she saw Cedric's as he picked.
"The Swedish short snout," Crouch said.
This dragon was yellow and it had huge wings. This was all Rosalyn saw before Crouch said. "And that just leaves..."
Rosalyn suddenly was jerked back to a memory, and she uttered. "Ahe horntail..."
"What was that?" Crouch asked.
"Nothing," Rosalyn quickly said, a she realised she wasn't supposed to know what the last dragon was.
However, when she then pulled her dragon out of the bag, and it was just as she had suspected. The horntail. The very same dragon she had seen tearing apart crates and burning down trees just a few nights before.
"The Hungarian horntail," Crouch looked at her. Rosalyn immediately froze with fear and she tried to work up enough courage to listen to what Crouch was now saying.
"Now, these represent four very real dragons, each of which have been given a golden egg to protect. Your objective is simple, collect the golden egg. This you must do, for each egg is home to a clue without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task. Any questions?"
Silence.
"Very well, then," Dumbledore said. "Good luck champions. Mr Diggory, at the sound of the cannon you will-"
The cannon suddenly went off and the whole tent shook. Even though Cedric wasn't ready he had to get so, because the crowd was cheering and waiting for the first champion.
So Cedric went out into the arena and wasn't seen again. Rosalyn knew that he had made it due to the cheers and Dumbledore's commentary, and by the cannon telling Fleur to go next. She too, passed the task and then Krum went.
And all the time Rosalyn was sitting on a chair in the tent, her whole body shaking. I can't do this, she told herself, this is mad..
I'm mad... I'm going to die, I can't face a dragon...
But you can
Another voice suddenly sounded in her head. One that was positive. You can do this... you're going to... the dragon won't know what hit it...
She was suddenly pulled out of her daze by Dumbledore's commentary.
"Three of our champions have now faced their dragon and will proceed to the next task. But now our fourth and final contestant, Rosalyn Potter!"
There was a lot of clapping and cheering, but also a lot of boos, as Rosalyn headed out the tent. She walked slowly and soon arrived at the gaping hole that lead out into the arena. She saw that is had been blown apart, and rubble, rock and bits of ash were lying on the ground. Rosalyn soon saw the golden egg, as well, amongst other real eggs.
The only thing she couldn't see was the dragon.
Stupidly, she walked forward, as if suspecting that she could get the egg just by picking it up. This was foolish, though, and soon she payed the price.
The horntail didn't have a false name, it's tail was lethal. And it crashed to the ground right now, nearly killing Rosalyn had she not jumped out the way in the split second before the tail landed. The dragon didn't miss the opportunity, however, to knock her off the rock she was balanced on. She tumbled down, hitting the ground, feeling that she had a bleeding cut on her cheek.
The horntail reared, spitting fire at Rosalyn so that she dived out the way. She ran behind rocks and climbed a sloped one, rolling out the way just in time to survive another blast by the tail.
Meanwhile, the teachers looked down upon the scene, horrified. McGonagall gasped, Moody smirked and Karkaroff laughed. The students were also reacting the same way. Even Neville, Ron and Harry were scared for Rosalyn, though Draco wasn't.
Rosalyn shouted as she was flung across the arena by the tail. She hit the rocks and swore she had broken her arm it hurt so bad.
Despite all this, she still got up. She still ran behind rocks and dodged the jets of fire because she listened to the positive voice in her head. She could do this.
"Your wand, Rosie! YOUR WAND!" She heard Hermione shriek down at her, probably more worried about her than she was.
"COME ON ROSIE!" That was Rosalie.
"Accio firebolt!" Rosalyn yelled, then ducked behind a boulder. For a few seconds she waited, listened, then she had the courage to look out from behind the rock, and she saw it. She saw her firebolt flying towards her.
She was so happy that the spell had worked, she couldn't think of anything else. Until she had to dive back behind the rock that the horntail suddenly directed its fire at. Rosalyn knew she couldn't hide there much longer, as the rock was melting, but just a few more seconds-
Suddenly the fire stopped, and Rosalyn got her chance. She jumped out from behind the rock and hurtled down until she landed. She caught her broom in one hand and jumped onto it, soaring out of the dragon's reach.
There was screaming, crying, happiness, sadness, but Rosalyn didn't care. All she needed to do now was get the egg.
The dragon shot fire at her but she swooped lower and missed it. Draco Malfoy hit his hand on his forehead at this point, disappointed at the close shave.
Rosalyn rose up again and the dragon suddenly used its claws to free itself of its chains.
"The horntail is free, the horntail is free!" Rosalyn heard a dragon tamer shout. She didn't pay much attention though, she needed to avoid that dragon.
She flew outside the arena, a feat that surprised even her, and the horntail followed her. She did a loop-the-loop and spun many times to avoid it, but nothing worked.
She flew further and further away, and she was followed, but for some reason, she kept checking behind her. She couldn't see anything, but she still did it, until she saw something.
About twelve wizards on brooms were flying towards them, and they had new chains levitating in front of them. Rosalyn gasped and swiveled round. Going back towards the arena.
She slowly closed in on the dragon tamers and so did the dragon, who was none the wiser. As she got near them, though, something amazing happened.
The levitating chains opened and closed around the dragon's neck in the space of a second. Rosalyn felt a bit better to know the dragon was under control.
But one dragon tamer addressed her. "We'll get him back to the arena, but then he's your responsibility, Miss Potter!"
Rosalyn sighed and shot off towards the arena, following the wizards on brooms. They pinned the dragon down again and then Rosalyn, who was hovering in the air a safe distance away, looked at the dragon, daring him to go first.
He shot fire at her, but she dodged it, his tail flew in the air towards her but it didn't reach as she shot away. Angry, the dragon spat fire, and this was when Rosalyn met her downfall. The edge of her robes caught fire and she shouted. "Aguamenti!" To put it out. But her robes were still singed.
Rosalyn finally decided to end this. She dodged, dived, swiveled and ducked, and finally she was at the egg. She swooped low, ducking to avoid fire and her hair being singed off, and then stretching out her hand. It was there, she was closing in, she nearly had it-
☆☆☆
Rosalyn raised the egg high above her head in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone was cheering and clapping for her and there was no badge in sight.
Her injuries were a few burns that Madam Pomfrey had mended immediately and a broken arm that she would have to wear a sling for because the bones were still being mended from the spell.
Soon Fred and George were lifting her legs up and she was giving the egg to the crowd so she could sit on their shoulders.
"Yes Rosie!"
"Knew you wouldn't die!"
"Break a leg-"
"Or an arm-"
"Pack it in all together?"
"Never!"
Rosalyn rolled her eyes and Dean got the egg passed to him. He kissed it and passed it to Rosalyn. "Go on, Rosie, what's the clue?"
Rosalyn decided to cheer the crowd up. "Who wants me to open it?"
There was a massive cheer and Rosalyn went again. "D'you want me to open it?"
Another cheer. Rosalyn then turned the clip on the top of the egg and it fell open. Not that anyone was glad that it did.
A loud, high, ear-splitting scream came from the egg. It was so loud that everyone in the room, even the people in the portraits covered their ears.
Rosalyn tried twice to shut the egg before she finally managed it. And once the ringing in her ears had stopped, she heard a voice.
"What the bloody hell was that?"
Ron and Harry were stood at the edge of the crowd, and they had obviously just recovered too. Rosalie was beside them.
Rosalyn frowned at the trio as Fred and George put her down, then she hesitantly walked towards them as the Weasley twins said unhelpfully. "Alright everyone get back to your knitting. This is gonna be uncomfortable enough without all you nosy sods listening in."
The crowd separated as Ron said awkwardly to Rosalyn. "I reckon you have to be barking mad to put your own name in the goblet of fire."
"Caught on have you?" Rosalyn asked, eyes narrowed. "Took you long enough."
"We weren't the only ones who'd thought you'd done it," Harry said. "Everyone was saying it behind your back."
"That makes it okay, does it?" Rosalyn asked.
"Yes- well- no but-" Harry stuttered.
"I didn't care about 'everyone'," Rosalyn said honestly. "I just wanted my two best brothers back."
The two boys looked down at this.
"At least we warned you about the dragons," Ron said eventually.
"Hagrid warned me about the dragons," Rosalyn said.
"No, no, no we did, no don't you remember that I told Hermione to tell you that Harry told me, that Neville told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid was looking for you," He then admitted. "Neville never actually told us anything, so it was really us all along."
The two of them looked down.
"I thought we'd be alright after you'd figured that out," Harry said.
"Who the hell could figure that out?" Rosalie put it. "I mean, Hermione's the brightest witch of our age and not even she did!"
The boys laughed at the blonde girl and Rosalyn didn't care anymore. She hugged them. She said. "It's so great to have you back!" Into their shoulders.
They patted her back. "Good to have you back too Rosie."
Hermione was in disbelief, but she stood up and smiled with them as well. Rosalyn was so glad to have her friends back. Friendship did outweigh jealously after all.