"Mr. Bagman!" Amisty called, racing down the corridor after the man dressed in his old Wasp robes.
"Ah, I'm so sorry but I'm rather busy right now -- " He began, turning around with an apologetic look on his face before it changed into one of recognition. "Wait, you're Amisty River, aren't you?"
She nodded, bouncing from foot to foot.
"Helping Madame Pomfrey in the healing tent?"
She nodded again.
"Alright then, follow me!" He grinned broadly at her, and lead the way with her bouncing beside him.
"So you're interested in becoming a healer?" He asked cheerfully as they walked through the halls.
"Mhm! I got into a bit of a situation during my first year and ended up being really interested in it all," Amisty replied.
He paused at the words 'incident,' but recovered quickly, "Daughter of Noel and Echo, aren't you?"
"Yup."
"I knew your mother back in school," He nodded, turning thoughtful. "Lovely girl, truly. Never met anyone sweeter than her."
"You did? Do I really look like her?" Amisty asked, suddenly much more engaged in the conversation, if that were possible.
"You do. Almost exactly the same, and getting even closer with your eyes changing color like that," He nodded.
She beamed brightly, thinking back to the photographs she had seen in the picture album.
"Well, here we are," He nodded down to a tent further down with a red cross waving from a flag. "Madame Pomfrey should be waiting there for you."
"Thank you!" She smiled at him once more and raced off toward the tent, throwing open the entrance to find Madame Pomfrey bustling around, setting up gurneys and potions organizing themselves behind her.
"Hi, Madame Pomfrey," Amisty smiled, making her presence known to the healer. "What do you want me to do?"
She smiled at the sight of me, blue eyes twinkling, "Glad to see you've decided to come and help. There's a crate of potions over there," Her wand raised and pointed at a stack of boxes in the corner, "that need to be sorted."
"I'm on it," Amisty nodded, rolling up her sleeves and pulling the crate down to the floor.
The colored bottles winked up at her, the potions inside splashing as she sorted through them. And then she was unpacking bandages and setting up cots and hanging up curtains for privacy. And then she was lighting up the tent and dragging boxes across to where they were stored.
Now she was perched on the edge of one of the gurneys, making sure the burn-potions and basic healing potions were nearby.
"What's the first task?" Amisty asked, pretending she was confused as to why there were so many burn remedies.
"Dragons," Madame Pomfrey spat out the word, her face twisted up in disgust. "Honestly, and they said it would be safe."
"They have people waiting if it gets out of control though, right?"
This time it was a real question, her anxiety for Harry leaking into her words, tarnishing them.
"Of course. They had to take some sort of safety precaution," Madame Pomfrey replied, brushing her fingers against Amisty's shoulder in a comforting manner.
Outside the tent was a steady stream of chatter and excitement, everyone waiting impatiently for the tournament to begin. Amisty sat on the gurney closest to the tent entrance, safely out of the way but with a clear view of all the action. A dragon was already there, tossing its magnificent blue head and snarling, smoke spilling from its nostrils.
There was a sharp whistle, and the crowd erupted into cheers as Cedric walked out into the enclosure. The dragon glared at the sight of him, following his movements with its eyes. A burst of fire erupted from its mouth, almost scalding the Hufflepuff.
"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow," Came Bagman's commentary.
Immediately, seeming to have gotten over the shock, Cedric set to action. He pulled out his wand, gestured at a rock on the ground that quickly transfigured into a labrador retriever.
The crowd roared.
"He's taking risks, this one!"
Amisty watched as the dragon was quickly distracted by the golden dog, it's focus entirely focused on it instead of Cedric.
He crept forward slowly, grey eyes fixated on the golden egg nestled next to the dragons real eggs. And then the dragon's head swiveled back to him, eyes narrowed fiercely at the sight of how close he was to her nest, and she sent a spurt of fire toward him.
Amisty felt a gasp escape her mouth as Cedric didn't dodge out of the way in time, the flames licking the side of his face.
"Clever move -- pity it didn't work!"
He leaped out of the way, the golden egg tight under his arm, and the crowd burst into applause once more.
"Very good indeed! And," He turned toward where the judges were sitting, "now the marks from the judges!"
A seven from Madame Maxime, an eight from Mr. Crouch, another eight from Professor Dumbledore, a seven from Mr. Bagman, and a... three from Karkaroff.
Unfair and frustrating, but expected.
"One down, three to go! Miss Delacour, if you please!"
"Amisty, go get him!" Madame Pomfrey barked, not even bothering to hide her annoyance with the chosen task as she bustled around, bringing the burn potions closer towards her and a few cases of a strange orange paste.
Amisty leaped to her feet, rushing over to where Cedric was standing, seeming quite shocked with what had happened.
"Hi, Cedric," She smiled as she approached him, gently nudging him in the direction of the healing tent. "Let's go fix that burn."
He winced more than smiled at her, but somehow managed to get a few words out before they went inside, "I hadn't known you were interested in healing?"
"I met Madame Pomfrey in first year and she showed me a few things. I thought it was cool and now I guess I've just fallen into the trap," Amisty shrugged cheerfully, pulling aside the curtains around one of the many gurneys.
"Don't tell her I talked to you," She whispered as he took a seat, glancing over her shoulder as the healer ran around grabbing the last few things needed for the healing process. "I won't be the only one in trouble."
He grinned as best as he could, and she stepped to the side, letting Madame Pomfrey take over.
"Amisty, I'm going to need those bandages."
And she was running off to another drawer, grabbing a roll, and pressing the cotton gauze into her hands.
"Oh, I'm not sure that was wise!"
Madame Pomfrey stepped away, fuming words flying out of her mouth as she worked. Cedric stayed dutifully quiet.
"Oh... nearly! Careful now... good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"
Amisty resisted the urge to sneak a glance out the entrance as she went to fetch more potions.
The crowd burst into cheers once more.
"And here comes Mr. Krum!"
"Alright, Diggory. Stay still, and make yourself comfortable," Madame Pomfrey's tone was severe. "You're staying here until they absolutely need you back."
"Yes, ma'am."
Amisty could see him nodding in the silhouette of the canvas, and Madame Pomfrey left, looking rather peeved.
"Very daring! That's some nerve he's showing -- and -- yes, he's got the egg!"
"Honestly," There was a fiery blaze in Madame Pomfrey's blue eyes. "Trolls in the bathroom and a three-headed dog on the third floor, then we have a basilisk in the sewers petrifying everyone, and then we have dementors all over the school grounds. Now? Dragons. Wonderful."
The crowd roared, a mixture of cheers and hisses as Harry entered the enclosure.
"Would you like me to get you some water?" Amisty offered hesitantly, knowing she couldn't push too far.
"Yes, dear, that would be lovely," Madame Pomfrey breathed out heavily through her nose, glaring at the entrance of the tent.
Amisty hid her smile with her hand, searching around for an empty bottle that wasn't full of potion or potion residue.
A hard task to accomplish when working in a healing tent.
"Great Scott, he can fly! Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
Finally, she found one.
Searching a bit more for the pitcher, she turned to go and pour it when it went clattering to the ground. The crowd had just cried out in horror, and Harry was in the air.
Her hands shook as she forced herself to spell the mess away carefully, and then she ran to the entrance of the tent. Harry was in the air, a cut on his shoulder as he flew around the head of the Horntail.
"Amisty,"
The voice sounded distant to her ears like someone was talking while she sat at the bottom of a rushing river.
"Amisty!"
She spun around, still shaking, as her terrified green eyes met Madame Pomfrey's reassuring blue ones.
"Come inside, he's going to be fine," She guided the girl back inside the tent gently, two glasses of water resting on the table. "He's made it out through worse than this."
Amisty swallowed, managing a small nod as she raised the glass to her lips, trying desperately to keep from spilling it all over herself.
And then the crowd was screaming, not in fear, but in triumph.
"Look at that! Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"
It only took a few moments for Harry to enter the tent, his eyes absolutely glowing.
"I told you," Madame Pomfrey whispered as she hurried toward him, quickly breaking off into a rant. "Dragons! Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky... this is quite shallow... it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though..."
Amisty danced nervously around them, bursting with so many words she found herself unable to speak.
"Go check on Diggory," Madame Pomfrey ordered, throwing her a sharp glance over her shoulder as she dabbed purple potion onto Harry's cut.
"Right," Amisty nodded, practically bouncing on her feet as she darted into Cedric's tent.
"How's the burn going?"
"Better, much better," He replied, somehow still managing to look shockingly handsome even with bright orange paste smeared all over his cheek.
"I saw what you did with the dragon," She commented as casually as she could manage, keeping her gaze carefully on the ground and potions nearby. "It was some impressive Transfiguration."
He laughed brightly, casting his gaze down sheepishly, "Wow, thanks."
Feeling a blush growing, she quickly grabbed a painkilling potion and pressed it into his hands, "Drink this, and then you're all set."
"Thanks," He smiled warmly up at her, uncorking the bottle and drinking it almost instantly.
She scampered away as casually as she could, her face heating, and walked in just as Hermione and Ron burst into the tent.
"Harry, you were brilliant! You were amazing! You really were!" Hermione squeaked, her eyes glowing.
Ron, on the other hand, was positively white, his eyes wide and staring as he regarded Harry, "Harry, whoever put your name in that goblet -- I -- I reckon they're trying to do you in!"
Harry stayed silent for a while, his expression cold.
"Caught on, have you?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "Took you long enough."
Hermione and Amisty traded anxious gazes, and suddenly she was wishing she had just sucked it up and staying inside Cedric's tent.
Maybe she could just slip away and make up some excuse --
"It's okay. Forget it," Harry declared suddenly, breaking through her thoughts of escape.
"No, I shouldn't've -- " Ron began.
"Forget it," Harry repeated, his voice final, and they grinned at each other with a little awkwardness.
Hermione promptly burst into tears.
"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry exclaimed, staring at her.
She just cried harder, stomping the ground as she shouted, "You two are so stupid!"
And after squeezing them tight, she dashed out of the tent, crying so hard Amisty was sure all of England could hear it.
Ron shook his head, "Barking mad. Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores..."
"Amisty," Harry looked over his shoulder at where she was standing, a content look on her face, "you coming?"
She glanced around, seeing all the cleaning up that needed to be done, and how much the two of them needed to catch up without interruption.
With a quick hug to Harry and Ron, murmuring a 'you were amazing out there,' to the green-eyes boy before she pulled away.
"Go on ahead. I'll be here."