Over one hundred reads...thank you so much :) Here is a longer chapter to celebrate! Also do you want shorter chapters or same length? Let me know!
Since today is November 24th, that means that Harry and the other champions will officially begin the tournament.
Bundled up in warm clothes, I start walking towards the pitch with Ron in tow. He has finally calmed down since the whole Aaron thing a while back thankfully. The past few weeks have been uneventful since no more evidence of someone looking into vampires has come up or anything else weird. I have started to talk with Harry and Hermione some more, which has been a nice break for me, and I think we have finally gotten to the point of being past acquaintances. It is nice having people to talk to instead of keeping to myself I have to admit.
Before we go to sit down in the stands with everyone else to watch the task, I drag Ron behind the tent where the champions await the first task. I speak up in a hushed tone so not one walking by can hear, "Ron, not that I am giving you much say in the matter, I want to bring up the option to help Harry with the first task."
Ron looks surprised that I want to help Harry, "How would you do that and why?"
I give him a look , "I have my reasons for helping him and I think we are actually on a consistent talking basis now. I need him alive though and he is facing a dragon Ron! I want to go back into the tent to see if I could use mind compulsion on the dragon he gets. I do not know if it will work, but I do not think it is a long shot."
He contemplates his options, not that there really is one since I want to help Harry no matter what, but I figured I should ask Ron as well. He responds, "well even though I am kind of suspicious about your motives here, I think you should try. I know I may seem angry with Harry, but he is still my best friend. I just wanted to be in the tournament and somehow he managed to be a part of it. I don't think he put his name in anymore..."
Satisfied with his answer and his new perspective on the Harry situation I say, "I am glad that you finally got your head out of the gutter and realized the truth. In terms of the other thing, all I gather from that is a yes. Now do you know where the dragons are kept?"
He nods his head and points behind the tent ,"Yes, my brother brought them in from Romania. They are right behind the champions tent here."
"Ok, it should be easy to hear which dragon Harry draws." I go to walk towards the place where the dragons are kept behind the big tent and I see no one in sight.
I stop when Ron calls out, "Alexia, wait!" He runs towards me and stops as if he is thinking for a moment. I raise my eyebrows waiting for him to say something, "Look, just do whatever you have to do in order for Harry to live."
I roll my eyes, "Didn't we just discuss this Ron?" How daft is he? We literally just agreed on this.
He states nonchalantly, "yes, but I just want to say that if the mind control thingy on the dragon doesn't work, I give you permission to help him any other way."
I glare at Ron as he finishes his sentence since he 'gives me permission.' I grab his neck and raise him in the air. He struggles against my death grip around his neck.
"Are you doubting my abilities Ron?"
Out of breath, he tries to say no. I shake my head, "I thought you knew better than to doubt me. Do not doubt me or give me permission for something I have every right to do."
He nods his head and gasps for breath. I drop him when I hear Hermione call out Ron's name. He gets up and regains his breath as quickly as he can as I roll my eyes at him and lightly shove him to lighten up the mood. Even though I still put fear into Ron's head, I don't think I would ever actually hurt him at this point. I hate to admit it, but the red head has grown on me slightly.
Hermione runs over to the two of us and says to Ron, "Hey Ron! I have been looking for you all over today. I am going to see Harry real quick before the task starts."
Ron bends over, still trying to catch his breath, and finally looks up and replies, "Sorry, I've been with Alexia all day. I'm helping her with...um Herbology." She shoots him a disbelieving look the minute he said the words 'helping' and 'herbology'. He is such a terrible liar. "I am just gonna go find a seat now. Bye." In a panic, he flees and jogs away towards the stands in a hurry to get away from us.
Hermione raises her eyebrows at me, unsure of what is going on, "Herbology?"
I have to cover for his horrible lie somehow, "Not exactly. Such a bad liar he is. I was actually helping him with something."
She looks at me confused, "With what exactly?"
I smile to reassure her, "I helped him get over the thought of Harry putting his name in the Goblet. He is finally over it."
She believes the lie and seems pleased with my answer, "Oh ok that is great news Alexia! Sit with us during the task?" I nod my head as she starts to walk towards the tent, "Excuse me, I am going to find Harry now." She calls out for Harry, and I see him stick his head out, so I make my way behind the tent.
I stand in front of the dragons all in their cages. I see a person guarding them and waltz up the him and then tap their shoulder, "Excuse me sir?"
The man turns around harshly ,"What do you want? You are not supposed to be back here! Charlie Weasley's orders!"
I flutter my eyes innocently, "Well you see" I move closer and put my hand on his shoulder while looking at him, "I have to be here to help a friend. You cannot stop me nor tell a soul what goes on here."
The guard nods his head in complete understanding. I walk towards the back entrance of the tent and listen in to what is taking place inside. I hear some commotion between Hermione, Harry, and Viktor Krum. Wait no, they are telling some news reporter to leave.
Soon I hear an official voice say, "Champions, gather around! It is time to pick your dragons."
I hear increased heart beats as each champion reaches their hand in and picks a dragon. A cannon sounds and someones announces Fleur's name. I guess she chose the first slot. The guard goes over to one of the dragons and takes him back to the entrance of the arena.
I hear Professor Moody say to Harry, "You can do it Harry. It doesn't matter that you have the Hungarian Horntail. Get your mind together and get the egg boy!"
I get my answer as to which dragon is Harry's, so I walk over to the Hungarian Horntail's cage. The dragon is laying down and looks at me with fire in its eyes. I can see it is an angry dragon, and I sit down on the ground to face the dragon head on.
I do a spell to calm the dragon down and then look into its eyes, "Put up a good fight but let Harry get the egg. He must get it." I lean back to see if it worked. I see the dragon's pupils dilate and I know the mind compulsion worked.
Another thing I, an original, can do. I smirk triumphantly and walk towards the stands. On my way I bump into Fred Weasley, who I had last interacted with when he looked about 60 years older.
What I was not expecting was his vibe towards me. He shoots a glare my way in an instant, "Watch where you are going."
I wonder what I did to him and get annoyed that he is already being so rude for no reason. I return his glare out of habit and corner him to pin him against the wall where he struggles against my grip. "Do not be so rude."
He protests this, "Well try not to bump into people then!"
I roll my eyes and loosen my grip slightly so he does not suspect anything and say, "that was an accident and you know it. What is your problem anyway, Fred?" I am actually curious at this because I have never said or done anything to offend him, so shouldn't we be trying to make small talk instead?
Narrowing his brown eyes he says, "You. I know you have gotten closer to Ron and I do not like it one bit. I think you are going to hurt him."
Oh the irony of that statement. I mean I do feed on him everyday but that is besides the point. I look him in the eye, "Listen, it is not my problem that Ron enjoys my friendship."
He pushes my arms away and stands his ground, "Yes it is! I know you are only using him for your own personal benefit."
I give him a look when he says this and am so confused as to where this is all coming from. "Like what? Why would I use him?" Oh wait I am in multiple ways, oh well.
"You know...certain needs." He looks uncomfortable and his eyes dart around as he mumbles this part out.
I try to grasp what he is saying when it clicks, "No, that is not what is going on here! First of all, he is a fourth year, and I am definitely not interested in him like that and never will." I shudder at the thought.
I decide to just leave Fred and his dumb assumptions be, so I turn away and walk towards the arena but am stopped in my tracks when Fred shouts, "You know, you can't force someone to love you!" I stop for a second, turn to shoot him a glare, and continue on my way. How dare he say that? I do not need to force someone to love me! I am a very lovable original vampire witch...sometimes...
Anyway, I am not here to force someone to love me. I need to complete my plan to end my brother Niklaus, not get caught up in some silly love game where I am the one who will end up hurt. Just like over a thousand years ago with Elliot, and many more after that.
I decide to just ignore Fred and go up into the stands to find a seat next to Hermione. As Viktor Krum goes, she clutches the edge of her seat the whole time, and I can see her face scrunched up in worry. Making sure no one sees, I whisper, "Hermione, you are really tense. Do not worry so much, Viktor will get the egg without much harm."
She relaxes at my reassuring words and shoots me a grateful smile. At least one person sees the good in me, like Hermione.
Viktor gets the egg without many scratches, like I had predicted. He exits the arena with a fist pump of triumph and the egg held high, which leads to Hermione letting out a giggle. She turns towards me, embarrassed, and we look at each other. We then both burst out laughing like it was the most normal thing in the world. I could really get used to an actual friend that is not a vampire for once in my life.
Cedric enters the arena next with some worry apparent on his face that he tries to cover up with a confident wave to the crowd. As Cedric goes, I turn back and see George sitting with Ron a row up. Fred is sitting further away with a girl on the Quidditch team, named Angelina. I say to George, "Please tell your twin that he owes me an apology."
The first words I hear from George directed at me make me laugh, "What did my less attractive twin say this time?"
I crack a small smile that quickly disappears though, "He told me that I am using Ron, but I am not. Is it so wrong that Ron and me are friends?"
George shakes his head while Ron looks at us. Ron says under his breath, "Something like that." I shoot him a glare and he smiles a goofy grin at me. I stop glaring and laugh quietly at our little exchange.
George speaks up, "He is just going through one of his moods. He is not doing too well in potions you see. He was only taking his anger out on you probably, so I wouldn't fret about it."
Makes sense but, "That doesn't give him the right to."
He shrugs at this, "I agree with you. Just let him get over it himself, and when he cools down he will apologize. Trust me."
I nod my head, unable to show any sign of trusting him. How can I? He comes from a big family like mine. For all I know, he could be just like my brothers and sister. Wait no...this is George Weasley I am talking about. A harmless soul. A person I am trying to befriend and get on good terms with.
A half lie slips through my lips, "I do." He smiles at me sincerely, and I return it even though it is somewhat forced. I try so hard for it to be a real smile but it is not possible at this moment in time. I turn back in my seat to see Cedric obtain the egg. The students of Hogwarts stand up and start cheering for him extremely loud. I clap as well and watch as pretty boy returns to the tent.
Lastly, it is Harry's turn. He enters the arena and I can tell he is terrified of the beast hiding behind the rock. He should not fear though, he will survive this task.
He uses spells to try to hurt the dragon, but the dragon is determined to protect the egg. I see fire make its way out of the dragon's mouth towards Harry, yet he does not think fast enough and I know I have to act.
Without anyone seeing, I use aguamenti to diminish the fire. No one seems to notice the fire disappear quickly nor does anyone notice me casting a spell. I mean no one would notice since I do not need a wand, yet I use one in class so no one suspects any abnormal things about me. I do not have to speak a spell since I spent years mastering them. As long as I think about the spell and concentrate, it works. One of the perks of being the original witch who is over a thousand years old.
Harry runs around the arena and tries to grab the egg. He almost gets it, but the dragon whips its tail, and Harry goes flying through the air with a lot of speed. Hermione winces, along with everyone else in the stands, as he hits the wall with a loud slam. He is going to feel that in the morning for sure.
I was going to help Harry once more but then he shouts a spell and his broom comes soaring through the air and he hops on. He flies away from the arena and the dragon soon follows once it breaks the chains. They leave everyones' sights, much to everyone's dismay and confusion.
Hermione seems nervous for Harry's life, but she should not be scared of him dying today. Harry comes back in another moment and swoops in to grab the golden egg. We all erupt in cheers. I stand up and cheer for him with everyone else, proud that he got the egg, with some help of course. He makes his way back into the tent, limping on the way from hitting the wall probably.
I run out of the stands and slip into the tent a minute later. The preceding competitors are at the back, celebrating their victories. Before a nurse can tend to Harry, I pull him outside of the tent, away from the others.
He looks lost as he asks "Alexia, what are you doing? I need to get checked out by Nurse Pomfrey."
I shake my head and signal him to be quiet. I bite into my wrist and Harry looks at me in shock as I do this. He tries to speak but I muffle his sounds with my wrist. He looks confused and tries to move his head away from me, so I roll my eyes and say, "Don't be so stubborn, drink it Harry. It will heal you faster than any of the stuff Nurse Pomfrey would give you."
He drinks reluctantly and I hear a bone in his leg snap into place. I know it doesn't hurt though since vampire blood can heal a person without any pain, which is why I decided to feed him my blood rather than have him suffer after he just battled a dragon, and a scary one at that.
I pull away my wrist when he is all healed. He looks up at me, "What the-"
I lean towards him and looks into his eyes, "Do not worry about it. Just know I came to congratulate you and nothing else. You will go back inside and tell the nurse you are perfectly fine."