Ursula hadn't even made it to breakfast the next morning, still thinking about dragons, when Cedric stopped her in the entrance hall.
"Hey Cedric, what's up?" she said. "Are you ready for the first task tomorrow?"
"Er, yeah, that's actually what I want to talk to you about," he said. He gestured towards an alcove a little off the hall, and Ursula followed him over to it. "So, the first task is, uh..."
Ursula waited. Cedric seemed not to know how to say it.
"I know it's dragons," said Ursula. "Hagrid took us to see them yesterday."
Cedric looked relieved.
"Harry told me yesterday," he said. "I'm glad you already know. I was up late last night researching spells that could help me. I found one about transforming a rock into a dog, and I think I could distract the dragon that way, but it's really complicated. I was hoping you could help me."
"Sure," said Ursula, smiling. "Er — I don't have any free periods today, but we could practice during lunch and before dinner?"
"Sounds great. Thank you so much," said Cedric. "You're the best."
"I'm happy to help," said Ursula.
She headed into the Great Hall and took her seat at the Slytherin table.
"Morning," said Cassius, his jaw popping as he yawned.
"Anything interesting in the paper?" asked Ursula, as her own copy arrived. Adrian shrugged.
"Nothing much," he said. "Pass the sausages, please."
Ursula also received two letters — one from Narcissa and Lucius, and the other —
"Hadrian?" said Ursula, holding up the letter she had just received from an unfamiliar tawny owl. "Why is your mother writing to me?"
Hadrian's head shot up. He had been snoozing on his arms.
"Here, let me see —"
But Ursula kept the letter out of his reach, giggling playfully. She shoved him out of the way and opened it, her smile dying.
Dearest Ursula,
I hope this letter will not be seen as an imposition or taken as offence, because I truly mean to wish you all the best and only hope to provide you with some guidance. Montgomery and I are wonderfully pleased to hear that you and Hadrian have begun the courtship process but I must caution you not to move too quickly.
You see, we have received reports of our son visiting you in your common room. While I do not mean to imply that anything improper took place, you know how frightful gossip can be. Perhaps the somewhat inferior circumstances of your birth have led you to feel the need to secure a husband quickly. Never fear, dear. You and Hadrian will make a fine match all in due time, and there is no need to rush into anything.
I also wonder if this sudden move is due to any outside pressure, but I shall assure myself that you understand the proper way to do this sort of thing. Rest assured that I am only thinking of what's best for you and your reputation. I look forward to hearing more news on the progression of your and Hadrian's relationship.
All the best,
Anastasia Rowle
"Your mother thinks I'm a slut," announced Ursula.
"What?" said Hadrian, choking on his orange juice. Across the table, Cassius exploded into laughter and Lilian dissolved into giggles. Ursula handed Hadrian the letter.
"She warns me not to overstep the traditional rules of a courtship and thinks inviting you into the common room was a step too far," said Ursula. "She also adds that just because of the 'inferior circumstances' of my birth, I should feel no need to compensate by moving quickly to secure a relationship."
"Merlin, I'm so sorry," said Hadrian. "I'll write to her and correct this, I swear."
"Why — why were you in the common room?" managed Cassius between laughs.
"I was showing him some family pictures," said Ursula. "How did your mother even find out?"
"No idea," said Hadrian. "I never even told her about it."
"This is terrible for you, I'm so sorry," said Lilian, though she was still bursting with giggles. Ursula rolled her eyes and smiled. "To think — that you —"
She and Cassius lapsed into a fresh round of laughter. Ursula's eyes narrowed and landed on a particular sixth year Slytherin a little ways down the table from where she was sitting. He was casually reading the paper while Vanessa chatted with him.
"I'll see y'all in Potions," said Ursula, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm off to History of Magic."
"I can walk with you," offered Hadrian, prompting Ursula to recall the terms of their agreement. She smiled, though it was entirely fake, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Not today," she said. "Oh, and I'm helping Cedric with Transfiguration at lunch, so I won't see you until dinner."
"Alright," said Hadrian. "See you then."
Ursula departed the Great Hall, looking for a particular set of redheads. She was headed to History of Magic, but she had a small task of revenge to deal with beforehand. They were easy to spot, strolling across the entrance hall with Lee Jordan, and she hurried over to them.
"Hey!" she called, causing them to stop and turn.
"What's the rush, Black?" said Fred, as she came to a stop in front of them.
"I was wondering if you could help me with something," said Ursula.
"What sort of something?" asked Lee.
"Do tell," prompted George.
"How fast could you prank someone on short notice?" asked Ursula. "I want to get revenge on someone."
The Weasleys and Lee grinned and shared excited looks with one another.
"A prefect? Wanting to prank someone?" teased Fred.
"And revenge, she's clearly not messing around," added George.
"Who on?" said Lee.
"Jacob Selwyn," said Ursula. This delighted the boys even more. She knew they never passed up an opportunity to prank a Slytherin, much less one they didn't like.
"Why?" asked Fred.
"He wrote to Hadrian's mother and said something about me that wasn't true," said Ursula. "I thought it was quite rude of him, and I think it's time he learned his lesson."
"Yes, how rude," said Fred seriously.
"Very," added George. Ursula sighed good-naturedly.
"We can probably work something out," said Lee. George gave a fake long-suffering sigh.
"But on such short notice —" he said.
"I'll pay you, if you like," offered Ursula.
Before George could speak, Fred jumped in and said, "There's no need."
"Great," said Ursula. "His only class today is double Charms, in fifth period. Thanks again."
She left, and arrived in History of Magic plenty early. It was lunchtime when Ursula, just popping in to grab a sandwich before meeting Cedric to help him learn the spell for the first task, saw the effects of the prank. Ursula was impressed that they had been able to work so fast.
Jacob sat at the Slytherin table with the word LIAR across his forehead in crimson block letters. He was also covered in gold glitter, which seemed strangely to stick to him and nothing else. He looked very angry; Ursula was very pleased. She grinned and gave a thumbs up to Fred, George, and Lee, who all looked supremely satisfied with themselves.
"Hey, where are you going?" said Cassius. "Did you see the good news?"
"I'm helping Cedric with something," said Ursula. "And yes, I did."
"Alright, I'll see you in Charms, then," said Cassius, cutting his apple into slices.
Ursula found Cedric waiting for her in the entrance hall.
"Ready?" she said. Cedric nodded. He handed her an open book.
"That's what I want to do," he said. "But it looks complicated.
"It's not a complex spell, exactly, it's just difficult because of the size," said Ursula, tracing the wand movement with her hand. "Large transfiguration is always harder." She looked up at Cedric. "Maybe we should go outside to the lake? You'll need a rock to practice on."
Cedric agreed, and they headed outside. It was a chilly November day with winds that reddened their cheeks. Cedric found a moderately sized rock — or a small boulder — to practice on, but Ursula tossed him a much smaller rock to try first.
"You need to be able to do the spell first," she said. "Then you can experiment with size."
It was a difficult spell. Ursula stood on the shore of the Black Lake, skipping rocks — she discovered that she was quite good at it — across the smooth surface while Cedric tried the spell. Finally, after a good couple-dozen attempts and some corrected wand movements, Cedric managed it, and a yorkie barked and nipped at their heels until Cedric turned it back into a rock.
"Well done!" said Ursula. "You've got it now; all you have to do is transform the large rock this time."
"It's nearly one," said Cedric, checking his watch. "We should get to Ancient Runes."
"Good catch," said Ursula. "We'll come back after Charms, yeah?"
"Yeah. Thanks again for your help," said Cedric. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yes, you could've," said Ursula. "I just sped up the process."
Cedric laughed as they entered the warm castle.
"So, are you ready to face a dragon?" asked Ursula.
"Not really," admitted Cedric. "I mean, it's a dragon. I don't think you can fully prepare for something like that. But to the best of my abilities, yes, I'm ready."
"Good," said Ursula. "I'm confident that you'll do great."
"That makes one of us," said Cedric.
After Ancient Runes and double Charms, in which Jacob still had the word LIAR across his forehead and was shedding gold glitter everywhere he went, Ursula and Cedric returned to the Black Lake. The sun was setting and the wind whipped around them by the time Cedric mastered the spell, and had a fully transformed labrador bounding around on the beach.
Ursula had transformed into her Animagus by that time to fight the cold, and was happily occupied with rolling small rocks around and giving Cedric growls of encouragement. The dog barked at her and she growled right back, before transforming back into a person and hugging Cedric in congratulations.
"There, you've done it!" she said. "Now you're all set for tomorrow."
"Wish me luck," said Cedric, grinning in triumph.
"Good luck, for tomorrow and the following tasks," said Ursula. "I'm quite sure you don't need luck to win, but it's always good to have a little extra luck, isn't it?"
"It's reassuring to have it from you," said Cedric. He flicked his wand, turning the dog back into a small black and grey boulder, and the returned to the castle for dinner.
The next morning, Ursula slept in, knowing the task wasn't until after lunch. The morning passed slowly, filled with lots of anticipation, but halfway through lunch Professor McGonagall said it was time for the champions to go down to the grounds to prepare for the first task. They left, and the Great Hall buzzed with noise in their absence, with students making bets about what the first task would be and how each of the champions would do.
At noon, students began to head down to a stadium that had been erected around a large, rocky enclosure. Ursula could hear the roar of the dragons just beyond the trees. It was a chilly November afternoon, so Hadrian casually rested his arm around Ursula's shoulders.
"It's almost time!" said Cassius, checking his watch.
Indeed it was. One by one, dragonologists carried the duplicates of the Swedish Short-Snout's large blue-and-silver eggs into the enclosure, with a much smaller golden egg nestled between them, and then, to the wild applause of the crowd, the dragon herself followed. A whistle sounded.
"I give you... CEDRIC DIGGORY!" shouted Bagman, his voice magically magnified again. The crowd roared with applause as Cedric stepped nervously into the enclosure, wand at the ready.
"Come on Cedric!" shouted Ursula, as Cedric dodged a spout of fire from the dragon. He had to get close enough to the eggs to use the spell they had practiced.
It was very stressful to watch, and Ursula couldn't imagine how the champions must feel. The crowd screamed... yelled... gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric used every spell he knew to get close, inching towards the nest of eggs before being forced back by a column of fire. Bagman's commentary only added to Ursula's anxiety: "Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow" ... "He's taking risks, this one!" ... "Clever move — pity it didn't work!"
Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Cedric got close enough to the nest. Ursula couldn't hear the spell over the noise of the crowd, but one of the massive rocks in the enclosure twitched, shuddered, and transformed into a large black labrador, whose bark sounded like the crackle of gravel.
Cedric flicked his wand, and the dog barked, running the opposite direction of where he was. The dragon followed, giving Cedric time to run to the nest and snatch the golden egg. Unfortunately, just as his hands closed on the egg, the dragon decided it would rather have him than the labrador.
Ursula screamed as Cedric dodged the dragon's fire just half a second too late. The crowd gasped as the fire singed his shirtsleeve, leaving a red burn on half of his face and making his hair smoke. Cedric didn't look too worse for wear, however, as he hopped out of the enclosure, even as Madam Pomfrey bustled over to him. The dragon was led away as the judges decided what scores to award Cedric.
"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"
Madam Maxime raised her wand. What looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large seven.
"She must've taken points off since he got burned," said Lilian.
Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number eight into the air. Next, Professor Dumbledore. He put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.
"Way to go Cedric!" shouted Cassius.
Ludo Bagman put up an eight as well, and Karkaroff finished it off with a meager six, at which the crowd booed.
"He just hates Hogwarts," said Adrian.
"He hates everyone," said Hadrian.
Having received his scores, Cedric waved to the crowd which roared back at him, then disappeared into a second tent to get his face cleaned up.
"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again, and the dragonologists brought the Common Welsh Green into the enclosure. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"
Fleur stepped out of the champions' tent. She was trembling from head to foot but gripped her wand resolutely.
The same process started again... "Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" Bagman shouted gleefully. "Oh... nearly! Careful now... good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"
Ultimately, ten minutes later, Fleur pulled off a difficult sleeping spell to get past the dragon. While she was retrieving the egg, however, the dragon snored, letting out a jet of flame that set her skirt alight. She put it out quickly before any damage was done, and retrieved her golden egg without any further difficulty. The crowd clapped, with the Beauxbatons students clapping particularly loudly.
Fleur got a nine from Madam Maxime, an eight each from Crouch, Professor Dumbledore, and Bagman, and a five from Karkaroff.
"Sexism!" shouted Lilian. "She did great!" She turned to the others in a huff. "She deserved more points than that! Karkaroff is sexist!"
The Common Welsh Green was led docilely out of the enclosure, to be replaced by the Chinese Fireball as a third whistle sounded.
"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman.
"Let's go Viktor!" shouted Hadrian, as Viktor slouched out of the ten and into the enclosure.
Viktor was much faster than the other two. Soon after he stepped into the enclosure, after spending a few minutes dodging fire, he raised his wand and fired a Conjunctivitis Curse at the dragon, hitting her square in the eyes, which were a dragon's weakest spot. The Durmstrang delegation roared with cheers.
"Very daring!" Bagman yelled, and the Chinese Fireball emitted a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath.
The Chinese Fireball writhed around, thrashing and stomping and squashing half her eggs, making the crowd gasp and making Ursula eternally thankful that the eggs were just duplicates.
"That's some nerve he's showing — and — yes, he's got the egg!" shouted Bagman, as Viktor grabbed the golden egg and dragonologists hurried to subdue the dragon. Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass.
Viktor got a seven from Madam Maxime, an eight from Crouch, a seven from Professor Dumbledore, an eight from Bagman, and, not surprisingly, a ten from Karkaroff.
"He lost points when the dragon crushed her eggs," said Ursula. "I'm so glad that that's not her real clutch."
"Still, he did really well!" said Hadrian excitedly. "Viktor's in the lead now, and he finished way faster than the others."
"Finally," said Bagman as a fourth whistle blew and the Hungarian Horntail entered the enclosure, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present, Mr. Harry Potter!"
The crowd roared, boos and cheers blending together, as Harry stepped nervously into the enclosure and faced the Horntail, who was crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her yellow eyes upon him and thrashing her spiked tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. Harry raised his wand.
"What's he doing?" said Vanessa. Harry raised his wand, but over the noise of the crowd it was impossible to hear what he said.
For a long minute, nothing happened.
"Look!" shouted Cassius, pointing back towards the school. The crowd swelled, cheering even louder, as Harry's Firebolt hurtled around the edge of the woods, soared into the enclosure, and stopped dead in midair beside him, waiting for him to mount. Bagman's commentary was lost in the roars of the crowd.
Harry shot into the air, soaring high above the stadium. Then he dived, skimming the ground and pulling up just in time as the Horntail released a jet of fire.
"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"
Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress. He plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky — he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder.
The crowd screamed and groaned, but Harry recovered. Even the Slytherins who had been particularly nasty towards him were on his side, now that he seemed to be succeeding.
"What's he doing?" shouted Cassius, as Harry flew gradually back and forth, just out of range of the Horntail's fire.
"He's trying to make her fly!" shouted back Ursula.
Harry flew higher and higher, the Horntail's head raising with him. She let out a roar of exasperation when he was too high to reach, then shot fire into the air, which he dodged. And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, and Harry dived.
The crowd gasped as one as Harry sped towards the ground as fast as he could go toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs — he had taken his hands off his Firebolt — he had seized the golden egg —
And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, with the golden egg tucked under one arm as the crowd roared its approval.
"Look at that!" Bagman yelled. "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!"
Soon Harry had been patched up by Madam Pomfrey and he returned to view his scores. He got an eight from Madam Maxime, a nine from Crouch, a nine from Professor Dumbledore, and from Bagman —
"A ten!" shouted Lilian.
And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand — four. The Hogwarts crowd booed.
"He shouldn't even be a judge!" shouted Adrian.
"Harry's tied with Viktor!" said Ursula.
"You both owe me ten sickles," said Lilian, turning to Cassius and Adrian, who groaned and reached into their pockets. "Cassius, Harry scored more than thirty points, and Adrian, Harry isn't last."
"Why do you still make bets with her?" said Ursula, with Hadrian's arm still draped over her shoulders. "She wins every time."
"I have no idea," said Adrian.
"I bet Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are going to celebrate tonight," said Cassius, resignedly handing over Lilian's winnings.
"You know," said Ursula, with a sly glance at Vanessa, "now that the first task is over, it's time for another special event."
"Oh yes," said Vanessa with a giggle, catching on. "One that involves dress robes."
"Bloody hell," said Lilian, groaning. "You aren't going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope!" said Ursula cheerfully, and she and the others headed back up to the castle.