HP Chapter 86: The First Task (Part 2)

On Sunday afternoon, Anne sat down at the Slytherin table and began to fill her plate with food, thoughtfully setting aside a few portions for Fanny, who hadn’t arrived yet. She was just about to dig in when Fanny came storming into the Great Hall and plopped down beside her, staring at her intently with a suspicious look in her eyes.

With Fanny staring at her like that, Anne suddenly didn’t feel like eating anymore. She put down her knife and fork, looked back at Fanny, and asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?”

Fanny glanced around first, students were coming and going throughout the hall, then leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Anne, be honest. Did you tell Hermione what the First Task was?”

Anne blinked in confusion. “No? Why?”

Fanny’s suspicious look softened slightly. “I just saw Harry and Hermione in the library, digging through piles of dragon books. Half their table was stacked with them!”

“Oh, that,” Anne said seriously. “It must’ve been Hagrid who told Harry about the dragons, and then Harry told Hermione. They’re probably trying to figure out how to get through the First Task.”

“I see…” Fanny nodded, a look of realization on her face. Then she blurted out, “I thought, ”

“Thought what?” Anne asked as she turned her head slightly, picking up her knife and fork again. “Thought I’d tell them too?”

“Well, yeah…” Fanny admitted.

Anne replied matter-of-factly, “You know, with something as dangerous as the Triwizard Tournament, I’d really prefer not to get involved.”

“I know,” Fanny said, watching Anne turn back to her food and start eating. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table at a certain someone and subtly shook her head, thinking, This is going to be a long road…

Tuesday arrived quickly, and all afternoon classes were canceled. After lunch, the entire school was led by the heads of house toward the Forbidden Forest.

“We’re finally going to see a dragon! I’ve never seen a real one in my life!” Fanny said excitedly as she took a seat in the stands. “My grandma and my parents always say dragons are way too dangerous…”

“They are dangerous, Fanny,” Anne replied. “The Hungarian Horntail, the worst of them, can breathe fire up to forty feet. Do you think I’m sitting far enough away?”

She leaned forward, peering down. A temporary grandstand had been built out of wood on a clearing at the forest’s edge. The center was a sunken area, littered with rocks, the arena. Several wizards were moving around within the arena, many of whom Anne recognized from the group of dragon handlers she had seen earlier.

Ludo Bagman emerged from a nearby tent at the edge of the field. He pointed his wand at his throat, magically amplifying his voice so it echoed across the stands.

“May I have your attention, please!” he called. The noisy stands quieted down at once, leaving only scattered murmurs.

“Welcome to the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament! What will our champions face today? Look to your right!” A massive iron cage was wheeled to the edge of the arena, containing a Swedish Short-Snout dragon.

Gasps filled the stands. Students screamed and exclaimed in disbelief.

“A dragon?”

“Oh my god, the First Task is a dragon? That’s insane, can this be real?”

Some students screamed in fright, others gaped in awe, hands over their mouths.

“That’s right, this is a Swedish Short-Snout! The champions must get past it and retrieve a golden egg it's guarding. Each champion will face a different breed of dragon, there are four in total. Number one is the Swedish Short-Snout, number two the Welsh Green, number three the Chinese Fireball, and number four the Hungarian Horntail. Each champion has drawn lots for their dragon.”

Handlers moved the dragons into position. A sharp whistle blew.

“Well then, it’s time to welcome our first champion to the field. Let’s see how he handles it! Representing Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory!”

Later, when Harry summoned his Firebolt and grabbed the golden egg, the final whistle blew amid roaring cheers from the crowd.

“Harry did a great job…” Fanny said as they walked back to the castle. “Actually, all the champions were amazing. Cedric’s idea to transfigure rocks into a dog to distract the dragon, brilliant! Though the dragon caught on pretty quickly. Luckily, he already had the egg by then.”

“Yeah, that was a clean bit of Transfiguration. If I were even half that good, I wouldn’t be so nervous in McGonagall’s class every time…”

“Anne, maybe your real hope is that after the O.W.L.s in fifth year, you won’t have to take Transfiguration anymore,” Fanny quipped, quickly switching subjects before Anne could protest. “Fleur from Beauxbatons did well too. That spell of hers had to be some powerful Stupefying or Sleep Charm, she actually managed to put a dragon to sleep. And Krum, ”

Fanny was abruptly cut off as something, or rather someone, charged toward Anne.

It was Hermione. She ran straight into Anne, hugging her tightly without warning and sobbing.

Completely caught off guard, Anne nearly crashed into the castle wall. She stumbled back a few steps before managing to catch Hermione in her arms.

“Uhh… what happened?” Anne asked, still steadying herself.

“Ron and Harry made up… just now… they’re such idiots…” Hermione said between sobs.

“That… sounds like good news?” Anne said, baffled.

Hermione nodded. Anne could feel her hot breath on her neck, it made her squirm. She immediately regretted forgetting her scarf; her neck was super sensitive, and this was not helping her keep calm.

“I thought they’d never speak again… that they’d never be friends again…” Hermione’s sobs turned to hiccupped sobs.

Anne glanced helplessly at Fanny, who was standing nearby with arms crossed and a knowing smirk on her face.

Anne patted Hermione gently on the back. “Friends argue sometimes. Especially over misunderstandings. Ron’s just a bit… slow to catch on, that’s all. You’re top of the year, you think fast. But you don’t need to worry about those two blockheads.”

“But what if this time it was really the end?”

“Oh, come on. You three faced a troll together in first year, braved all the traps protecting the Philosopher’s Stone, figured out the Chamber of Secrets in second year, and caught a wanted fugitive in third. That kind of bond? That’s not something that breaks easily. Besides, Ron’s figured things out and went to patch things up with Harry himself, didn’t he?”

Hermione nodded again. “What’s ‘revolutionary friendship’?” she asked, finally letting go.

Anne exhaled in relief. Her heart had been racing, her neck really couldn’t handle that kind of close contact.

“It’s a term for a friendship so strong, it’s unbreakable… Hey, what happened to your face?” Anne asked, noticing some red marks that looked like scratches.

“I… I got so nervous watching Harry’s match I must’ve scratched myself…” Hermione said, blushing. Clearly embarrassed that Anne had noticed.

“Oh, come on. You own a cat, are you trying to learn from Crookshanks how to scratch people now?” Anne said, exasperated. She grabbed Hermione’s hand. “Let’s go to the hospital wing before dinner. Madam Pomfrey can treat you, I didn’t bring anything with me today.”

Anne walked a few steps, then noticed Fanny hadn’t followed. She turned around. “Fanny, are you going to the Great Hall, or coming with us to the infirmary?”

Fanny walked over, the amused smile on her face even wider now, tinged with something like quiet understanding.

“You two go on ahead. I need to stop by the library, I think I left something there over the weekend. Madam Pince probably kept it safe as always.” She turned to leave but gave Hermione a knowing look before walking off.

“Want me to save you something good from dinner?” Anne asked.

“Please do. See you at dinner,” Fanny said, waving.

“Guess it’s just us, then,” Anne told Hermione. “That scratch looks pretty bad, there’s two red welts already. Let’s get you patched up…”

As they walked, Hermione began to fret again about the tasks ahead.

“There are still two more events left in the Tournament. The first was already so dangerous, I hate to think what’s next!”

“Well, Bagman said the second task isn’t until February 24th. That’s a long way off, no point worrying now.”

Hermione, calming down, nodded. Her intellect clearly kicking back in.

“You know, Anne, I think the golden egg the champions got is probably a clue for the next task. I’ll ask Harry if I can see it tonight.”

“Hmm… if I’m not wrong, Gryffindor’s common room will probably be throwing a big party tonight, courtesy of Fred and George. And since it’s also Harry and Ron’s first night back as friends, maybe give them a bit of breathing room?”

“Hmm… good point.” Hermione nodded thoughtfully. But then, as if she’d remembered something important, she lit up. “Oh! Anne, remember how you said you’d help me if I ever wanted to visit the house-elves? I want to check out the kitchens and see their working conditions.”

“Sure, no problem. Pick a time and let me know,” Anne replied.

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A/N: Hermione crying after the First Task is a scene from the original books (not the movie).