A Change in Fate || Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter 13: The First Task

The day of the First Task had finally arrived. That morning, the entire school was buzzing with excitement. Analeigh wasn't sure what the other champions were feeling, but she was admittedly very, very scared.

In the Great Hall, many of her classmates had wished her luck, showing their support by holding banners and posters of her name and Cedric's, or her's and Harry, or even all three of them. She tried to be as polite and grateful as possible, but she wanted some time alone to compose herself before she would face a breathing, living, gigantic, and deadly dragon.

"You have to eat something." Analeigh looked up from her plate to see Hermione staring at her and Harry in concern. "The First Task will be starting soon and you're going to need your energy."

"I'm not hungry," Harry mumbled from across her.

"Mate, you gotta eat something," Ron insisted. "Everyone's going to the field already."

Harry and Analeigh sent each other nervous looks before obeying and attempting to eat their breakfast.

"Potter, Heart." McGonagall had approached them after a while, much to their surprise. "I've been told to inform the both of you that you must proceed to the champions' tent in ten minutes."

"Yes, Professor," they replied. The Head of Gryffindor house eyed the two young champions warily, almost as if she could tell what they were feeling. She gave them a nod and simple, "Good luck," and then she spun on her heel and walked away.

Harry, Analeigh, Hermione, and Ron eventually got up to leave the Great Hall and head to the field. The two champions stayed behind, walking slower to compose themselves. Hermione and Ron decided to go ahead, wanting to get good seats in the stands with their other friends to be able to support them.

Analeigh honestly thought that she and Harry were the only ones who were extremely nervous. She assumed that the others were nervous too, but not to the point where they were close to terrified like she was. Perhaps it was because of the fact that most of them were older. But when she and Harry spotted the huge white tent they were directed to and entered it, Analeigh found that everyone was dealing with their anxiety in different ways.

Fleur and Brigitte sat on wooden chairs together, not talking to one another at all. Fleur was constantly smoothing out her skirt and fixing any other winkles in her clothes or stray hairs that fell from her ponytail; Brigitte was fiddling with her wand, twirling it numerous times, her eyes only focused on the object.

On the other hand, Viktor and Andrei stood far apart from one another in the tent. Viktor stood closer to the entrance, his hands clasped together, slouching slightly instead of his usual confident posture. Andrei was on the other end of the tent, glaring at the ground with his arms folded across his chest.

And lastly, there was Cedric Diggory. He stood out among the other champions, the only one wearing a black and yellow uniform for the task while Analeigh and Harry wore red and black to support their own house. The Hufflepuff looked less composed than usual, his hair slightly messed up while he paced back and forth in the center of the tent.

Upon seeing the two fourth years enter, Cedric halted.

"Analeigh, Potter," he said in acknowledgment.

"Cedric."

"May I speak to you for a moment?" Analeigh looked at Cedric and realized he was speaking only to her.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Analeigh left Harry's side and followed Cedric to the side of the tent. "What did want to talk about? Did anyone tell you anything about the task?"

"Unfortunately, no," Cedric said. "All I know is that the judges will come here before the task begins, but I don't know if we'll find out which dragon we'll be battling."