The Weasley Mayhem {A Weasley Love Story}

|Chapter Twenty-Six ~ The First Task|

I spent the rest of the time leading up to the first task learning new spells and trying out different ways to defeat a dragon, all the while Professor Moody's words replaying in my head. 'Fight fire with fire.' Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Dragons breathed fire, so I either need to reflect it back to them or start my own fire. I'd spent the last evening before the first task practicing the incendio spell, the spell to produce fire.

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The next morning I found myself, along with all the other champions, in the champions' tent outside the arena for the first task. Cedric was sitting on a chair in one corner of the tent, Fleur and Nanette were to one side talking away rapidly in French, Victor was standing with Igor nervously shaking his hands, the other Durmstrang champion was no where to be seen. And Harry, well Harry was pacing back and forth by the curtain. He suddenly stops pacing and leans closer to the curtain. Next thing I know Hermione emerges from the other side of the curtain. Suddenly there's a flash of light from behind me.

"Young love! Ohh how... stirring. If everything goes unfortunately today you might make the front page." Rita Skeeter said gleefully.

"You have no business here. This tent is for champions and friends." Victor hissed at the nosy reporter, as he came to stand beside me.

"No matter. We've got what we wanted." Rita said, casting a look between Harry, Hermione and Victor, a sly grin taking over her face. She turned and sauntered out of the tent, just as Professor Dumbledore walked in.

"Good day champions. Gather round please. Now you've waited you've wondered and at last the moment has arrived. The moment that only you four teams can fully appreciate." We all gathered around him in a circle, the respective head teachers standing behind their teams, apart from the Hogwarts team. "What are you doing here Miss Granger?" He asked, noticing Hermione who was now standing next to Harry, clutching his arm.

"Oh um... Sorry I'll just go." She said as she hesitantly released her arm from around Harry's and slipped out of the tent silently.

"Barty. The bag." Professor Dumbledore says, indicating for the old man to step forwards.

"Champions, in a circle around me. Miss Delacour, Miss Badour which one out of you too will be competing?" He asked the two French girls. The rest of us watched as Fleur stepped forward. "Mr. Krum since your teammate isn't here it is definite that you will compete. Mr. Diggory and Miss Tonks?" I looked at Cedric. I watched as he opened his mouth, turned around and threw up all of his breakfast.

"I guess it's me then." I said, casting a worried glance to Harry.

"And Mr. Potter you are competing then. Right, Miss Delacour over here, Mr. Krum, and Potter... over here. Right. Miss Delacour, if you will..." Barty said, arranging us around him. We all watched as Fleur reached into the bag, wincing slightly, and pulled her hand out and a miniature green dragon. "The welsh green. Mr. Krum..." Victor does the same as Fleur. "The Chinese fireball. Oooh." And then the bag is thrust in my direction. "The Swedish short-snout. Which leaves..." Barty says, turning towards Harry, with one more dragon in his bag.

"The horntail..." Harry mutters lowly.

"What's that boy?" Barty asks as he struggled to hear Harrys muttering.

"Nothing." He says as he digs into the bag and pulls out his dragon.

"The Hungarian horntail. These represent very real dragons, each of which has been given a golden egg to protect. Your objective is simple... collect the egg. This you must do, for each contains a clue without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task. Any questions?" Barty explains. When no one answers he simply walks away. This time Cedric doesn't throw up... instead he faints. Great deal of help he's been.

"Very well. Good luck champions. Miss Tonks the sound of the cannon..." Dumbledore starts to say, but is cut off by the booming sound of the cannon going off. He nods at me in a way of wishing me luck as I make my way into the rocky arena. As soon as the crowed catch a glimpse of me they start cheering my name. I look around at all of their faces, focusing in on the twin red heads that are waving a banner brandishing my name on it. But of course by doing this I neglect to acknowledge the existence of the dragon. That is until it slams its tail into a rock beside me.

The silvery blue scales glint dangerously under the sun. It's spreads its large wings wide and hovers above the ground, never taking its beady eyes off of me. It rears back slightly gulps down air and spits out a brilliant blue flame from its mouth. The crowed screams in glee as I just dodge it, unfortunately my whole body doesn't manage to move in time. I cry out in pain as a burning sensation shoots across the left side of my face. Letting me know that I've been hit.

"Jesus." I hiss as I crouch down behind a rock. For a moment I look up into the stand and catch the eye of Professor Moody who mouths one simple word to me... Fire. Taking a deep breath I get enough courage to stand up from behind my rock and come face to face with my dragon. I point my wand directly at it. "Incendio!" I yell. The red flame shoots from the tip of my wand and attacks the dragon, forcing it to move back. Seeing this as my advantage I started to advance and walk forward, the flames pushing the dragon back each time.

"That's my girl!" I hear George yell above the screaming as I manage to hold the dragon off for long enough to reach the egg and to hold it in my grasp. Unfortunately I overestimated the recovery time of the dragon and I failed to notice the tail swinging round and hitting me, causing me to hit the rocks of the arena. The last thing I'm conscious of is Charlie stunning the dragon and Professor McGonagall's worried face above mine, before everything turned to black.