Aionios

Chapter 22

"I'm as good as dead out there", Harry grunted as he walked alongside Isabelle through the crowd of people in the corridors.

"Dragons are very gentle creatures as long as they don't sense any hostility from you", Isabelle explained, "But since the first trial will be stealing a golden egg from one of them, they've got no other choice but to see you as an enemy. They're going to do everything in their power to protect that golden egg".

Harry sighed, troubled by the thought of going up against a gigantic fire-breathing dragon. "How the bloody hell am I going to survive?", he mumbled, face scrunching against the sunlight as they stepped out into the courtyard.

"Listen, Harry", Isabelle stopped and turned to him, "You've managed to learn some of the spells that Cedric doesn't even know yet. Not only that, but Ace probably taught you some more advanced spells that might come in handy", she smiled in hopes of lifting the mood, "You'll be fine".

"I seriously hope you're right", he grumbled.

"I know I'm-"

"Why so tense, Potter?"

The twins both groan at the familiar voice, turning their heads towards the tree in the courtyard only to see Draco freaking Malfoy relaxedly lounging on one of the lower branches.

"My father and I have a bet you see", he said cockily while he dangled his feet, "I don't think you're going to last ten minutes in this tournament".

The blonde boy suddenly jumped down from the tree, aced a good landing on the ground, and swaggered towards them with his posse of Slytherins.

"Nice landing", Isabelle mumbled sarcastically, so that only Harry would be able to hear, "I'd like to see him do that again from the edge of a cliff".

Draco sneered and stopped a fair distance from them. "He disagrees", he laughed mockingly, "He thinks you wouldn't last five", and he shared a round of sadistic laughter with the idiots behind him.

The smart comeback was ready at the tip of Isabelle's tongue, but Harry already stomped towards the laughing blonde and pushed him back aggressively.

"I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy!", he exclaimed, and Draco grunted at the force of his push, "He's vile and cruel", he shook his head pitifully at his rival, "And you're pathetic".

Isabelle laughed in disbelief and pride when Harry turned around, and she applauded slowly as he returned to her side.

It irritated and hurt Draco to see her taking joy out of his humiliation. For a moment, his emotions blinded him, and he took his wand out from his cloak.

"Pathetic, huh?", he glowered and aimed his wand at his rival, who had his back turned.

"I don't think so, sonny!", Isabelle and Harry heard Mad-Eye's voice exclaim, and they turned around just in time to see Draco get turned into a ferret.

"I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned!", Moody exclaimed while levitating the ferret up and down, and Isabelle felt utterly guilty for being unable to suppress her laughter.

A crowd began to gather around the bouncing little ferret, and Isabelle should have stopped it, the rational and responsible part of her brain was telling her to, but she really couldn't help but watch. Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly called out Mad-Eye's name, and she broke through the crowd of students to take in the current situation with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?", the poor old professor asked obliviously.

"Teaching", was Moody's calm reply, and Isabelle laughed heartily at his dry humor.