❝Give 'em hell kids❞
In which Harry Potter decides he needs the help of a certain troublemaker to make it through his Third Year at Hogwarts.
[The Prisoner of Azkaban - The Deathly Hallows]
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Dragons Aren't Too Bad
The stands looming over what was the equivalent of an old roman fighting pit were packed full of students shouting across aisles and comically large posters that reserved seats for their owners. Frankie had been holding Theo and Pansy's hand, following after Blaise as Draco covered the rear. It was hard enough not to lose a person, let alone find enough seats to fit them all. After a few seconds of pushing through younger years, Frankie noticed Erika and Saoirse standing beside Fred, George and Lee. The Gryffindor second years who were sitting in front of them were easy enough to force to move, leaving enough space and a perfect watching position.
Draco and Theo sat beside her, Draco offering his black beanie as she shivered.
"Oh, Draco," Erika smiled down at them, peculiarly sporting a blue hand-knitted jumper that had a large F on it, "The Durmstrang team lost their Keeper, I offered your name,"
"Really?" Draco asked in excitement, turning towards her.
"Yeah, Slytherins losing a beater and keeper for next year," Erika replied, handing him a docket that stated he was a Durmstrang player - something Erika had thought of to keep track of players, "So think of it like your practice run before you try out for our team,"
Draco enveloped Erika in a hug, causing her to trip slightly out of surprise. Erika smiled awkwardly, shaking herself off as Draco turned to Theo and Pansy to celebrate. Frankie leaned towards Erika, ensuring Fred was busy betting with Lee to notice the exchange.
"Nice jumper," Frankie remarked, watching as Erika's cheeks started turning red, "So, what's up with you and Fred?"
"What's up with you and Harry?" Erika shot back, smiling in triumph as Frankie scowled before turning away.
The first task had begun quickly, Bagman rapidly explaining the rules as the crowd jeered around them. The first dragon had come out, and she had felt a pang of sympathy as she watched the mother try her best to protect her children, then the second had come out and the third. The entire thing hadn't left the best impression on her as she cheered for the dragon, along with her friends.
"It's mean that's all it is," Pansy shouted at them over the roars of the crowd, echoing many of their thoughts, "They're all just mothers scared for their children. It's cruel to make them think people are stealing their eggs,"
"I just want to see someone run around on fire," Theo admitted, frowning as Krum became the third to evade the fire, "Hopefully, our friend can do it for me,"
Frankie hit Theo with her gloves, shaking her head. She could feel her head pounding against her chest, trying its best to escape from her body. She was sure if she was in the tournament, she wouldn't be as nervous, but she couldn't help but listen to the foreboding feeling that was looming over her. Each champion had barely scraped by, coming out with the egg and almost collapsing to the floor, and they were all far older than Harry. She had spent nights in the Slytherin common room trying to get Harry's summoning spell perfect and had even had Draco and Blaise give him pointers, yet she wasn't sure whether it would be enough to get him through. After all, a dragon can fly too.
"There's Harry!" Erika exclaimed as Harry emerged from the tent and into the clearing in a daze.
Frankie grabbed onto the railings in anticipation, her knuckles turning white at the pressure. She watched as he stood there for a second before brandishing his wand, and his voice rang out clear as day. Frankie waited for a few seconds, leaning closer to Draco for support as everyone turned silent. Then, she saw it. Pelting across the sky was Harry's firebolt, and the crowd broke into cheers and jeers.
The test had begun.
Harry took off into the sky, baiting the Dragon. Moving and diving as the crowd reacted in turn. She watched intently. Each of Harry's moves had been successful, and it left Frankie uneasy. Soon enough, his good luck would run out, and she hoped he would remember the Water-Making Spell. Frankie swore as she watched the dragon's tail flick out at supernatural speed. She shouted at Harry, futilely trying to warn him as it came down on him and cut into his shoulder. She heard Pansy let out a squeak, seeing she had resorted to burying her face in Blaise's side. Frankie couldn't look away, however, intently watching Harry's moves.
"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling, "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter!"
Frankie blinked, her brain still processing the event. Finally, she broke out in applause, weight lifting off her heart as Harry held onto the golden egg. Frankie turned to the rest of her friends, beaming as they held similar expressions of impression.
"I'm going to go down and see if he's okay," Frankie shouted over the roars of the crowd, suddenly being brought back to the roars of applause from the Quidditch World Cup.
Frankie raced down the stairs, pulling Draco's beanie further onto her head. She had no idea what she was going to say to Harry, her mind switching between a frenzy of thoughts and none at all. She wasn't even sure whether any of her friends were following after her. She raced past Professor McGonagall, Mad-Eye and Hagrid, hardly giving them a second look as they greeted her in surprise.
The first aid tent was rather small, though the long sheets separating different areas of it made it slightly difficult for her racing mind to figure out. Once she'd caught sight of Harry, awkwardly standing beside Madame Pomfrey as she complained about the event, she'd hurled herself at him. Harry staggered back slightly, steadying himself as he flung his arms around her too. Frankie had completely forgotten about Rita Skeeter, her mind taken up by Harry and Harry only.
"I'm so glad you're not dead," Frankie smiled into his shoulder.
"Me too," Harry said.
"Harry, you were brilliant!" The two separated, seeing Hermione standing near the door sheepishly but excited nonetheless, "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"
Frankie saw her friends behind Hermione, all staring at Ron, who was awkwardly standing beside Hermione.
"No, I just came to tell him well done," Frankie said, moving away from Harry, "I'll see you later I guess,"
Harry squeezed her hand but kept his gaze steadily on Ron. Frankie let go, making her way towards her friends as she gestured for them to turn around.
"Do you reckon we just lost our first non-Slytherin friend," Pansy whispered, turning her head to see Ron and Harry's interactions.
