Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 297: The First Task, Nightmare Difficulty (II) (CH - 316)

"Excellent. All the champions have arrived. And by now, I hope you've managed to piece together some idea of the first task, considering the number of hints you've been receiving."

Not far from the grandstand, inside a magically enchanted tent, the six champions waited for instructions when Amos Diggory entered, flanked by two Aurors, and came to a stop before them.

He paused only briefly, his gaze finding his own son before professional composure took over. Then, after giving a nod of greeting to the deans of the three schools who were also present, he proceeded to get straight to the point.

"Mr Diggory. Why are we here?"

But before another word could leave his lips, he was met with a barrage of scrutinizing gazes. He turned toward the source and saw a bushy-haired witch looking at him inquisitively, and not only her, there were eleven more, all in their schools' respective uniforms, two precisely from each school. He gave her a knowing smile.

"Well, Miss…"

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Well, Miss Granger... it's obviously to participate in the task, of course. Or have you all not figured that out by now?"

"I knew it!"

Just as Amos Diggory confirmed it, Ron could not help blurting it out loud. But more than being surprised, his expression was bright with excitement. After all, this was basically putting them on center stage, even if it was not labeling them as champions. The rest showed similar expressions as well, mostly excitement, with a few nervous glances and bits of anxiety scattered here and there.

Amos Diggory chuckled at their enthusiasm and got back to the matter at hand. "Okay. Let's talk about the first task…"

Everyone quieted down and listened intently.

"To start with," Diggory Senior said, eyes moving from one champion to the next, "I'm sure you've already seen the Hungarian Horntail mother in the center of the stadium... well, it's guarding something very precious. A clutch of eggs. And among them is one special egg, easily identified by its color."

He paused, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Your ultimate task is simple. Take that egg from the mother dragon. Slip in quietly, or beat your way through if you must. The method is entirely yours."

"You're kidding?"

The champions' eyes widened.

"Steal eggs from a mother dragon? That's barbaric…"

Even Cedric found himself nodding along with Hermione's protest, though his father paid neither him nor anyone else any attention, pressing on as if their frowns did not exist.

But their reactions were not without merit. What Amos Diggory had just laid out was anything but simple.

One had to understand that it took several dragon handlers to control a single dragon of that size, and dragon trainers were not just random witches and wizards. They were trained in very specific ways, spent long periods in the field under professional guidance, and only after that could someone truly be called a dragon trainer.

And now they, a bunch of teenagers, were being asked to steal from such a ferocious creature.

On top of all that, the item they had to steal just so happened to be an egg. Forget dragons, any creature, magical or not, would fight to the death to protect its eggs. Who in Merlin's name came up with this idea?

The earlier excitement had drained away, replaced by worry in the champions' expressions. Surely that could not be all, right?

"Of course, you won't be doing it alone, which is why you can ask your companions to assist you," Diggory Senior explained with a smile. "Two people have been selected for each champion," he gestured to the twelve witches and wizards nearby, "who will assist you in the task."

Indeed, letting a mage apprentice single-handedly face an adult dragon alone, let alone steal its egg, would basically be asking them to commit suicide. But that said, these were not just any mage apprentices.

These were the elite of the elite of their rank, and they had been trained over the past few weeks, even if not outright told, precisely for this task. And coupled with assistance from two more people, it would be, albeit barely, an achievable task.

In any case, the Triwizard Tournament would lose its meaning if the task ended up being too simple. The enthusiasm surrounding it mostly came from the thrilling challenges the champions were made to face.

"There are rules, of course, about how the twelve of you will assist your respective champions," Amos Diggory said, glancing from the twelve witches and wizards back to the six champions. "After all, you six are the champions, and your involvement obviously cannot be the same."

He smiled knowingly.

"Nothing complicated. Only this, the one to first directly engage the dragon has to be the champion… and the one to retrieve the egg also has to be the champion, and the champion alone."

He glanced at the twelve people again.

"After the champion engages the dragon, assist. Distract it, protect the champion from danger, work together… but under no circumstances are you to take the egg. Doing so will result in a drastic reduction of the champion's final score, if not an outright zero."

"Mr Diggory!" Hermione Granger raised her hand swiftly, but Amos Diggory did not let her speak and simply went on, "Those are the rules. If you have questions or doubts, you will have to figure them out yourselves. This task not only tests your magical capabilities, but also your awareness. How you adapt. Your judgment when faced with situations you are not entirely certain about."

The implication was clear. Though not said outright, they were basically on their own, and little Miss Know-It-All, after hearing that, lowered her hand understanding settling across her expression.

"What else…" Amos Diggory rubbed his chin, glancing from the champions to the deans before adding, "Ah yes. Every champion gets thirty minutes maximum to complete the task. For fairness, six dragons of the same species, and around the same age have been selected, each testing one champion in turn."

"Merlin's beard, Hermione…" Ron whispered, leaning toward her. "Where d'you reckon they even found six Hungarian Horntail mothers that big?"

"Not now, Ron. Just listen and keep quiet."

Diggory Senior went on. "...one by one, champions will take turns in order after a draw. And lastly, for fairness, so that those who perform later do not gain an advantage from watching earlier attempts, you will remain inside this tent until you complete the task."

"Wait… so does that mean we can't watch the other champions perform?" Harry could not help asking.

"Precisely. Although, if you are drawn to go first, then you get to watch the other matches, provided of course you are still in condition to watch. Unfortunately, the champion who performs last will not get to watch the others."

Amos Diggory stopped at that, giving them all a moment to think, and a while later, the champions nodded, indicating they understood the rules of the game.

"Of course, that does not mean you will miss them entirely, my dear children," Dumbledore added, standing a little to the side with Olympe Maxime and Igor Karkaroff, a warm smile resting on his face. "Professor Caesar mentioned that the matches will be aired later as well, so there is no need to worry about missing your rivals' performances..."

"Well, there you have it," Amos Diggory followed, nodding to Dumbledore's remark.

Then, looking at the children, he beckoned them closer. "Let's start with the draw, shall we…"

He said excitedly before taking out a cloth bag, slipping his hand inside and retrieving a golf-sized ball marked with the number four. "There are a total of six balls, numbered from one to six."

"Each of you will select one and determine the order of appearance. Simply, number one goes first, two next, and so on." He paused. "So who will go first?"

While Amos Diggory explained the rules to the champions inside the tent, the stadium outside came alive with the commentator's amplified voice, echoing the same instructions to a restless sea of spectators as well.

Great effort had been made to keep the details of the tournament tasks a closely guarded secret from anyone not directly involved in the planning. Until this very moment, apart from the champions themselves, no one had the slightest hint of the challenges their representatives would be facing.

And even for the champions, it had only ever been hints they received. The exact layout of the task had remained a mystery to them until now.

Four large screens stood at the north, south, west, and east sides of the stadium, ready to show the champions' performances up close. For now, however, the cameras were focused on the massive dragon resting at the center of the arena, its great form unmoving as it appeared to sleep.

When the task details were finally announced, a hush fell over the roaring crowd, leaving the stadium eerily silent for a few long heartbeats. Then, all at once, the noise exploded.

Shouts, cheers, and applause surged through the stands, rippling across the mass of spectators like a wave crashing onto a storm-lashed shore.

"Dragons! Actual fire-breathing dragons! This is so cool. I can't believe they dared to do this!" shouted one onlooker, leaping up in excitement.

"I remember reading the history of this tournament, that the tasks were indeed dangerous, and accidents had occurred, with some even losing their lives." Amid the roaring crowd, an elderly couple who had come with their grandchildren to watch the event spoke quietly in their native tongue, thoughtful expressions on their faces as they watched the giant beast on the screen.

"But that was a long time ago, Grandma." Beside the couple, a teenage boy wearing the light blue uniform of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic replied loudly over the noise. "It'll be fine. Headmistress said a lot of the rules have been changed to make sure no participant would be in life-threatening danger."

What his grandparents said was indeed the case, but at the same time, he was not wrong either. A lot of measures had apparently been taken to avoid any unfortunate accidents.

Amid the exhilarating atmosphere, here and there some were speculating like them, but the majority were cheering and applauding relentlessly, eager for the task to begin.

The students from Hogwarts in particular were competing to see who could cheer, whistle, and stomp their feet the loudest, eager to express both excitement and nervous anticipation for the spectacle about to unfold.

"Over there, that's Professor Caesar and Professor Flitwick." Ginny Weasley, sitting together with her ginger family, pointed toward the center, where Mavrick and Flitwick were patrolling from the sky.

"I think this is the first time I've seen the boss atop a broom…"

"Hm, now that you mention it, Moony… anyways, with him there, at least I'm certain that no accidents will happen to Harry."

Sirius Black was there too, seated beside the Weasley family, with Lupin nearby.

"Of course," Ginny added, nodding enthusiastically. "Headmaster Dumbledore said Professor Caesar was in charge of security. Harry will be fine."

"Dear sister, are you conveniently forgetting someone…"

"Your own brother's going in too, or does he rank below your little crush now?"

George and Fred spoke, teasing their sister from behind.

"Shut it, both of you… go back to your stupid betting games." Ginny snapped, turning on them with a glare that did little to hide the blush on her face.

"So that's why he wasn't here with us," Arthur Weasley said thoughtfully. "I was just thinking about why he had to tag along with Harry to the champion's tent…"

"But still, the champions are really having to battle dragons, eh? Awfully big ask of a handful of teenagers, if you ask me, even if their safety is guaranteed. Are they really ready for this?" Sirius said, thinking about his godson with slight worry.

"You underestimate him, Padfoot. Don't forget who's been training the kid…"

"You're right, Moony. I'm sure they'll be fine."

And just then, a thunderous roar suddenly exploded from inside the arena, and a split second later, the announcer's magically amplified voice boomed across the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over! What you've all been anxiously awaiting has finally arrived! In mere moments, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament will begin! Now, put your hands together and show your support for our first brave champion… CEDRIC DIGGORY OF HOGWARTS!"

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