The day of the first task had come. The quidditch pitch had been turned into a dragon fighting arena, which was now a full circle with a bunch of boulders in the middle, and there was also a tent out the side of it for the champions.

Cassia had walked Cedric down holding his hand, and was now standing in front of him before the tent entrance.

"Be safe, okay?" Cassia said, hugging Cedric tightly. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll be okay, Cassia, but thank you," he smiled down at her as he let her go.

"Good luck," Cassia said, squeezing his arms and looking up into his eyes.

But his eyes were flitting all around her face.

And before either of them could say anything, Cedric was leaning down and planting a soft yet lingering kiss on Cassia's cheek.

As he pulled back he grinned at her, and she grinned back up at him, her cheeks burning bright red.

"See you later," Cassia said, giddy with joy as she sent him off to the tent.

Cedric smiled back at her. "See you later, Cassia."

❦︎❦︎❦︎

By the time Cassia got sat down next to Poppy in the stands her cheeks had returned to normal temperature, but sadly, the smile had not vanished off her face.

"What just happened?" Poppy asked in a sing song voice.

"Um- Cedric kissed me," Cassia said.

"Eeeeeee-"

"Only on the cheek, jeez! Calm down!" Cassia giggled.

"Oh my god, Cass! This is amazing!" Poppy said, giving Cassia a quick hug. "Like seriously, tell the guy you're in love with him already."

"I am not in love with him-"

"Sure, sure-"

"Bets, place your bets!"

"Bets taken! Bets taken here!"

Cassia was glad that the Weasley twins were so loud, because it scuppered the chance of Poppy grilling her any further. Not that she intended to bet, but still.

Then, eventually, Dumbledore was able to quiet the crowd, his wand to his throat like Fudge's was at the world cup.

"Attention, attention!" He called. "This is a great day for all of us! But first, each of the three tasks involves considerable danger, so please keep your seats at all times! Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what the first task is, so I will explain it to you. There are four dragons here today, and each of them have been given a golden egg to protect. Each champion will face their dragon separately on the sound of the cannon. But if they wish to advance further in the tournament, they must evade their dragons and snatch the egg."

Okay, Cassia took a deep breath. Okay, Cedric can do this. And Potter...

She knew Harry's plan. Summon his broom, hide whilst he waited for it to show, outrun the dragon with outflying it, and then (new addition but she was sure he would know it) snatch the golden egg.

She just hoped he could execute it.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"...and that is a Swedish Snort Snout that has just been dispatched down there," McGonagall, who was filling in on commentating from Dumbledore, who had gone with Crouch into the champion's tent. "And facing it shall be Cedric Diggory."

Cassia took a deep breath.

Down below her in the arena was a green scaled dragon with a forked tail and menacing, sharp teeth. She didn't doubt anything about its fire breathing abilities, either.

Poppy, who was watching her leg bounce up and down and her lip get bitten hard, looked into her eyes. "They're gonna be fine, Cass. Okay?"

"No," Cassia said honestly. "But-"

"Hey," Hermione said as she squeezed herself in beside Cassia.

"Thought you were sitting with Ron?" Poppy asked her.

"No, he's with Dean and Seamus," shrugged Hermione. "I'd rather be here with you than listen to their moaning all task long."

Cassia scoffed. "True, they're probably drowning in self p-"

BOOM!

Cassia's whole body went limp as everyone in the crowd cheered around her. Fuck, fuck. And she wasn't clapping, even though she should-

Because the cannon had just sounded.

The dragon reared its head, roaring low, reminding Cassia of the rumbling of thunder. But she wasn't really paying attention to that, because she was biting her lip again, watching the tent entrance.

The crowd went wild for Cedric, mainly because most of them were Hogwarts people who thought him better than Potter. Cassia clapped slowly, caught in a sort of daze as he stepped out.

Come on, Cedric, come on...

The dragon instantly reared its head, drawing itself up to full height and not even giving the boy a chance before he shot a blast of fire at him.

As the crowd yelled, Cassia screamed.

But Cedric dodged it, running to the side and round behind a boulder before raising his wand at a rather large rock on the ground and shouting an incantation Cassia couldn't hear.

However, she could see the outcome. In a second, the rock transformed into a dog, which barked immediately and started to run round.

The dragon, which had been going in for its second strike, was diverted, going for the dog instead.

"Come on, come on, take the bait..." Cassia muttered as the dragon began to shoot fire at the transfigured dog.

Cedric, meanwhile, was running from boulder to boulder, creeping gradually closer towards the golden egg.

"Come on..."

As the dragon followed the dog, Cedric ran at the egg, which was nestled in the dragon's 'nest', among a pile of real ones. He sprinted straight towards it and was almost there when the dragon changed course, deciding he was better than the little labrador-

"Cedric!"

"He's got it! He's got the egg!"

Cassia was yelling amongst everyone else, and clapping. Cedric stood in the arena, a huge grin on his face, holding the egg up high as everyone cheered him. However, he hadn't got off scot free. His left robe arm was black and smoking, and it was clear the burn had reached his skin.

But he had got the egg.

And that was all that mattered, right?

❦︎❦︎❦︎

After watching Fleur spell a Welsh Green into a trance to retrieve her egg, but also getting burnt when it snorted out a fire jet, and seeing Krum hit a Chinese Fireball in the eyes with a spell that made it go all sleepy (and trample over all the other eggs, losing him points) so he could sneak in and get his, Cassia was ready to leave.

But Potter hadn't gone yet.

And the last dragon had just got released into the arena.

It looked horrible. Sure, it was scaly and malicious, like the others, but it also had an air of revenge. Of irritation, even though nothing had been done to her.

And if all that wasn't enough, she was definitely the most protective of her eggs.

"Three of our champions have now collected their eggs, and will proceed to the next task," Dumbledore announced to the audience. "And now our forth and final contestant, Harry Potter, who will be facing a Hungarian Horntail."

"Harry! Harry! Harry!"

Cassia was surprised that she crowd was chanting, but she joined in. Cedric was okay, he was safe. Now Potter just had to do it.

As he walked out, he took in the crowd and the wrecked arena much more than the others had, owing to the fact that the Horntail was relaxing, was looking down-

But as soon as he tried to advance upon the egg, she slammed her tail into the rubbly ground, making the crowd gasp and knocking Harry over.

He rolled down against another boulder but got up fast, running around behind another boulder as fire got rained upon him, so much so that Cassia thought he would get burned.

"Come on, Potter..." she muttered.

The horntail showed no mercy as it tipped the boulder to the side, using its tail to throw Harry across the arena.

"ARGH!" Cassia heard his yell as he landed in the sharp rubble, and looked down. She could watch this, it was just like all the others, right?

As more fire was directed at him, Hermione stood up and screamed. "YOUR WAND, HARRY! YOUR WAND!"

And Harry seemed to get the message, raising his wand and yelling. "Accio Firebolt!"

"Thank fuck, he's done the hard part now," Cassia shook her head. "Everyone can relax now."

But she was using humour to make herself feel better, because as she watched this she was feeling worse and worse-

"Yes! YES!"

She hadn't seen most of his wait, but what she did see was nothing short of incredible.

Because as his Firebolt came flying into the arena, he didn't even waste a second, jumping straight on it and evading the fire that the dragon shot down at him.

The crowd went absolutely wild, even the foreign students and (most of) the Slytherins.

And Potter was flying towards the egg and he was flying down low for it, reaching out an arm-

"Argh!"

Cassia heard his shout of pain from there, as the Horntail shot a jet of fire at his arm that didn't entirely miss.

"Fuck, Potter, grab the thing already," Cassia muttered, as Harry did another lap, evading the fire but not managing to swoop low enough to get it.

And then he had to dodge the tail, as it came up to try and hit him off the broom. Cassia winced, but Potter was all over it, ducking and swooping to avoid it. He's doing what he does for bludgers, she realised with a slight smile. He's imagining it's a quidditch game.

And that thought made her happy, happier than it should. Because she knew that if she were in that situation, that's exactly what she would've done, too.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione shouted. "Come on!"

And her shout seemed to inspire Potter, as he ducked low and went for the egg again, this time managing to avoid the fire and the rubble flying towards him. And he was closing in and ducking and holding out his uninjured arm to grab it and-

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Long story short, Potter got his egg.

And in the end, he and Krum got given the same amount of points, putting them in joint first. Cedric was close behind them, only a few in difference, and Fleur brought up the rear, but they were all so close, anything could happen.

Cassia was happy for Potter.

But he wasn't who she was focused on.

"I'm so proud of you!" Cassia yelled to Cedric as she ran at him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, trying to convey just how proud she was.

"Thanks, Cassia," Cedric smiled, hugging her with his good arm, his bad one having just been covered in salve and bandaged up.

"I was so worried," Cassia admitted as she pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"So was I," Cedric nodded. "But then I looked at you, and... you inspired me. I knew you wanted me to do well, and how worried you were, so I kinda did that... for you."

Cassia smiled widely, blushing hard.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Cedric said gently. "Hey, there's a party in the Hufflepuff common room tonight, do you want to come?"

"Cassia!"

As the blonde girl turned to see Poppy, Ron, Hermione and Harry, who was still clutching the egg, his arm bandaged just like Cedric's was, she knew what she wanted. She just didn't know if she wanted to tell the boy before her that.

"As flattered as I am," Cassia said with a sad smile. "I'm sorry but I can't."

Cedric's face fell slightly but not that much.

"It's okay, I get it," he said to her with a small smile. "Go with your friends, they deserve your company too."

"You're the most understanding guy in the world, you know that?" Cassia smiled at him.

Cedric grinned down at her. "And you're the most beautiful girl. Now go have fun, Cassia, and leave me to wallow in my sins of hurting a poor dog."

Cassia didn't think she'd ever giggled so hard in her life.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

In the common room, Harry was hoisted up by Fred and George, holding the egg up high as a huge crowd clapped around him.

Cassia and Poppy clapped loudly with the rest as they listened to the Weasley twins.

"Yes Harry!"

"Knew you wouldn't die, Harry!"

"Break a leg-"

"Or an arm-"

"Pack it in all together-?"

"Never!"

As the clapping subsided, Seamus grinned up at the boy, yelling. "Go on, Harry! What's the clue?"

But Potter decided to warm up the crowd, first.

"Who wants me to open it?!"

Cassia rolled her eyes as the crowd whooped and cheered.

"D'you want me to open it?!"

"Yes, Potter! Now fucking do!" Cassia yelled up at him, but there wasn't much malice in her tone.

"Ah, there speaks the very sweet mouthed Cassia Malfoy!" Fred yelled jokingly.

"Yes, so innocent that one, never said a swear in her life!" George laughed.

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you two."

Harry sighed, reaching up to open the clip on top of the egg-

Cassia didn't even know how to describe the sound that came out of it, but hellish would be the closest.

It was a screech. A shrill, high, ear shattering screech. And it was so bad that everyone in the common room covered their ears in sync.

"Shut it already, Potter!" Cassia yelled.

And Harry did, using what looked like a lot of strength to shove it shut.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Was the first voice Cassia heard after taking her hands down.

He was standing rather awkwardly, and then, slowly, he started to walk towards- Harry?

"Alright everyone, go back to your knitting! This is going to be uncomfortable enough without all you nosy sods listening in..."

As Fred and George broke up the crowd, Cassia went and sat with Poppy in the corner of the common room.

"What a day," the blonde said, as she lay her head on her best friend's shoulder.

"True," Poppy smiled. "But to be honest, things about this tournament are looking up."

And she was right.

Cassia had been so fucking scared, and still was, but at the same time she wasn't so much anymore.

Soon, she would kick herself for thinking it was alright, it was good, even.

But for now, she relaxed.

Because she didn't know any better.