The day of the First Task had finally arrived. That morning, the entire school was buzzing with excitement. Analeigh wasn't sure what the other champions were feeling, but she was admittedly very, very scared.

In the Great Hall, many of her classmates had wished her luck, showing their support by holding banners and posters of her name and Cedric's, or her's and Harry, or even all three of them. She tried to be as polite and grateful as possible, but she wanted some time alone to compose herself before she would face a breathing, living, gigantic, and deadly dragon.

"You have to eat something." Analeigh looked up from her plate to see Hermione staring at her and Harry in concern. "The First Task will be starting soon and you're going to need your energy."

"I'm not hungry," Harry mumbled from across her.

"Mate, you gotta eat something," Ron insisted. "Everyone's going to the field already."

Harry and Analeigh sent each other nervous looks before obeying and attempting to eat their breakfast.

"Potter, Heart." McGonagall had approached them after a while, much to their surprise. "I've been told to inform the both of you that you must proceed to the champions' tent in ten minutes."

"Yes, Professor," they replied. The Head of Gryffindor house eyed the two young champions warily, almost as if she could tell what they were feeling. She gave them a nod and simple, "Good luck," and then she spun on her heel and walked away.

Harry, Analeigh, Hermione, and Ron eventually got up to leave the Great Hall and head to the field. The two champions stayed behind, walking slower to compose themselves. Hermione and Ron decided to go ahead, wanting to get good seats in the stands with their other friends to be able to support them.

Analeigh honestly thought that she and Harry were the only ones who were extremely nervous. She assumed that the others were nervous too, but not to the point where they were close to terrified like she was. Perhaps it was because of the fact that most of them were older. But when she and Harry spotted the huge white tent they were directed to and entered it, Analeigh found that everyone was dealing with their anxiety in different ways.

Fleur and Brigitte sat on wooden chairs together, not talking to one another at all. Fleur was constantly smoothing out her skirt and fixing any other winkles in her clothes or stray hairs that fell from her ponytail; Brigitte was fiddling with her wand, twirling it numerous times, her eyes only focused on the object.

On the other hand, Viktor and Andrei stood far apart from one another in the tent. Viktor stood closer to the entrance, his hands clasped together, slouching slightly instead of his usual confident posture. Andrei was on the other end of the tent, glaring at the ground with his arms folded across his chest.

And lastly, there was Cedric Diggory. He stood out among the other champions, the only one wearing a black and yellow uniform for the task while Analeigh and Harry wore red and black to support their own house. The Hufflepuff looked less composed than usual, his hair slightly messed up while he paced back and forth in the center of the tent.

Upon seeing the two fourth years enter, Cedric halted.

"Analeigh, Potter," he said in acknowledgment.

"Cedric."

"May I speak to you for a moment?" Analeigh looked at Cedric and realized he was speaking only to her.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Analeigh left Harry's side and followed Cedric to the side of the tent. "What did want to talk about? Did anyone tell you anything about the task?"

"Unfortunately, no," Cedric said. "All I know is that the judges will come here before the task begins, but I don't know if we'll find out which dragon we'll be battling."

"That's too bad," Analeigh muttered worriedly. Cedric nodded in agreement, beginning to bounce on his heels nervously. With a small chuckle, Analeigh asked, "Nervous?"

"No." She raised her eyebrows but Cedric merely smiled. "Anyway, you've got that Confundus Charm down, right?"

"Yeah, I —"

"How about the Conjuctivitis Curse? Just in case."

"Yeah, that too. Cedric —"

"Good, good. I practiced various Transfiguration spells too many times that I've lost count... Do you think I should've practiced transfiguring bigger items? What if the stadium doesn't have anything to transfigure?"

"Cedric." Finally, the boy stopped talking. "You sure you aren't nervous? You don't usually... ramble this much."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No, don't be. I get it."

"Why are you so calm?"

"Oh, believe me, I'm actually dying inside. Acting as if I don't care is sort of my coping mechanism."

It was true. Analeigh only seemed like she was extremely calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, it was a different story. Her heart was beating erratically even though nothing had begun just yet, her mind was all over the place, full of different scenarios of what might happen later on, and her stomach felt funny at the mere thought of facing a live dragon.

Before Cedric could reply, Analeigh heard the all-too-familiar voice of Hermione Granger say, "Oh, Harry!"

She turned around quickly at the sound of her friend's voice. There, at the back of the tent where she entered earlier, stood Hermione with her arms wrapped around Harry, who hadn't moved an inch since they walked in here. Everyone's eyes were on them, including Rita Skeeter, whom Analeigh didn't notice earlier. While her friends were still in a tight embrace, Rita's photographer managed to snap a photo, the camera's loud and blinding flash catching their attention.

"Young love!" Rita Skeeter gushed as Harry and Hermione jumped away from one another, clearly embarrassed. "Oh, how... stirring. If anything goes unfortunately today, you might make the front page!"

Surprisingly, it was Viktor Krum who approached the journalist. "You have no business here," he said in his thick accent. "This tent is for champions and friends."

Rita, quite taken aback by Viktor Krum defending another champion and friend, stared at the man for a few seconds before composing herself.

"No matter," she said, brushing him off. "We've got what we wanted."

The moment she stalked off, Dumbledore walked into the tent with Madame Maxime, Igor Karkaroff, and Barty Crouch, who was holding a velvet pouch, right behind him.

"Good day, champions. Gather 'round, please," the headmaster greeted. All champions from the three schools — including Hermione, who still hadn't left— obeyed. "Now, you've waited, you've wondered, and at last, the moment has arrived — the moment only you can fully appreciate."

Dumbledore paused, looking at everyone's eager faces. When he spotted Hermione Granger, he frowned in confusion.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione turned a bit pink and slowly backed out of the circle.

"Oh, um... sorry. I'll just go." She briskly walked back to the flap of the tent and left without another word. When she was out of earshot, Dumbledore continued.

"Barty, the bag."

Barty Crouch nodded and stepped forward. "Champions, in a circle around me... Ms. Delacour and Champney over here, Mr. Krum and Grigor there... and Mr. Potter, Diggory, and Ms. Heart, yes, there. Right, Ms. Delacour or Champney, if one of you will..." He motioned to the velvet pouch and the two Beauxbatons girls shared anxious looks. Eventually, Fleur sighed and made her way to Crouch, nervously looking at the bag before sticking her hand in. When she withdrew it, she held a figurine of a dragon — or so Analeigh thought. The miniature dragon started moving, hissing and roaring at a low volume as if it were alive but shrunken down.

"The Welsh Green," said Crouch. "Mr. Krum? Mr. Grigor?" Viktor took the initiative and did the same as Fleur.

"The Chinese Fireball, ooh."

Analeigh gulped. What other dragons were left in store for them? As far as she remembered from when she researched about them for the first time in the library with Cedric, there were only ten breeds of dragons, but she knew the exact two breeds she would be facing now since Hagrid had shown her and Harry: the Swedish Short-Snout and the Hungarian Horntail.

When Crouch faced her and Cedric, Analeigh gestured to the older boy, urging him to pick out the dragon. Cedric obliged and stepped forward, putting his hand into the pouch and taking it out a moment later, holding the third miniature dragon.

"The Swedish Short-Snout. Which leaves..."

"The Horntail," Harry muttered almost inaudibly, but Analeigh had heard. She only hoped the other champions and judges didn't.

"What's that, boy?" asked Crouch.

"N-Nothing." Finally, Harry took out the last dragon, and though Analeigh knew which one he would get, her heart still hammered in her chest even more when she saw the miniature Hungarian Horntail on her friend's palm. Why did Harry have to get the most dangerous dragon? How could they, two mere fourth years — the youngest among the seven — possibly defeat that?

"The Hungarian Horntail," Crouch said with a tone of finality. "These represent very real dragons, each of which has been given a golden egg to protect. This, you must do, for each egg contains a clue without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task. Any questions?"

He was met with silence.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Good luck, champions. Mr. Diggory and Ms. Heart, at the sound of the cannon —"

BOOM!

The tent shook from the vibration coming from the cannon. It was strong, but Analeigh managed to stand her ground. Still, Cedric's hand made its way to the small of her back as if to steady her even when she didn't need it. She felt her face grow warm and she looked up at the Hufflepuff questioningly, but he merely sent her his signature smirk. That did not help with the blush already on her cheeks.

Analeigh and Cedric made their way out of the tent, their fate to be decided on how well they would do in this task. The two of them were immediately blinded by the bright light from the sun and deafened by the loud cheers and yells from their supporters. This was all Analeigh could process for the first few seconds since exiting the white tent, but when her eyes finally adjusted and focused on the majestic yet deadly creature before her, her heart began to race. There it was, the Swedish Short-Snout that she and Cedric were assigned to get past in order to obtain the golden egg essential for the next task.

And then the shouting came to a stop as everyone waited to see what the two Hogwarts champions would do next. It seemed like nothing would be happening for a while as they kept their eye fixed on the dragon, their breathing slow and not moving an inch. But when the beast suddenly roared and slammed its tail on the ground, causing Analeigh and Cedric to stumble, the crowd gasped and everyone knew that things were just starting to get serious.

That was just the beginning. The dragon breathed out a flame so hot it could burn Analeigh to the bone if she got hit. It was blue in color and spread out across the field, surrounding them in immense heat. Analeigh and Cedric had no choice but to hide behind the largest and nearest boulders they could find while they waited for the dragon to calm down.

With the Swedish Short-Snout still releasing its fire, Cedric turned to Analeigh next to him.

"You okay?" he asked over the shouting, already breathless.

"Could be better," she replied honestly. "I feel like the moment we step out from behind these rocks, we'll burn to death. You?"

"I actually think this a nice way to bond with you." Analeigh sent him a pointed look. "Okay, okay, just kidding. You ready?"

"I suppose."

Analeigh tightened her grip on her wand and braced herself. The fire stopped and she saw Cedric lift his head up to see what was going on. He sat back down and looked at the girl next to him. Analeigh nodded, words not needed to be said between them. Together, they stood up again. Cedric sent a non-verbal spell the moment he was on his feet, a beam of light hitting a boulder far away from them but only a few feet away from the dragon. It transformed into a large dog.

"Get the egg!" Analeigh hurriedly told Cedric. He obeyed immediately, bursting into a sprint away from her and down the rocky field. The crowd yelled in anticipation, hoping the sixth year would get the golden egg in time. But as Cedric neared the egg, the dragon grew tired of the transfigured dog and roared, its tail swinging madly as it turned to face Cedric who stopped short, looking up at the beast.

Analeigh made her way around the numerous rocks, stopping at the perfect spot to cast a spell on the dragon.

"Confundus!" A stream of light was sent out from the tip of her wand, soaring and hitting the creature squarely on its face. It roared and flailed around, but other than that, it seemed harmless as it stayed in its place, confused.

But Analeigh was wrong. The Swedish Short-Snout wasn't harmless for long because the moment Cedric touched the egg with Analeigh now close behind him, it breathed out even more blue fire. At first, Analeigh could only hear the stadium gasp. And then, she felt a searing pain on her leg. Her mind told her to move away as fast as possible but she could only scream in pain. She finally used all her strength to jump out of the dragon's range and Cedric, who was close by, was just a tiny bit luckier as only a part of the fire had grazed the side of his face. It hurt like hell, but with the skills of a Quidditch Seeker, he was quick to move away and avoided further damage, even helping Analeigh by supporting her when she did the same.

"Protego!" they then shouted in unison. Their spells collided and produced a strong and invisible barrier between them and the fire, but it wouldn't last long. The dragon tamers and medics soon came out from somewhere in the stadium, the latter taking the two champions away while the others stayed to tame the beast.

It was over. The First Task was over and they succeeded.

The medics brought Analeigh and Cedric to a white tent, different from the one the champions assembled in earlier. They were guided to identical plain white beds, similar to those in the Hospital Wing. Analeigh saw Madame Pomfrey already there, grabbing various vials and bandages the moment they stepped in. While waiting, she could only grit her teeth to get her mind off the burn on her leg.

Madame Pomfrey came running towards them only a few seconds later. Her eyes scanned the two champions briefly, taking note of their injuries. Seeing as Analeigh's was larger and more serious, she proceeded to treat her first.

"It's going to hurt a little, dear," Madame Pomfrey told Analeigh sympathetically. The blonde girl simply nodded and watched as she took out her wand, pointed it at the burn on her right leg, and muttered a spell she didn't understand. There was a brief but stinging sensation that shot up, so she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. Madame Pomfrey then began applying a paste on her leg. It felt very cool but didn't look appealing at all with its odd greenish color and clumpy texture.

"I'm afraid it won't heal for another twenty-four hours," Madame Pomfrey informed them as she started to treat a similar yet smaller burn on Cedric's face. "A dragon's fire is quite different from a natural fire. Luckily, Mr. Diggory here pulled you both away in time — a Swedish Short-Snouts' fire is pretty nasty. The hottest of any kind, if I'm not mistaken."

Before Analeigh could say thank Cedric, whom Madame Pomfrey was still tending to, Professor Dumbledore and Barty Crouch entered the tent.

"Mr. Diggory, Ms. Heart — congratulations on completing the First Task," Crouch said with a polite smile. "You both did wonderfully."

"Thank you, sir," the champions replied. Analeigh stared at the two adults expectantly, waiting for them to say anything else. Madame Pomfrey got the hint and scurried away to give them some privacy.

Finally, Crouch cleared his throat and looked at Dumbledore as if urging him to speak.

"You see," Dumbledore began after the pause, "we're here to tell you, Ms. Heart, that due to your injury, you cannot join Mr. Potter when it is his turn to complete the task."

Analeigh was not aware that she would be incapable of assisting Harry. The events of what had just happened were still a blur, so it was only after Dumbledore said it directly did she realize it. She sat up straighter on her bed in panic, ignoring the sharp pain on her leg as she did so.

"But, sir," she started worriedly. "That's just unfair. Harry's the youngest of the champions and everyone else would have someone to help them finish the task."

"We know, Ms. Heart," Dumbledore said gently. "But I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"Can't I be the one to help Harry, then? I can take Analeigh's place," Cedric offered.

"You are injured as well, Mr. Diggory," Crouch cut in. "Putting either one of you in the task again may further compromise Mr. Potter's situation and cause more harm to you all. It is also unfair on your part to go out there with a disadvantage while the other champions are unscathed."

Cedric and Analeigh exchanged anxious looks. Dumbledore sighed, noticing their apprehension.

"There's one other thing that the judges and I have decided on," Dumbledore went on. "We feel that it would be best for the two of you to continue being partners, while Mr. Potter will work on his own. We cannot help but notice that it would be too risky and inconsistent if the three Hogwarts champions are given the freedom to work together without any boundaries."

"But —"

"I'm sorry," the headmaster said sincerely. "But rest assured, we have made these tasks to test your capabilities, not to kill. I am confident that Harry will still succeed, especially with the amount of support he's been given despite these tough times."

All they could do was nod wordlessly in reply. The two men sent the teenagers one last look, informed them that they had to head out and continue with the First Task, then left the tent.

"I'm sorry there's nothing we could do, Analeigh," Cedric broke the silence.

"You don't have to apologize. I suppose we don't have much of a say in the matter," Analeigh told him with a sigh. "Besides, you did have to save me from getting even worse injuries earlier, so I guess that they do have a point that this whole ordeal is awfully risky."

"Well, what can I say? I've got the skills," Cedric smirked. Analeigh could only sigh at his now familiar bouts of cockiness from time to time, though she knew he wasn't actually being arrogant. "Seriously, though, it's too bad we can't help Potter. But with everything he's been through since he first arrived at Hogwarts, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Analeigh opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of the tent's entrance flapping open distracted her and Cedric. The two of them looked over and saw Cho Chang walking towards them.

"Cedric!" she greeted.

"Oh, hey, Cho."

"Analeigh," she added less enthusiastically. The blonde merely smiled, but she was sure it looked more like a grimace due to her feelings of irritation the moment Cho walked in. It took her only a second before she wondered why she even felt that way towards Cho. The Asian girl had never been unpleasant to her, anyway, yet here Analeigh was, not exactly liking her presence in the infirmary.

Cho then looked back at Cedric, only speaking to him when she said, "You did amazing out there. Using Transfiguration on a rock — incredibly smart and impressive of you."

"Thank you," Cedric said kindly, but there was something off about his tone — Analeigh wasn't sure what it was or what it meant.

"Fleur and Briggite are next. The dragon tamers brought out a Welsh Green. I read one time that they don't actually harm humans unless they're provoked."

Oh Merlin, Analeigh thought. Is she going to keep talking to him the entire time as if I'm not in the room?

"That's pretty interesting."

"Also," said Cho in a smaller voice. "When you've healed, do you want to, um, have lunch with me?"

Analeigh tried to suppress her curiosity. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were clearly friends, but even until then, she wasn't sure what their relationship really was. Were they casually dating? Exclusive with one another? What bothered Analeigh even more was that it felt unsettling just thinking about them as boyfriend and girlfriend. Who was she to intrude on them?

Cedric at least had he decency to spare Analeigh from discomfort by asking Cho, "Do you mind if we talk outside instead?"

"Oh, of course," the fifth year girl replied. "Are you sure you want to, though? You should rest."

"No, it's fine. Let's talk."

The two of them left without a glance, leaving only one Hogwarts champion in the tent. She let her eyes wander to try to get her mind from wondering what Cedric and Cho would be talking about. Only a few minutes later, two more people entered the tent, but it wasn't Cedric and Cho this time, nor was it any of the other champions as she had initially expected since some time had passed since Beauxbatons pair were set to compete after Hogwarts. It was Hermione and Ron.

"Leigh!" they exclaimed upon entering.

"Are you alright?"

"How are you?"

"Were you hurt really bad?"

"I'm fine," Analeigh reassured them quickly. She looked skeptically at Ron, who had showed his concern from all the questions he bombarded her with, but they hadn't exactly reconciled just yet. As if noticing the tension, Hermione harshly nudged the daft boy in the ribs at the same moment Ron was clearing his throat, causing him to cough out loud instead.

"Oh, right," he began. "I... I'm really sorry, Leigh. I shouldn't have said all those things to you. I was just... jealous. I couldn't get over the fact that two of my friends were champions for the Triwizard Tournament. I, uh..." Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously, urging him to continue. It was enough for Ron to keep on going. "I hope you can forgive me."

Analeigh couldn't help but snicker a bit at Ron's attempt at a sincere apology. Even when saying sorry, it was almost comedic.

"Okay," she told him. "I forgive you."

"You do?" the redhead said, not believing how easy that was.

"Unless you don't want me to. I can take it back and you'd have to beg on your knees for my forgiveness again."

"No, no, I'm good," he said quickly.

Analeigh sent him a small smile. "So there, of course I forgive you. I mean, how could I not? Still, that doesn't make what you said right in any way, you git."

Ron grinned sheepishly. "I know. And I'm really sorry."

"I know you are."

At that moment, Cedric had reentered the tent, this time without Cho. Analeigh kept quiet, knowing that whatever they talked about — or did — was probably private. That didn't mean she didn't badly want to know their topic of discussion, if they were going to go on a date, and if they were official. She wanted to hit herself at how nosy she was being. She certainly did not want to so much about Cedric this way when she first met him.

"Oh, hello," Cedric said, mildly surprised at the sight of other people in the tent.

"Hey," they chorused, turning their backs on Analeigh to face him.

Cedric's eyes narrowed when they landed on Ron. Analeigh suspected it was because she had told him about their fight, and he wasn't present when Ron had apologized just moments before he came back.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking mostly at Ron.

"We're her friends," Hermione answered for him, confused. "I think we're at least allowed to visit her in this tent."

"Yeah, but didn't you..." Analeigh cut him off by mouthing the words, "it's okay" multiple times behind her friends' backs. Clueless to what Analeigh was saying behind them, Hermione and Ron stared at Cedric oddly as he tried to decipher what Analeigh was saying, causing his words trail off into nothing.

Eventually, Cedric got the message. His eyes lit up in realization as he said, "Oh... yeah, of course you are allowed in here."

"Okay, then," Ron said slowly, trying to diffuse the awkwardness in the air.

"You guys did a good job fighting that dragon," Hermione complimented.

"Thank you, Granger."

"Are Fleur and Brigitte finished yet?" Analeigh asked curiously.

"I assume they're at least halfway through," said Cedric. "I was just outside and it seemed like they were doing good."

"You can go watch if you want," Analeigh told Hermione and Ron. "I know you don't want to miss any of the action."

"Are you sure, Leigh?" Ron said reluctantly.

"I'm okay with waiting here with you," Hermione added.

"Of course it's okay with me," Analeigh said. "Besides, you need to go support Harry when it's his turn, right?"

Hermione bit her lip and shared a look with Ron. "Alright... but we'll come back to check up on you soon. Hopefully with an unharmed Harry with us."

Analeigh nodded with a neutral expression, but deep inside, she was really worried for her the boy. Hermione and Ron said their goodbye's and left the tent, leaving the two Hogwarts champions alone again.

"So, are you and Weasley alright now?" Cedric asked when Analeigh's friends were gone.

She nodded. "He apologized right before you came back. He was wrong, but he's sorry. That's good enough for me."

Cedric smiled. "You're too nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not a bad thing. It's just, if one of my best friends said awful things to me, it might take a much longer time for me to forgive him. I may not look like it, but I can hold some grudges."

"The Cedric Diggory holds grudges?" Analeigh gasped dramatically, making Cedric have to fight the entertained smile that crept it's way onto his face.  "I'm appalled."

"I didn't say I hold a lot of grudges. Just the ones that I have a reason to do so."

"Well, you better not let anyone find out or else everybody's going to think you've turned bad."

Cedric shook his head. "I'm not even rebellious enough to step into the Quidditch Pitch when it's not my training time." Analeigh laughed, knowing full well that Cedric was far from ever being a 'bad boy.'

"Anyway, since the task is still ongoing, do you want to check out the clue?" Cedric suggested.

Analeigh nodded in agreement. "Good idea. We should get started on it as soon as possible."

Cedric picked up the egg that laid on the side table between the two beds. Upon closer inspection, they found that it wasn't just some plain golden egg. It had carvings on the top and looked like it formed a knob.

"Do you think we can open it?" Cedric questioned.

Analeigh shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Cedric held the knob and tested it out, pushing it first, and then finally twisting it to the right. The latter seemed to do trick because there was a clicking sound and the egg opened. Instead of seeing something that could be of use in the Second Task, which they were highly expecting, the golden egg let out an ear-splitting screeching noise that Analeigh was sure could be heard from some parts of the stadium.

"Close it!" she shouted over the horrible sound. Cedric struggled to do so, but when he did, their ears were still ringing from the deafening sound.

"What even was that?" he said, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Sounds like a screaming banshee."

"Or someone being tortured."

The two of them winced at the thought of encountering either one of the aforementioned situations.

"If it's one of those, I think we better prepare how to fight better."

"I doubt it is, though. Seems too easy for a clue — it would've been like they were giving the task away."

"You have a point. Well, then, I guess we aren't any closer to finding out what the clue is," Analeigh sighed.

"More time to spend with you, then," Cedric said with a lopsided grin, catching Analeigh slightly caught off guard. Her face showed obvious signs of this, so Cedric assumed she was uncomfortable with his straightforwardness. He quickly added, "To analyze the clue, of course."

"Yeah, right," Analeigh agreed, blinking. "Of course."