This is a continuation of the 'Dont ditch the game [seeker] and Battle Royale' prompt.

It did in fact not turn out great.

Now a month after the Yule Ball, Daé still woke up in the middle of the night to slap himself.

To dance, together with someone else, you actually need to know what you're supposed to do with your arms and legs. Something neither he nor Charlie knew.

Fleur had made a video with his father's videocamera.

And sent it to their family in France.

It was mortifying.

The twins did not made it better by requesting a copy for their family.

And Fleur laughed at him every time it was brought up by anyone, he couldn't wait till the Second Task was finished so everyone would talk about something different.

A wet snout was pushed against Daé's face in an attempt to wake him up.

"Brand, I'm already awake let me lay down for a little longer."

The tiny baby dragon wasn't discouraged at all by Dae's statement and jumped up and down on the bed, occasionally landing on body parts.

"Fine, I'm getting up. See I'm no longer sleeping."

The dragon that was no longer as tiny as when it hatched, gave a triumphant hoot and flew around Daé's head in circles.

"Please be dressed and outside your room within the coming ten seconds, I'm tasked with escorting you towards the Great Hall where the next Task will take place."

The bored drawl of Snape's voice sent Daé into an erratic search for clothes, he wouldn't put it below the man to march him inside the Great Hall in his night clothes.

"I'm ready."

He opened the door to see not only Snape standing outside. He was accompanied by Malfoy and Charlie, the latter who took Brand from Daé's arms to look after the dragon during the Task.

"Good luck."

-

"We are all gathered together here to start the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Now I shall give the word to Mr. Ludo Bagman, to explain the mission."

Dumbledore took a step back to make room and the other man stepped forward and cast a sonorus on himself.

"Champions take a step forward to this table. Here you see three different objects, you have to chose one, to aid you during the Task. A snitch, a remembrall and floo powder." The man lifted the objects one by one into the air to show everyone. "Once chosen an item, you'll open the door behind me, which will lead you all to a different path. Inside you will face challenges and within twenty-four hours you will have to have found your way back, out of the door."

Viktor stepped forward first and choose the floo powder. The door lit up in a sick purple color before engulfing Viktor.

The Task didn't looked that nice anymore, how would they get back if they failed. Or was that 'part of the charm' of the Tournament.

Cedric was second and chose, quite fittingly, the snitch. His door light up in shades of blue which reminded Daé of the ocean.

Then it was his turn.

Daé stepped forward to the table, but had no idea what the choose. The snitch was useless unless something was hidden inside, he couldn't bet on that. Floo powder could useful but that was completely depended on the circumstances.

He looked away from the items to watch the public.

Charlie immediately caught his eyes and give him a thumb-ups. Brand's head badly hidden from view inside the Weasley sweater. Fleur together with Gabrielle and Snape standing next to him.

Daé knew what to do, no matter what he would find inside that door, he needed to remember.

With remembrall in hand he opened his door and the world went up in silver flames.

-

"It must be here somewhere."

It was a forest.

"I'm sure I saw its scales."

Deep lush trees all around on a steep hill.

"Where is it?"

A man was in an open spot frantically looking around.

"I know you're here, why are you hiding?"

He was tall with brown hair and wore a blue coat.

"Daelán, there you are. I think I found our subject, but it seems to have hidden itself in these bushes could you go to the other side and drive them out?"

Newt Scamander.

But how did this man who didn't look ninety-seven at all, be the iconic author of Fanatasic Beasts?

"Daelán, bushes, beasts. Remember, start moving."

Daé started walking around the bushes without further thought, he would face challenges inside the door. Following the first beings orders he met was the best course of action.

"It has pearly scales, you recognize it when you see it."

The bushes were thick and near impossible to see through. Trusting that even a, possible, fake Newt Scamander wouldn't endanger anyone, walked Daé forward to force whatever was hiding out of their hiding place.

"Immobulus! Descendo!"

A tiny dragon covered in pearly scales, shot up from the foliage into the air, before being caught by Mr. Scamander's spells.

"There it is. Quick my equipment, we have to measure everything to see if it's up to standard."

A bag materialized out of nowhere in Daé's hands who in turn gave it to Mr. Scamander.

"Two months old, main color of the eyes, green, usual size and wingspan. It will do, they wanted a young one after all. They are more fixated on their surroundings to learn when they aren't grown yet."

Mr. Scamander had caught the young dragon, that Daé now recognized as an Antipodean Opaleye. Yet he did not know when he had memorized any book about dragons enough for that knowledge to stay.

The remembrall was a vivid red color, in obvious agreement with the statement.

"Incarcerous. Make yourself ready for apparition, we're going to Knockturn Alley."

Daé stood frozen in place as bounds appeared and wrapped around the, so small, dragon.

This wasn't the Newt Scamander he had heard about and who wrote Fantastic Beasts. The man in front of him would never be idolized by the dragonologist community.

"Why would we be going to London with a dragon?"

Scamander was bundling up the dragon in a coat and collecting all his other equipment in his bag.

"To bring it to someone of course, that's why we came here to begin with remember?"

Was he going to sell a living creature, let alone a dragon, to some entitled elite?!

"But you can't-"

"Going."

They Apparated with a crack.

-

"How do you think he's doing?"

The Great Hall was still filled to the bring despite the fact that the Champions had been gone for eight hours and were not expected for another fifteen or sixteen. Brand was sleeping on Charlie's lap, he himself was leaning against a black clothed shoulder.

"I fear it will be more complicated than Albus wants us to believe. The whole ordeal gives me a bad feeling."

The shoulder was talking to a man who vaguely reminded Charlie of a muggle movie his dad likes to watch.

"Likewise, there's a part of me that's screaming at me to go to London, but I don't know why."

They were speaking in hushed voices while leaning close to each other.

"It's always dangerous when wixen mess with time and place. We should hope that all three students come back alive without extreme injuries."

Charlie fell back in a deep sleep before he could hear the end of the conversation.

-

They arrived in one of the back alleys in Knockturn Alley, where Daé immediately threw up. Apparation was absolutely not his preferred way of transportation.

"Come, come, we shouldn't let Lord Malfoy wait."

Lord Malfoy...

"Which one?"

Scamander was dragging Daé from alley to alley, to get as fast as possible to their location.

"Does it matter? The blond one."

That did not help.

Daé didn't need to wait long for question to be answered, as they entered yet another alley and saw the blond head of Lucius Malfoy.

Yet it wasn't the Lucius Daé had come to known. 

For one, this individual wasn't a Veela.

Secondly...

"You have my dragon Scamander?"

Lucius would never so openly defy the law, let alone by purchasing a dragon.

"Of course, the most beautiful one I could find. Is the money transferred, yes? Than our paths will differ here, have a good day."

This thing didn't even pretend to act like the Newt Scamander Daé used to idolize.

"What about your companion?"

Nor did the fake Lucius, the person who had created the illusion clearly didn't know the man very well. Purchasing illegal goods in broad daylight, as if his mate would ever allow such idiocy to happen.

"He is the caretaker, use him as you like."

With that Newt Scamander disappeared in the night, leaving Daé in company of someone who was not quite like he was supposed to be. 

-

The Malfoy estate was a lot smaller than Daé had imagined, though it was still a formidable manor.

"You'll take care of the dragon till my son returns home, after that he shall decide if he wants to take care of his pet himself or wants others to do it. The house-elfs will show you to your room."

The house-elf appeared in front of him before he could wonder what was supposed to happen. The small creature bowing before leading the way, without speaking a word.

His rooms are bigger than Daé is used to, at least he thinks, he can't remember them well. A bundle of clothe is laying on his bed and frantically moving around.

It's the dragon.

Daé ushers the elf out of the room before advancing towards the bed. Though this specific dragon specie was supposedly the least harmless, it was still a fire-breathing dragon.

The clothe was carefully lifted up so Daé could asses the dragon's state of calmness. Before he immediately dropped it back on the small creature.

He knew that face.

He knew it.

Yet he couldn't remember were he had seen it before, the remembrall flashing red in a proud display of memory loss. 

Where could he have come across a dragon, let alone a newborn one?

Again he lifts up the piece of clothe to look at the dragon, its pupilless eyes with swimming colors in tints of green, he has seen before.

A happy chirp leaves their body in recognition and they attempt to get closer to Daé who takes a step back.

He can't remember anything anymore.

He had to do something, yet what it was he doesn't know.

How he came to the same location as Scamander who knew his name, is an even bigger mystery.

And now this dragon.

What use was a remembrall when it can't tell him what he forgot?    

-

If the dragon could take, it would solve half of Daé's problems. If only he name her name, his memory would be jogged and he would hopefully remember more.

"Fire? Flame? Ardor? Zeal?"

The dragon didn't react to any of the names, though Daé still had the feeling he was being laughed at.

"Your name has to do something with fire, there's no other way I would have named you."

The dragon nods encouragingly, but gives no other hints.

"Unless you got your name from someone else."

Now the dragon vehemently shakes her head, so he really was the one who named her.

"What could it be- Brand!"

The dragon in their excitement to be free, had set the curtains on fire. A quick Aguamenti solved that particular problem, yet did nothing about the dragon's excitement.

"What is it? Your name?"

Daé can't immediately figure out what was going on, but a few yes or no questions later, he knows what happened.

"Brand, Brand is your name."

Brand jumps into his arms and nuzzles his face, before the world goes up in silver flames, leaving the dragon behind.

-

"And the first to return from the Second Task is Daelán Hommleur!"

He was back.

-

January 12, 2023