SEVEN THE FIRST TASK

Time passed without incident for the most part. A couple of weeks went by and Theodora hardly saw Hermione at all. Being in separate houses -- let alone houses that are rivals -- it was rare their circles brushed over each other. As the first talk for the tournament approached, Draco seemed to constantly want more assurance that he was better than Potter, which made associating with one of Harry's friends that much harder. Still, Thea knew it was probably for the best. The more she was around Hermione, the more she was reminded of how she felt and that was the last thing she needed. What she needed was to completely forget that ever happened and move onto something more realistic. She could always go after Draco to keep up appearances, it was what everyone expected anyway, but the thought nearly made her gag.

Still, none of that mattered right now because the first task was upon them. Thea was lying if she said she cared any more than the bare minimum for this, but her fellow housemates were excited to see what mess Harry Potter would make of himself, so she put on a giddy smile along with the rest of them as they headed to the stadium. Of course, none of them had any idea what they were about to witness, but Thea was terrified. She had done some reading on past tournaments and found out just how dangerous and deadly they used to be. Surely, Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone get hurt, but given some events of the last few years, even she didn't have that much faith in him.

Helena is by her side, mumbling to her friends about whatever the task is rumored to be. Those were rumors Thea hadn't bothered to listen to, knowing none of the students had any actual intel. It was kept insanely under wraps and most utterances of guesses had already been disproved. Still, her sister beside her was practically bubbling with excitement as she believed the stadium was a sign that it was going to involve some horrific creature the champions would have to fight. Thea wasn't too worried, the idea of them putting students in danger, especially after the events of the past tournaments, was unlikely. Then again, this was Hogwarts. One could never be too sure there wasn't danger hiding in the shadows of every corner.

They file into the stadium and Slytherin is seated right next to Gryffindor because of course, they are. Only a couple rows diagonally from her, she can see Hermione with Ron, both of them looking incredibly nervous. Thea sighs. She's been reading the Daily Prophet and there have been rumors of a romance going on between Harry and Hermione. Of course, it's just press and press written by Rita Skeeter of all people, but the thought of Hermione being with someone else still stings. It's not like Hermione belongs to her or anything, so it's not like there's any reason for Thea to be genuinely upset. She doesn't owe her anything, Thea knows this. Still, it doesn't help to see a picture of the two of them plastered on the daily newspaper.

"Thea, you okay? You've been quiet all morning," Helena burst her bubble of thought by poking her in the arm as if to make sure she was actually awake. "Did you not sleep well last night? You're always a bit of a zombie if you get any less than eight hours."

"I slept fine, just... bored," she supplies, even though it's hardly true. She isn't bored, not even close, she's worried about what she's about to witness. However, she knows she can't voice this, not to Helena. If there was a Slytherin involved, maybe she could worry about the outcome, but since they have no personal stake in it, this is mostly a laughing matter for them. A sporting event for them to cheer for. The thought makes her stomach twist.

Helena hums at this, settling into her seat as she begins to speak to the student next to her, someone Thea's never spoken to before. There's an announcement being made, but Thea is only half paying attention as her eyes land on Hermione who appears to be nervously chatting with Ron. Both of them look overly concerned as if they know something no one else does. Thea wonders how much inside knowledge the actual champions get ahead of the events. As far as she's read, they are supposed to have no information prior to the actual tasks, but Thea knows Harry is a bit of a favorite at Hogwarts. As if that much wasn't obvious by the fact that he was allowed to participate in the competition at all despite being only fourteen instead of the required seventeen. She does not want to get too far ahead of herself, though, as she knows it could easily just be two friends concerned for him. There are no real indicators that they know anything they're not supposed to.

Then, it enters. Being lead in by trainers who are bruised and burnt is a dragon. Immediately, the crowd roars, Helena and Thea among them. She can't help herself from lighting up with both fear and excitement when she sees the creature. She's never seen one in real life before and they're so much larger and horrible than she thought they would be. It's a disgusting, scaly creature and its angry roar almost made her ears ring.

"Bloody hell!" Helena exclaims next to her, her cheeks red as the blood rushes to her face along with her grin. "Thea, you seein' this? This is insane! I can't believe they got actual dragons! If this is only the first task, imagine what the others will be! Stupid Potter's gonna get his face burnt off!"

"Oh, Merlin," Thea mutters to herself, unintentionally looking over at Hermione who has a worried fervor about her. However, she doesn't look as surprised as everyone else. She had to have known this was coming.

The first champion steps into the ring and Thea can't see very well, but she's fairly sure it's Krum. She's not too worried about him, he hasn't even graduated and he's already a top Quidditch player, he'll likely fare fine in this situation. She tunes out her mind as she watches the champions cycle through the dragons like it's nothing. The target is to grab a golden egg that the dragon is guarding and her heart stops every single time one of them gets just a little too close to the flame of the protective dragons. At one point, Fleur Delacour gets very nearly burnt to a crisp and Thea holds her breath. It's entertaining and it feels sick to admit that, but it is. She's on the edge of her seat along with everyone else, she can't help it. She hates herself for feeling this way.

Harry Potter steps into the ring. From the murmurs of the students around her, apparently, he has the most dangerous dragon. A Hungarian Horntail. Her heart stops when he blunders at first, trying to find his footing and gain a strategy. After a moment, though, it seems the boy gets an idea. He casts a spell that she can't really hear due to the thunderous noise of the crowd, but in a few elongated moments that seem to take forever, his broom flies into the arena. A summoning charm, she thinks. It's genius. Potter has never been good at dueling, but he's damn good on a broom, that much she knows. He flies around the dragon and at first, it chases after him, tugging at the chain on its ankle. He's out of reach, Thea breathes a sigh of relief. All he needs to do is fly around and grab the egg. It should be the easiest battle of the day.

Until the horned tail of the dragon snags Harry by the shoulder, sending a rush of blood pouring down his sleeve. Thea gasps, feeling sick at the sight of the crimson red against Harry's arm. She wants to gag, but she knows Helena would make fun of her for having a sensitive stomach. It's not her fault she can hardly stand the sight of blood.

The dragon bursts out a blaze of fire and for a moment, it seems like Harry is done for. They can't even see him anymore, but it feels like a losing battle. However, a moment passes, and Harry bursts through the blaze with the golden egg in his hand. Harry grins, bloody hand holding gold. The Gryffindor flag drops onto the walls of the stadium.

Thea relaxes, roaring along with the rest of the crowd. She looks over at where Hermione looks like she's about to cry from relief. The girl catches her eye and Thea offers her a relaxed smile, her hands still applauding. Hermione smiles back. Thea turns back to where Harry is flying around the arena as the handlers are getting the dragon back in place. Her grin makes her cheeks hurt and her hands are sore from clapping. They made it through the first task and that's enough for now.