On the 23rd of November, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament kicked off. It was designed to test the champions' daring. When all the others were shaking of fear, Marina was smiling wide, more confident than she had ever been.

What was fear, anyway? A stiff body and tingling fingers to prevent her from giving the competition her all? It was an illusion. And she had no reason to believe it. She was the daughter of the most dangerous wizard of his time and a merciless killer locked away. Fear didn't exist in her blood; power did.

However, fear had taken the other champions' strengths, for she could hear their hearts beat fast and smell the anxiety they were trying so hard to hide. It reeked in the small tent they were standing in, mixing with... cheap perfume?

"I think you've got some competition both in this tournament and in love, Miss Black!" Rita Skeeter burst out, licking her thin lips.

Automatically, Marina thought of Potter. Not because of the cheap perfume (that was, without doubt, Rita's awful attempt at covering up the stench of cheap lies and a nasty reputation), but because of the word 'love'. Who else than Potter could her supposed affection revolve around? The journalist had asked her multiple times if she had eyes on any champions during their interview.

She found him standing close by the opening of the tent, his arms wrapped around Granger. A groan left Marina as she turned back to Skeeter, shaking her head. That was when the cameraman behind the journalist shot a picture of her face.

"You 'ave no business here!" a loud voice bellowed from the other side of the tent. The flash from the camera had blinded Marina's eyes, but she could tell who the owner of the voice was: Krum.

She rubbed her eyes and looked at Skeeter, biting the inside of her cheek. "You should probably listen to him before you get hurt..."

"This tent is for champions and friends!" Krum spat.

Rita only winked in response. The cameraman took a picture of Krum. Now, both Marina and Krum were squeezing their eyes shut. Rita left the tent with a big smile, leaving behind the scent of her fruity perfume. The pictures would probably make the first page if either of them won the first challenge (but winning would only be possible if Marina gained her sight back quickly).

"Good day champions," Dumbledore said cheering, entering the tent. "The moment has arrived! A moment only the four of you could appreciate."

The group of champions gathered around Dumbledore. It looked like the Headmaster was preparing to give a passionate speech, but then-

"Wha-What are you doing here, Miss Granger?"

"Oh!" The bushy-haired Gryffindor awkwardly looked at her feet while she stepped away from Potter. Marina arched a brow. "Err, sorry, I'll just... go."

Barty Crouch Senior, who Marina noticed looked nothing like his son, stepped forward and held out some kind of bag, signalizing each contestant to dip into it. Fleur went first and got a miniature replica of a Common Welsh Green. Viktor got a Chinese Fireball, who Marina knew was extremely aggressive.

"Your turn, boy," Crouch said in a low tone when he reached Harry. Marina swore that she could hear the boy mutter something under his breath, but she shook it off and watch him put his hand in the bag. "The Hungarian Horntail..."

Even more dangerous. She held back a laugh. He was going to fail in front of everyone...

Marina slowly dipped her hand into the bag. She got a silver dragon, which a dark voice confirmed to be the Swedish Short-Snout.

"These represent four real dragons, each who has been given a golden egg to protect," began Crouch Senior. "Your object is simple: Collect the egg. This you must do for each egg contains a clue to the next task. Any questions? No? Okay, then listen. Each dragon shall have a number around its neck. It indicates which order you will fight in the arena."

Marina looked down at the dragon. "Of course," she angrily cursed, "I'm first." Instead of showing fear, she simply reached to tighten her ponytail.

Before battle, do you doubt yourself and your abilities, or do you hold your head up high? Filled with worry, anxiety, perhaps, you might wonder what your weapon shall be. Her sword was her hope; the hope that told her that if - no, when - she won, her father would return. For their future, she would fight.

"Good luck, Marina," said both Harry and Krum. But she couldn't focus on them. She asked herself: Are you the hunter or the prey?

Marching out of the champions' tent, her thin voice battled with the wild screams coming from the benches. Adrenaline shot through her, her vision disfiguring, blood spurting to every inch of her body. She would give her father the end he deserved, filled with glory and greatness.

She was blinded by the burning sun once she stepped her foot into the arena. But a gigantic dragon was hiding somewhere - and she had no time to lose. Marina drew her wand, and ran to lay behind a rock, the hard ground tearing on her clothes.

If she could just get a minute to think clearly... Try to get in contact with her father...

Someone from the benches was screaming. The voice was familiar. Was it Blaise? She tried to focus, hearing the words echo: "Your side!"

She turned her head to find the sight of the Swedish Short-Snout roaming to her right up to her. It had scales of silvery blue, and claws bigger than her whole body. Stun crept her body, making her hands shake and her head twist messy. She aimed her wand at the dragon, crying: "Stupefy!"

The light that shot out of her wand backfired, sending her several feet backward and up in the air. Her hands had been shaking too badly to fire a proper spell. Landing on her back, she let out a frustrated cry. She needed to focus.

Get up! Get up! She tried to push herself. The dragon was approaching yet again. Marina pointed her wand at it again, trying to think of any spell that was hidden in her memory.

But before she could open her mouth, the dragon opened theirs, shooting out a deadly, hot, and blue flame.

She could hear more screams from the Slytherin benches, and squeezed her eyes shut as a sharp pain hit her leg; she let out a scream, feeling tears form in her eyes. The flame burned a hole through her pants, shedding her skin to blood red.

Where was her father? Junior had told her that he was going to come to her and help her during the task. She tried repeating his name over and over in her head, but could not hear his voice.

Feeling tears roll down her cheeks, she pointed her wand in front of her and created an invisible shield with a simple flick of her wand, having no idea if it would stop the fire coming from the dragon's gape.

Marina crawled behind a new rock, sobs escaping her lips. Trying to clutch her leg in a desperate attempt to calm the pain, she squeezed her eyes shut and banged her head against the rock. She could not spend her time caring about the wounds, she needed to act. Without her father's help, it seemed impossible to finish the task.

She looked up at the benches. She would be disappointing not only her father, Junior and the rest of the Death Eaters, but also every member of her house. They would look at her filled with either pity or anger, and she would become a tragedy. When she heard the dragon's heavy steps coming closer, she prepared for the flames again.

That's when the idea struck her: Marina needed to be strong for her house, to stay golden for them. And the Slytherin was always as cunning and sly as the snake. As the dragon rounded the corner, getting ready to breathe another flame, Marina took a grip of her wand. She got up, standing on one foot, and felt her heart beat faster than ever.

"SERPENSORTIA!" Marina screamed as loud as she could when the dragon came to sight, her hand moving upwards; the tip of her wand exploded. A black, fat snake flew out of it, and landed right in front of the dragon.

Parting her lips, she hissed to the snake, as her father had taught her, "Go to him."

The dragon turned its head downward, breathing its fire at the snake instead of her.

Without thinking twice, Marina used all the strength she had left in her body to throw herself out to the middle of the arena, reaching for the Golden Egg. She heard the crowd gasp and cheer as she wrapped her hands around the cold prize.

One challenge down, two to go. But she was well aware that the next ones would be much more challenging than this one. The bloodshead would not end.

That night in the Common Room, Marina was met with applause. She spun the Golden Egg in her hands as the Slytherin house cheered for her.

"I knew you would make it!" Draco said with a huge smile plastered on his face. "Hey, an arm would maybe go lost, but would you lose? Never. You don't know how to lose."

"Only a burnt leg." Marina smiled widely. The skin on her right leg, which had been hit by the flame from the dragon, was blood red. Madam Pomfrey had given her an ointment that had been made in the greenhouse. It cooled the burn, but Marina was still struggling with pain.

"Open it!" screamed a second-year enthusiastically, pointing at the Golden Egg. "I want to see!"

"Give her some time," replied a calm Blaise Zabini.

Without thinking, Marina twisted the top of the golden egg. It opened gracefully, but what came out was not fully so beautiful: a loud screeching noise echoed in the room. The lot of students covered their ears with their hands as the high-pitched sound cut through their minds. She was quick to close the Golden Egg.

"Well, that was helpful," she said, full of sarcasm, leaning back in her seat. "Now, I know exactly where the next challenge is going to take place."

She could just call on her father and ask him about the clue to the next challenge... or head to Junior's office... or she could prove herself by finding it out on her own...

She was Marina Black, for Merlin's sake, not some idiotic Potter who needed the help of Granger to find his way in life...