From friends to this -Year six (re-uploaded) Book 1/4

Chapter 24

It was lunchtime, the day before the first task and Tara was sitting in the common room, studying. She had brought something from lunch back with her.

Cedric, in the last few classes had looked a little out of it. Tara had just assumed it was because tomorrow was the first task, and at breakfast he had been worrying the whole time before he left to hang out with his other friends.

All of a sudden, Cedric sat down next to her, flinging his book bag onto the seat next beside them.

"Hello, Cedric." Tara greeted him, absent minded.

"Hi..." he replied.

She frowned, he sounded distant. She looked over at him. He was looking a little pale.

"Are you alright?" Tara leaned forward to look at him more closely, "You look pale."

He shuddered before nodding, "Just worried."

"The task is it?" Tara guessed, picking up her quill and going back to her work, "What's on your mind?"

"It's fucking dragons." He told her bluntly.

She froze and glanced at him, "Whatever your preferences are..." she mumbled, "Although," she went back to her work, "I think that could be illegal and morally wrong."

Cedric looked at her blankly, waiting for Tara to register what he just said. After a moment Tara turned to him wide eyed, "Wait, the first task is dragons?" She whispered.

"Yes!" Cedric exclaimed, "I'm not attracted to them, idiot."

"How'd you find out?" Tara asked, half working, half talking.

"About my non attraction to dragons?" Cedric joked

"Very funny."Said Tara, blankly, "No, about the dragons."

"Harry, he said all of them know." Cedric told her, "Said that Madame Maxine and Karkaroff know as well."

Tara nodded and sighed, "good thing he told you."

"You seem very unfazed." Cedric observed, looking her up and down, "I'm here stressed out and you're chilling."

"Well I kind of guessed about the dragons." Tara shrugged.

"How?" Cedric asked, desperate for any information Tara could give him, any bit of help.

"I have my reasons." Tara answered, before blowing on the parchment to make her notes dry quicker. "Anyways, I have no other information for you." She added quickly, rolling up her notes.

"Oh, come on." Cedric whined, helping Tara pack her book bag, "How did you know about the dragons?"

"If I tell you, you'll go off and ask me to go find out a way for you to beat it and that wouldn't be fair." Tara explained to him, closing her bag.

"Do you know someone that could?" Cedric asked desperately. "Mad eye took Potter off to talk, probably about how to beat this task, and knowing the other two schools they've probably devised a strategy too, please Tara."

Tara groaned, "Fine!" She admitted defeat, knowing Cedric was probably right, "I'll do what I can, give me until the end of the school day."

Tara sat in defence against the dark arts, trying to think of a way to get this done. If she was right about this, Charlie Weasley should be here, and if he was to be anywhere with a bunch of deadly creatures it would be the forest, right?

"Ms. Tonks?" Professor Moody called on her. Tara looked up, very obviously having not paid any attention to the class. "Are you so brilliant at the subject that you have already mastered the skill of non verbal spells and do not feel the need to pay attention."