Loki Laufeyson and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 13; Dragon Tales

(Told from Loki's point of view)

Harry seemed extremely tense the next day, which I took as a bad sign. He was darting around all day, and both him and Hermione were looking at me when I passed them as if I was some strange alien that would only deter them from their primary goal.

I suppose they weren't completely wrong.

The day before the first task passed quickly, and there was nothing I could do to prepare for it. Harry and Hermione were avoiding me as often as possible, which I didn't mind, since I was too busy worrying about what the first task would be like. Before I knew it, it was lunch on the day of the first task, and Professor McGonagall had come to retrieve Harry and I from the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables respectively.

Harry didn't speak to me on the way to the first task. We were being led toward the forbidden forest, where a large tent was erected, possibly hiding something to do with the first task.

We entered the smaller tent beside it, where Cedric, Krum, and Fleur were already milling around. I picked a spot in the corner and crossed my arms, waiting for Bagman to arrive.

When Mr. Bagman entered, he was holding a purple, silk bag and dawning some obnoxious yellow Quidditch robes. "Hello, my five Champions! Wow, that's quite a few more than we bargained for." He laughs jovially.

"So, in this bag, you're going to choose one of each... variety of what you will be facing. Your only task is to collect the golden egg, got that?"

I walk over toward him from my little corner and nod. Everyone else seemed just as anxious as me, but I could tell their faces were less surprised than mine.

I could hear the crowd filing into the stadium from outside the tent. I rolled my shoulders back in an attempt to stretch my muscles.

"Ladies first." Bagman said, offering the bag to Fleur. This comment offended me slightly, since I identified as a female that day.

She pulled out a small, tiny model of a dragon, that moved around her hand and growled threateningly. There was a number two around its neck. I noticed it as a common welsh green.

Something hit me hard, and it wasn't just the fact that we would be facing dragons. It was the fact that Fleur's face, and everyone else's, showed that this was no surprise to them.

They knew. I thought scathingly, and I was the only one who didn't.

My hands curled into fists inside my pockets, as Krum drew out the next dragon— a Chinese Fireball.

Next was Cedric, who chose a Swedish Short Snout, and then Harry, who pulled out a Hungarian Horntail.

"And that leaves..." Bagman turned to me, and held out the purple silk bag. I reached into it and pulled out a small dragon. "... The Hebridean Black."

The dragon was about as big as my hand, but I'm sure the actual version would be much bigger. The small, miniature counterpart looked up at me. It had brilliant purple eyes, black scales, razor sharp ridges along its back, and bat-like wings.

"Well, I'm going to have to go to commentate." Bagman announced, stowing the silk bag. "Harry, can I have a word?"

I rolled my eyes and sat down, staring at the mini dragon in my hands. It blinked its purple eyes and flew onto my shoulder, where it breathed hot air onto my neck. It seemed quite strange at this moment, but I smiled, and the mini dragon made an affectionate sound.

Cedric went first, and after a while, and quite a dramatic commentary from Mr. Bagman, he finished. None of the champions were allowed to watch, probably since we could have copied his strategy.