Potens ▹ Golden Trio Era

chapter nine

Four Deadly Dragons

'you're not like the others.'

- Alby

⚯͛

20th - 21st November 1994

With the task days away, Raven had never felt more nervous. At first, Raven wondered if the other champions felt the same fear as she did; after seeing their smug faces as they walked around the school, their paparazzi sauntering behind them, Raven knew that if any of them felt even the slightest bit of fear that she felt, they were hiding it very well.

Raven had sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall that night, pushing her Yorkshire Pudding around her plate, zoning out of the conversation as the Malfoy boy continued to drone on about some joke that nobody cared about. It wasn't until Viktor came into the Great Hall, a panic-stricken face, did the Malfoy boy suddenly become silent.

Viktor sat beside the raven-haired girl, looking at her with a slight hint of fear, "I know what the first task is," He said almost inaudible so that no prying ears could hear.

Raven turned to the boy, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, "How?"

Viktor shushed the girl, glaring at Draco Malfoy who had leaned in closer to hear the conversation, "Karkaroff told me, I figured he wouldn't tell you," Raven nodded in understanding; of course the headmaster wouldn't tell the fifth year his findings - not if it could take the spotlight of his star student, "It's dragons, there's four of them; one of each of us, Chinese Fireball, Swedish Snortsnout, a Hungarian Horntail, and a Welsh Green."

Raven, now even more nervous about the task, looked over at the Quidditch Champion in confusion, "What do we have to do....fight them?"

Viktor shrugged, turning to fill his plate with some of the glorious Hogwarts foods, "I don't know, he didn't say." Raven nodded, her eyes glaring down at her plate - her appetite now lost - as she began thinking of possibilities about the first task.

The next day was even more stressful, with classes and the stress of now figuring out ways to fight dragons, Raven was at breaking point due to her lack of sleep the night before. The library had proved to be useless in her hunt for finding spells she could use against dragons. Neveah had too, the only person Raven had found that had even the slightest knowledge about dragons was Hermione Grangers friend; Ron Weasley.

Ron, although wasn't overall helpful, he was able to state a few facts about dragons and how they control them, after hearing his brother talk about them on his visits home from Romania. Although Raven now knew they were no use in trying to stun any dragon alone, the knowledge Ron had given her was very limited, and not particularly useful.

Hermione and Harry had attempted to help her master a few basic, potentially useful, spells, whilst Neveah sniggered in the corner when she caused Harry to grow elephant ears, like she had done to Malia only a few days prior.

Malia had proved to be rather useful, for due to her Auntie being a Transfiguration professor, had been able to teach the girl how to transfigure different things to animals, in the hope she could at least distract the dragon whilst she did whatever it is she had to do.

In Transfiguration that day, Malia would talk to the girl, mixing important spells she should learn, with funny stories from her childhood. Whilst McGonagall could blatantly see the two girls talking at the front of her class, and would occasionally throw glances their way, allowed her niece to comfort the raven-haired girl in her own way.

When the professor had given the class a new set of instructions, she would find her way over to the two girls ta the front of the classroom, "Have you mastered the hardening jinx, yet?" The professor would ask with a low voice.

Raven shook her head, "It will work for a moment, but then it will fade. I was practicing on Neveah earlier." McGonagall nodded, furrowing her brow as she thought more.

"What about the lapifors spell?"

Raven shook her head once again, as she realized how bad at spells she was, "No, I gave Harry elephant ears." Then, after looking down at the list of spells the Transfiguration professor had given her, spoke again, "Why are you helping me?"

McGonagall looked up from the desk towards her goddaughter, "You're not like the others," She said honestly, "You didn't ask for this."

⚯͛

The Gryffindor common room was a homely atmosphere, the moment Harry had walked in here when he was only eleven, he immediately felt at home. Even after all of the events that had happened over the last few years, Hogwarts was still the first real home the boy had ever had.

The boy had jumped at first when he saw the gaunt and sunken head of Sirius Black in the Gryffindor common room fire, Harry rushed forward, "Sirius....how?"

Sirius shook his head rapidly, "We don't have time for that," He said quickly, looking around nervously, "Tell me about this tournament. Tell me about Raven Howendale."

"She's a Durmstrang student, a fifth year," Harry said quickly, his voice low, as she crouched down beside the glowing embers of the fire, "Her name came out of the goblet last. But she said she didn't put it in."

Sirius stayed silent for a while, "And are they making her compete?" he asked quickly, Harry nodding hastily, "I need you to help her for me Harry, with your experience you should be able to teach her a few spells, then maybe she will survive the tournament."

"Sirius," Harry asked confusingly, "Who is she, why are you so worried about her?"

Sirius stayed silent for a moment, looking at the raven-haired boy uncertainty, before parting his dry, pale lips, "Because - because....shes my daughter," Harry gasped, "And if the prophecy is passed on to her, then somebody put her in this tournament so she will be vulnerable."

Harry sat up straighter, startled, "Prophecy? What prophecy?"

Sirius' eyes opened wide, making it clear to the fourteen-year-old that he said something he shouldn't of, "Don't you worry about that," Sirius said, diverting off the subject, "For now, just make sure she survives."

⚯͛
Began writing 21/07/20 16:48
Published 31/07/20
00:40

Sorry I keep publishing late at night.

✶please consider voting and sharing