The day of the first task,
Aaric woke up to see the faces of Luna and Daphne in his arms as they slept peacefully.
Luna was the first to wake up; she smiled and gave him a kiss.
They just lay there as Aaric stroked Luna's back, waiting for Daphne to wake.
Daphne stirred about a minute later and smiled as she saw Aaric looking at her.
She kissed his cheek. "Good luck for the task," she said.
They left after some time as Luna opened portals for Daphne and herself.
Later that day, all four champions were gathered in a tent near the arena as Ludo Bagman briefed them about the task.
The champions were presented with a bag and drew their dragons.
Aaric got the Horntail and smirked as the dragon model curled in his palm, the number four visible on its back.
"You have to get past your dragons and get the golden eggs," Ludo explained as they glanced at each other and nodded.
It was at that moment Rita Skeeter entered with a large smile on her face and magenta robes.
She started asking the champions random questions as Ludo tried to usher her out.
"There is protocol and time for these things," Luna said, only to be waved away.
"Just one question each, these are our champions going into battle, after all," Rita said, waving her hand dismissively.
"You don't learn, do you?" Aaric asked her with a frown.
"Leave, and make sure not to be seen by me again," he said, his voice neutral.
Rita glanced at Fleur. "Just one question—"
"Leave," Aaric interrupted her, and Fleur nodded and ignored her as well.
Rita clenched her fist and left in a huff.
The champions looked at Aaric and nodded as Cedric was called for his turn.
He took a deep breath and entered the arena to cheers and applause.
Fleur seemed nervous, so Aaric went up to her and stroked her back to comfort her. She relaxed a little after that.
Cedric transfigured a stone into a dog and distracted the dragon as he ran for the egg.
He successfully retrieved it but got minor burns on his face and was sent to the infirmary for a check-up.
There were four judges.
Madame Maxime gave him 8 points, Dumbledore 8, Ludo 9, and Karkaroff 6 — not even trying to hide his bias.
A total of 31 points.
Next was Fleur, who cast a sleeping charm to subdue the dragon.
The dragon became drowsy as she went to get the egg.
The dragon snorted in its sleep, sending a little burst of fire toward Fleur that was blocked by a barrier formed by the bracelet Aaric had given her.
Fleur smiled as she saw that and was awarded 33 points by the judges.
"Merci," she said softly, hugging Aaric and kissing him on the cheek when she returned from her task.
The third was Krum, who used the Conjunctivitis Curse to induce madness in the dragon.
The dragon thrashed and roared as Krum dodged its random attacks.
He transfigured the ground to block the dragon's tail and got the golden egg.
The dragon was about to crush some of its own eggs, but the handlers formed a magical barrier to prevent that and subdued the dragon as soon as Viktor left the ring.
Due to the possible breakage of the eggs, Viktor should have gotten fewer points, but the spectacle excited Ludo Bagman, who gave 9 points to Viktor.
Karkaroff didn't try to hide his bias and gave 10 points with a smug smile.
The total came out to 36 points.
Viktor returned to the tent and nodded at Aaric, who was entering for his turn.
The dragon handlers changed the dragon to the Horntail as Aaric entered to the applause of the students around him.
The dragon was large, with black scales giving her an armoured appearance.
She had yellow eyes with vertical pupils, and a long, spiked tail that could crush stone.
The dragon looked at Aaric and leaned down, making the curved horns more prominent.
Just as Aaric approached, the dragon roared to warn him, but he didn't stop.
The dragon did not attack and curled protectively around the eggs, watching him closely.
Aaric did not approach the eggs first but the dragon instead.
He patted the dragon's snout, much to the shock and gasps of the crowd.
"I won't be taking your eggs, just the golden one. It's not real, you know," Aaric said.
The dragon looked at the golden egg and tilted her head before smelling it.
She then turned her face toward Aaric again and licked his hand in response.
Aaric smiled and gave the dragon some treats Norberta liked.
He then calmly moved toward the golden egg, careful not to disturb the real ones, and waved at the dragon before leaving.
The crowd cheered and shouted as Aaric waved at them.
A thrashing dragon was as much a spectacle as a subdued one.
Ludo smiled broadly and clapped, while Maxime nodded at Aaric with a smile.
He was given 9 points by Dumbledore, 9 by Maxime, and 10 by Ludo.
Karkaroff gritted his teeth and scoffed before giving him 6 points, not wanting to be labeled too shameless.
The total came out to 34 points as Aaric returned to the tent.
"Are you a dragon whisperer now?" Fleur said with a raised brow, smirking. "Or maybe zey just like your face, non?"
Aaric chuckled as Luna and Daphne also came up to him and congratulated him.
After the first task, the students warmed up to Aaric again as they saw he was in real danger as a champion.
"I heard the handlers were from your father, Aaric," Hagrid said with a smile.
"Good people, they were. Weren't cruel, an' I got some pointers from 'em," Hagrid added, happy and excited.
"We have a sanctuary in America. Visit anytime, Hagrid. You'll be welcomed," Aaric told the giant, getting a wide grin in return.
Later that night, a party was held in the Great Hall with Dumbledore's permission.
All houses celebrated, with the students from the delegations joining in as well.
The Alchemy Sect students instructed their salamanders to throw fire at the ceiling as the champions entered the hall.
McGonagall was furious at that but was stopped by Dumbledore.
"They have tremendous control over their flames, Minerva," Dumbledore said, and she reluctantly sat down.
She did, however, pull Fred and George from the table when they were dancing on it.
She held them by the ears as she dragged them away, earning laughter from the students.
Draco and a handful of Slytherin students also joined in the celebration, while the others didn't join but didn't grumble either.
Aaric put an arm around Draco as he danced with him.
Some students had sneaked in barrels of Butterbeer and served it to everyone, thinking they were being clever. But the teachers knew and ignored it when they saw how happy the students were.
A/n: Get your parents, get your neighbours, and get your friends. Give me all the power stones they have if you want more chapters.