Chapter 20 - The First Task

A/N: In celebration of reaching chapter TWENTY!! I added my favourite SS fanart above ^^ it's nice and simple but I think it does a really great job of capturing Rickman's essence. (I'm not sure who the original artist is to give credit sorry! 😬)

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The 24th of November finally arrived. Asha met her friends in the Great Hall for lunch and flashed Cedric a small good luck smile before he was whisked off with the other Champions to prepare for the first task. The entire school was buzzing. Only half-listening to the chatter around her, Asha found her eyes wandering to Snape's empty seat. She guessed he must be helping prepare for the competition, much like many of the other professors.

Eager to find out what the task entailed, Asha and the large group of Hufflepuffs ate quickly before donning their beanies and scarfs and heading out of the castle. As they approached the stadium, Asha's stomach fluttered in nervous anticipation for Cedric. Had she been her usual self, she would've longed to be in the Champions' shoes. But in her exhausted, unstable state, she was grateful to only be spectating.

When at last the stands were full, Ludo Bagman announced the task. Dragons. Asha watched in awe as ten wizards struggled to lead a beautiful blue-grey Swedish Short-Snout into the centre of the enclosure where a clutch of eggs lay.

Cedric was up first. The crowd burst into cheers as he entered the enclosure. Asha couldn't bring herself to join in - Cedric's pale-green complexion was not helping to quell her concern for him.

Smoke furled from the dragon's nostrils as it swung around to face its opponent. It bared its teeth and a deep, reverberating growl emanated from its throat. Asha clenched her teeth as she identified the tell-tale signs that the dragon was preparing to breathe fire. For a few terrifying moments, it looked like Cedric was frozen to the spot. Suddenly, he dived to the side as a roaring jet of fire engulfed the spot he had been standing moments ago. A wave of heat radiated over the stands. The Short-Snout clawed at the rocky ground and sent another stream of flames in Cedric's direction. He lept out of the way, disappearing behind a large boulder.

For many minutes, Cedric did not reappear. The dragon prowled back to the clutch of eggs, snapping at the air in irritation. Asha watched silently, nervously fidgetting with the buttons of her coat. What was he doing? ... What would she have done? All of a sudden a large golden labrador burst out from behind the boulder and raced around the perimeter of the enclosure. The dragon roared, unfurling its wings and sending a surge of fire at the dog which, to the crowd's relief, missed.

While the eyes of everyone in the stadium were on the dog and the Short-Snout, Asha was staring intently in the other direction. Cedric was creeping over the jagged terrain towards the exposed nest of eggs. It was so risky. Asha willed the dragon not to turn around.

The labrador was cowering, tail between its legs, at the very end of the enclosure. To Asha's horror, she realised the Short-Snout would all too quickly realise that the dog was not a threat to its eggs. The dragon began to step backwards, returning to the nest at the centre of the enclosure. The crowd, having noticed Cedric's plan, had fallen deathly quiet. Only the deep rumble of the dragon's breath and the creaking of the stands could be heard.

Cedric was halfway to the clutch of eggs when the edge of his shoe caught a loose stone. Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion as Asha watched the stone drop off a small ledge and bounce along the rocky ground below. The noise echoed through the stadium. Every single member of the crowd held their breath. A split second later the dragon's head whipped around and its burning eyes honed in on Cedric. It let out an ear-splitting screech of rage as its powerful body twisted around to face him.

As it spun, its huge tail swept across the ground and struck a rock the size of an armchair. Everyone around Asha screamed and as the rock flew across the enclosure towards their section of the stands. Before Asha had even registered what was happening, she instinctively stuck out her arm, her palm pointing at the boulder that was heading straight for her. She felt an immense surge of energy rush through her body and with something between a crack and a boom the boulder exploded. Chunks of rock hurtled back into the enclosure, raining down on Cedric and the Short-Snout.

Asha withdrew her arm in shock. All eyes were on her section of the stands, but she blended in amongst the chaos of the other students. Across the stadium, professors Flitwick, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape were all on their feet with their wands raised to the spot the boulder had been just moments ago. It could have been any of them who cast the spell... Gasps of relief and nervous laughter emanated from the group of Hufflepuff students, followed by a surge of chatter. Then there was an ear-splitting screech like scraping metal and the crowd's attention was quickly drawn back to the dragon.

Meanwhile, Asha's heart was thundering against her ribcage as waves of dread coursed throughout her body. The ringing in her ears drowned out all surrounding noise. What the fuck had just happened?! How had she done that? Without thinking, her eyes scanned the opposite end of the stadium. When her gaze landed on Snape her stomach knotted as she realised his eyes were already drilling into her. He knew. She quickly averted her gaze, only to meet eyes with Dumbledore. Now Asha was too shocked to look away. The headmaster's expression was harder than usual; his normally friendly blue eyes were clouded with an intensity Asha had not seen. Within a split second, Dumbledore had returned his attention to the arena, leaving Asha to wonder if she had met his eyes at all.

"You alright, Ash?" asked Matt, who was standing to her right.

Asha suddenly became aware she was shaking. She felt like she was viewing the world through a surreal lens. The volume of the cheering and claustrophobia of the enclosing crowd intensified, becoming unbearable. Asha heard herself mumble something about needing water and pushed her way along the stands before dashing down the stairs.

Once outside the stadium, the noise of the dragon and crowd dimmed and the icy open air was a relief. Asha's head was spinning with thoughts she was unable to catch. Hardly aware of her surroundings, she stumbled around the edge of the arena, trying to evade any of her friends who might have followed her. She weaved among the wooden support beams that made up the stadium's foundations.

Just the memory of what had happened moments ago sent tendrils of panic snaking through her body. She didn't understand why. She leaned her forehead against a beam and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Once again, her brain was sluggish and foggy. She felt nauseous.

Out of nowhere, a burning anger swelled inside of her. What the hell was wrong with her?! She clenched her fists and her whole body tingled with fury and fear. Asha gasped as freezing cold water washed down her back. She jumped aside and spun around, but found nothing there. She looked up, wondering if water had fallen through the stands from high above her. As she did so, she twisted her arm around to touch her coat and was shocked to find it completely dry. Confused, she shoved her hand down the back of her shirt and found her skin was also dry. Any feeling of the icy water had vanished. With that, her anger returned. Was she the subject of some kind of sick game? She automatically reached for her wand but found her pocket empty - students were forbidden from bringing their wands to Triwizard events.

She sat down on a low beam, one leg propped up, and leaned back against a pillar. She tried to focus on her breathing. She felt in desperate need of an escape. Her mind drifted to Hagrid's stash of Firewhisky. It would be easy to steal a bottle while everyone was at the Tournament.

The almost inaudible crunch of a boot on frosty grass snapped Asha out of her scheming. The tall, lean figure of Professor Snape appeared from within the maze of wooden frames.

"Shouldn't you be in the stadium, protecting the students?" said Asha stiffly, as the Potions Master approached. He was dressed in a slim-fitting, black coat which brushed his knees. His wand was still in his hand from the boulder-scare that had happened only minutes ago. He slowed in front of Asha and eyed her carefully.

"The rest of the staff are perfectly capable," he said slowly, "Besides, I was under the impression you had taken that duty into your own hands."

Asha narrowed her eyes at him. Snape's expression was cautious and calculating.

"How would I do that without a wand?" she retorted bitterly. Snape rolled his own wand between his slender fingers.

"Indeed," he murmured.

Asha folded her arms and stared determinedly in the other direction. Snape moved to the beam in front of her and leaned his shoulder against it.

"Don't make me ask," he said quietly, casting his eyes around the surrounding area to ensure they were alone.

The last thing Asha felt like doing was talking. Her mind felt broken again and she wanted to be alone. But something in Snape's deep voice and commanding onyx eyes tugged at her chest. She wanted him to know. She wanted him on her side.

"It was instinctive," she said firmly, "I don't know how I did it and I wouldn't be able to repeat it."

Snape's brow furrowed, then he asked, "Are what happened today and when you wounded your leg at my cottage the only two instances of wandless magic you have encountered?"

Asha opened her mouth, ready to reply, but found herself with no words to say. She closed it and frowned at the ground, trying to sift through her thoughts for what had been on the tip of her tongue. For some reason, Cole kept rising to the surface. Meanwhile, Snape was watching her every move, the cogs of his mind whirring.

When, after a minute, the girl still hadn't replied, he urged, "Asha?"

"What?" Asha mumbled absent-mindedly, before waking from her thoughts, "Oh, er... no, I mean yes, those are the only times."

She looked him in the eye and Severus could tell she was telling the truth. He sat next to her and stared out into the misty hills, thinking.

Asha's eyes were drawn to his wand, which he was once again rolling between his fingers. It was a dark brown wood and shaped in a way she had never seen before.

Asha wasn't sure why she did it; perhaps she was just longing for her own wand, but she held out a hand to Snape. He turned to her, glancing between her eyes and her outstretched hand looking both confused and irritated. Asha nodded her head towards his wand. Snape's face morphed into one of suspicion and annoyance, but after a moment's hesitation, he handed it to her. Asha ignored his look of warning. The wood felt warm and light. It was slender, with slight periodic variations in thickness.

"Elm?" Asha asked quietly.

Snape gave a small nod, wondering why on earth he had consented to give her his wand. Looking more closely, Asha saw it was engraved with an intricate, vine-like pattern, but was overall simplistic. She had a sudden urge to cast with it but resisted. It suddenly felt oddly intimate to be examining Snape's wand and Asha quickly handed it back to him.

"I think it would be wise to talk to the Headmaster," he said as he returned the wand to his inside pocket.

"He was looking at me!" said Asha, suddenly remembering.

"What do you mean?" said Snape sharply, "When?"

"Right after I... the wandless magic, there were only two people in the whole stadium looking at me - you... and Dumbledore." Bitterness crept into Asha's voice as she said the old man's name. Was Dumbledore lying to her?

Snape's face flashed with anger but resumed a blank expression so rapidly that Asha thought she must have imagined it. He stood up swiftly and straightened his coat.

"Come," he demanded.

"Where?" said Asha warily. Apparently refusing to answer her question, Snape held out his hand, glaring at her. Asha hesitated, then took it. Snape pulled her onto her feet, then released her hand, striding towards the castle. She followed him as Ludo Bagman's booming voice announced that Krum was entering the enclosure. Asha swallowed guiltily, realising she had forgotten all about Cedric.

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A/N: lmao poor Cedric

Thanks for the support 🥰