9- Dangerous Dragons

                                    

                                          

Although Celia was angry at Cedric for becoming a champion, when the day of the first task arrived she realised just how worried she was about him.
She knew that students had died in the tournament in the past, and she just hoped that Cedric wouldn't become one of them.
While everyone else was excited to watch the first task, Celia couldn't help but feel nervous.
Her and Cedric didn't always see eye to eye, but she didn't want any harm to come to him.
                          
The morning seemed to go by too quickly for Celia, and in no time at all, it was time to head down to the stadium that had been erected for the 1st task.
Celia stood beside her roommates, but paid no attention to what they were saying.
She was worried that if she opened her mouth to speak, she was going to be sick.
When Mr Bagman left the champions tent and took his place by the judges, Celia held her breath.
Cedric was the first champion to step out, and when Celia saw the dragon he was to face, she thought she was going to have a heart attack.
                          
Dragons were unpredictable dangerous creatures, and Celia knew that there weren't many spells that would work against such tough skin.
When the dragon saw Cedric, she immediately sent a fireball at him, causing him to dive to the side to avoid getting hit.
"Ooh, narrow miss there, very narrow" admitted Mr Bagman, who had been chosen to commentate during the tournament.
Celia glared at him, as she didn't think his remarks were helping anyone.
                          
As Cedric attempted to get closer to the pile of eggs in the centre of the arena, he had to dive out of the way to avoid another ball of fire.
"Ooh, he's taking risks this one" commented Bagman.
Cedric knelt down and began performing some kind of magic on a nearby rock.
After several moments, his intentions became clear.
As he stood up everyone saw that he had transfigured the rock into a small dog.
Cedric then sent the dog in the opposite direction he wanted to go, hoping the dragon would chase the dog instead.
                          
At first, Cedric's plan seemed to be working, but as he got to about a metre from the eggs, the dragon changed her mind, and decided to go for Cedric instead of the dog.
Celia screamed as the beast headed towards her brother.
Instead of turning and running away, Cedric continued heading towards the eggs.
As he reached for the golden egg in the centre of the pile, the dragon opened her mouth and breathed fire on him, setting him alight.
Cedric picked up the egg, before diving to one side and rolling on the floor to put out the flames.
                          
The dragon keepers jumped in and stopped the dragon from injuring Cedric even further.
Professor McGonagall arrived on the scene once the dragon had been taken care of, and she escourted Cedric to the first aid tent, where Madam Pomfrey was waiting.
Even though there were still three champions to go, Celia couldn't wait any longer, as she had to make sure Cedric was O.K.
So she made her way down the stands as the judges gave Cedric his score.
                          
When Celia arrived at the first aid tent, she found Cedric laying on a bed with his shirt off, while Madam Pomfrey applied a thick orange paste to his wounds.
Celia couldn't stop herself. And she burst out crying before throwing herself onto her knees beside Cedric's bed.
"I thought you were a goner, when the dragon threw that fireball at you" sobbed Celia.
Cedric placed his arm onto Celia's head.
"I'm O.K" he winced.
                          
Celia looked up at the nurse with pleading eyes.
"Can you heal him? Is he going to alright?" She asked.
"Mr Diggory is going to be fine. This should stop any scarring" admitted the matron, as she applied the orange paste to Cedric's face.
"You were right about one thing, this tournament is dangerous" sighed Cedric.
"That's why I told you that it was stupid to enter" replied Celia.
"You're always trying to protect me and keep me out of danger"
"I don't like it when you take risks".
                          
"I know. But I'm going to be fine Seals, so why don't you go and watch the rest of the first task" suggested Cedric.
"I'm not going anywhere" insisted Celia.
"But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don't want to miss it, by sitting here with me" admitted Cedric.
"I'm missing Fleur compete right now. But once she's finished, I'll go and stand at the edge of the tent so that I can watch the others".
                          
Once Madam Pomfrey had finished applying the paste, she helped Cedric into a sitting position, before putting his shirt back on.
She then turned her attention to Fleur who had just arrived, and was also covered in burns.
Celia got to her feet and wandered over to the edge of the tent, just as Krum stepped into the arena.
Celia then began giving a running commentary of Krum's performance, so that Cedric and Fleur could know exactly what he was doing.
                          
After Krum had collected his egg and been treated by Madam Pomfrey, it was Harry's turn to compete.
Celia couldn't help but notice how much smaller and younger he looked compared to the others.
She watched as he summoned his Firebolt broomstick, and used it to fly around before picking up his golden egg.
Harry's shoulder got burned by his dragon, but his wounds were nowhere near as bad as Cedric's.
                          
"Dementors last year, dragons this year. What will they come up with next" grumbled Madame Pomfrey as she began assessing Harry's shoulder.
"You're lucky, it's very shallow" she continued, before pouring a purple liquid onto Harry's burn.
Celia stuck her head around the canvas that separated the champions.
"Well done Harry" she praised.
"Thanks. What are you doing down here?" Asked Harry.
"I've been in here since Cedric competed, as I wanted to make sure he was O.K. And even once I'd checked on him, I still didn't want to leave his side, so I stayed here. He's alright though, there won't be any permanent damage to his skin"
"That's good".
                          
"There you go Mr Potter. Just sit still for a minute, and then you can go and get your score" instructed Madam Pomfrey, before going around the canvas to check on Cedric.
"How does it feel?" She asked him, as Celia pulled her head back inside Cedric's part of the tent.
"Much better" answered Cedric.
"Good. I don't want you getting up just yet though. Just sit there until I tell you otherwise" ordered Madam Pomfrey.
                          
"She's so strict" whispered Celia, as the matron left to check on Krum.
"It's only because she cares about the students under her care" replied Cedric.
"I suppose you're right... I'm sorry I was so mean to you before. I felt awful when I didn't think I would get the chance to apologise" admitted Celia awkwardly.
Cedric placed his arm around Celia and hugged her tight.
"You're forgiven" he muttered.
"Thank you" mumbled Celia.