THE HORNTAIL did not look happy to see Laura.

She was sitting there, watching over her eggs, her yellow eyes following Laura.

The crowd was making lots of noise, whether friendly or not, Laura didn't know. Before Laura started, she scanned the crowd, finding Draco's hair, Blaise, Pansy, Jordan, Nick, and her parents watching.

She could tell where the Slytherins were, as they held up signs of encouragement.

Laura looked away, taking a deep breath. She attempted to shake the nervousness out of her hands, but it was futile.

It had been a while since Laura had this many people watching her, and she didn't like it much. Her mind was now focused entirely on the raging task ahead.

"Accio broom!" she shouted.

The crowd watched as she just stood there. She could hear people yelling at her for not moving, but Laura knew she just needed to wait, not so patiently.

There was a sound, Laura looked over, a grin forming on her face as the broom landed in her hand. Bagman was shouting, who knows what. However, Laura couldn't hear what he was saying. She was ready to go, the sound of the word turning down.

Laura swung her leg over her broom and kicked off.

Laura flew up into the air, taking another deep breath. All the nerves left her body, for better or worse, as she soared into the sky. She felt at home in the air. It had always been the thing to get rid of her nerves, people watching her or not. She was in her zone now, her eyes on the egg.

Her mind went into auto mode. It was just like Quidditch- with the added deadly dragon, no teammates, and instead of a small snitch, it was a giant golden egg.

She dived the Horntail following her, her eyes on Laura. Laura quickly swerved, barely missing a blast of fire. She then circled up into the air, the dragon still following her. When she felt it was right, Laura plummeted down, and the dragon opened its mouth again, but Laura wasn't as lucky that time.

Thankfully, she avoided the fire, but as she swerved, its tail hit her, grazing her shoulders. Laura grimaced as it stung. She looked to see her robes were ripped now. The crowd went wild at this, but Laura heard none of it, now understanding what she needed to do.

The Horntail didn't want to leave its eggs. So, Laura slowly flew up, doing this for a good couple of minutes until the dragon finally flew up.

When Laura gauged it was far enough away, she quickly dove towards the egg. She narrowly avoided the dragon's claws, letting go of her broom to grab the egg. Laura flew back up quickly, evading any other attacks.

As she tucked the egg under her uninjured arm, the sound in the stadium seemed to turn up. Laura could hear the crowd shouting. Laura laughed with a triumphant smile on her face. She had done it.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is the quickest to get her egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Miss Potter!"

Laura narrowed her eyes at Bagman, pulling her wand out. Using her wand, she spelled out 'It's Pickering' in the air before flying back down to the ground.

"You did amazing, Laura," Snape said in his usual monotone voice, yet Laura heard a bit of pride in his voice. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey before you can get your score."

Laura gave him a thumbs up, walking to Madam Pomfrey. She was still riding her adrenaline high as she walked over, a giant smile on her face as she walked in.

"Dragons!" Madam Pomfrey said, sounding disgusted. She pulled Laura into the tent, which was separated into different cubicles. Based on the silhouette, Laura could tell Cedric was in the cubicle next to her.

"Last year, Dementors, this year, dragons," Madam Pomfrey muttered, cleaning Laura's cut. "What are they going to bring into this school next? You're quite lucky, Miss Pickering... this is quite shallow..."

Madam Pomfrey poked Laura with her wand, her wound healing instantly.

"Now, sit quietly for a minute- sit!" she instructed Laura. "You can go get your score after."

Laura waited about ten seconds before she quickly stood up. However, before she made it out of the mouth of the tent, seven people darted in; Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Jordan, Nick, and her parents.

"Laura!" her mom exclaimed. Her parents immediately wrapped her into a big hug. "Oh my Merlin- you scared your dad and me with what you did."

"Eh, I knew you could do it," her dad said with a shrug, taking a step back.

"He was nervously talking to your friends the entire time," her mom said, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "We knew you were going to be successful, but the look on your face when you first came out onto the arena-"

"Because I looked so confident... right?" Laura said, knowing that was not what they saw.

"It reminded me of my little girl when she first left for Ilvermorny," her dad said, pulling her into another hug. "My nervous little ball of energy is fighting dragons now."

Laura just laughed, hugging him back.

"Felix, while I know you would love to keep teasing Laura, her friends have also been waiting to see her..." her mom reminded her dad.

"Oh, all right," her dad said. "I guess I'll let you talk to your mates."

"Thanks, Dad," Laura laughed, giving her parents another hug before turning to her friends.

"Laura, you were wicked out there!" Blaise exclaimed, patting her uninjured shoulder, a giant grin on his face.

"You were brilliant," Pansy added, giving Laura a big hug. Laura noticed fingermarks on her face from where she was clutching it.

"Dragons are no match for me," Laura grinned, obviously covering her injured shoulder, getting a laugh out of her friends.

"If they don't give you a high score, I think that'll say something about our future," Jordan grinned. "You were seriously bloody brilliant out there, Pickering. Everyone was shouting and cheering like crazy."

"I try," Laura laughed.

"She lived!" Nick exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. "You seriously did amazing, I'm proud."

"Thanks, Nick," Laura laughed as they pulled away.

Laura then turned to Draco, as he hadn't said anything yet. He looked more pale than usual, looking in shock. When he realized it was his turn, he hugged her tightly.

"I know I told you earlier that I knew you were going to show that dragon who was boss," he whispered, "but when I saw it was the Horntail, I will admit I was nervous. You really did show it who was boss. I'm glad you didn't die, Pickering."

"Aww, thanks, Blondie," Laura said, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Laura was immensely grateful that her face was still red from all the adrenaline from the task. However, she could tell Nick knew she was blushing when Draco finally let go of her. Pansy and Blaise had dumb smiles on their faces as well.

"Well," Laura said, clasping her hands together, "let's go see my score, shall we?"

Nick grinned, walking with Laura, explaining in too much detail how the other champions did.

"Anyways, the marks are out of ten," Nick said, thankfully getting distracted from his story of what Fleur went through.

Laura squinted across the field, attempting to see what the scores said. Madame Maxime went first, raising her wand. With one wave, a long silver ribbon flew out. It twisted into a figure eight, causing Laura to nod.

"Not bad, not bad," Blaise said. "Probably from your shoulder."

Crouch was next, putting up a nine, and the crowd was cheering harder than ever. Dumbledore then put a ten up as well.

"Looking good, Laura," Pansy grinned.

Ludo Bagman- ten.

"What?" Laura said, squinting even harder to see if she was seeing things correctly. "Why'd he give me a ten?"

"Shh, just accept the ten," Nick said, holding a finger to Laura's lips. He then frowned to see Karkoff's score, a four. "What does he mean by a four?"

"Karkoff is annoying. It's whatever," Laura said, shaking her head. "Though, him giving me a four is more humbling than I'd like it to be."

"Eh, he's trying to get Krum further in the game," Jordan sighed.

"Looks like you're tied with Krum," Charlie said, walking up to Laura. He put a hand out, "I'm Charlie Weasley, by the way. You've probably met my little brother Ron."

"I love Ron. It's nice to meet you, Charlie," Laura grinned, shaking Charlie's hand. This earned her a glare from Draco.

"Good, he can be a pain, but I promise he's sweet," Charlie chuckled. "But uh, listen, I've gotta run. They told me to tell you that you've got to hang around here for a few more minutes... Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."

"Thank you," Laura smiled, waving as Charlie walked off.

That was Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Jordan's cue to leave, which meant Nick and her parents were going home.

"Well, while we would love to stay longer," Laura's dad said, "we did promise your Aunt Sally and Uncle Luke that we'd get Nick back to Ilvermorny as soon as possible so he doesn't miss out on 'any studying.'"

"They had him bring his homework to do," her mom whispered, "it's been hidden away the entire trip."

Laura laughed, hugging her parents.

"He wouldn't have done it at school anyways," she said. "But I'm going to miss you guys a lot. It's harder when I know I'm an ocean away from you guys."

"It's just as hard for us too, Laura," her mom nodded. "But thankfully, we get these opportunities to see you throughout the year."

"But you also have good mates that I can tell they take care of you," her dad grinned. "But, still, miss us a little bit."

"Don't worry, I will," Laura smiled. "I'll also still write at least once a week."

"We wouldn't expect any less," her mom smiled. "Well, say bye to Nick too. He looks like he has a lot to say."

Laura grinned, turning to Nick.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Laura said, hugging Nick tightly. "You better get in trouble for me back at Ilvermorny."

"You've got my word," Nick grinned. "I can break my 'good' streak for you, Pip. But that means you and Malfoy better get together before I see you again."

Laura opened her mouth in protest, but Nick just laughed.

"Don't keep lying to yourself, Laura," he said, pulling away from the hug. "I've known you your whole life. I've seen the way you look at people when you like them... Draco has my approval."

"I can't promise anything, Nick," Laura sighed, giving him one last hug. "Make sure you keep writing to me: it keeps me feeling like I'm still at Ilvermorny."

"Of course, I can do that, Miss Potter," Nick said with a grin. "I'll see you sometime soon. Love you, Laura."

"Love you too, Nick," Laura smiled, giving her parents one last hug. "I'll see you guys soon!"

Her parents and Nick waved as they went off to get their things to head back to the States, leaving Laura to enter the champion tent.

When she walked in, she saw Cedric had a weird orange past on half of his face from his burns. He grinned at her when she walked in.

"That was a good one, Laura," he said, putting his hand out.

"You too, Cedric," Laura smiled, shaking his hand. "Looks like the dragon had fun with you."

"You could say that," Cedric laughed as Bagman walked in.

"Well done, all of you!" Bagman exclaimed as he bounced in. "Now, just a few quick words. The second task will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth, giving you a nice break. You have this time to let you think about what may be in those eggs you're holding... You need to solve the clue inside the egg to figure out what the second task is! All clear? Well, off you go then!"

Laura blinked, looking at the egg, unsure what to do with it now. She just wanted to take a nap in her dorm. 

Exiting the tent, Laura was met with Draco waiting for her. He told her Blaise and Pansy had already gone back to the castle. It left just the two of them.

The two of them walked together until someone jumped out of a bush, causing Laura to jump. However, when she saw it was Rita Skeeter, her eyes narrowed.

"Congratulations, Laura!" Skeeter said, grinning. "I wonder if you could give a word? How did you feel about facing that dragon? How do you feel now about the fairness of the scoring?"

"You can have a word," Laura said with a mischievous grin. "Goodbye!"

While they walked to the castle, Laura paused, feeling something in her pocket. To her surprise, it was a ballpoint pen.

"Thank Merlin for Nicholas," Laura grinned. "I missed my ballpoint pens."

"What?" Draco asked, tilting his head in confusion. "What is that?"

"It's a ballpoint pen, it's like ten times better than a quill," Laura beamed up at him. "You just have to trust me on that."

"Maybe I will, Pickering," Draco said, handing Laura his sweatshirt. Laura looked at it, unsure what to do. Draco responded, keeping his eyes forward, "You look cold."

Laura nodded slowly, putting it on. She didn't want to admit it, but she was getting cold. It smelled like Draco: apples, broom polish, and what seemed to be an ocean-scented shampoo.

She was almost sure he had planned this out.

Laura's face went red in embarrassment as they walked and talked. Neither of them looked at each other, keeping their eyes forward. Yet, when Laura and Draco got close to the Slytherin portrait, Laura froze.

"Is something wrong?" Draco asked, finally looking back at her.

"Did Pansy and Jordan plan a party?" Laura asked, looking Draco dead in the eyes. Draco didn't say anything, causing her to narrow her eyes. "You ferret. You knew the whole time, didn't you."

"First off, don't call me Ferret, Pip. That brings back bad memories," Draco said, causing Laura to fold her arms. "Second off, don't be thick-headed. It's in celebration of you, Potter."

"Yeah, yeah," Laura said as they arrived at the common room. She knew there was a reason the two had been conspiring together. "Pickled pears."

The portrait swung open, and Laura was met with cheering and yelling. Laura's demeanor immediately changed. She grinned, waving to people as they congratulated her. She quickly grabbed some food, making her way over to her friends.

"Curse you, Parkinson," Laura said with a grin. "How dare you be good at throwing parties. But if I'm being serious, thank you so much."

"Laura did almost throw a fit for not knowing," Draco mused, sitting next to her.

"Hey- it wasn't a fit- I just like knowing things," she shrugged.

"You know I'm here for you," Pansy said with a wink. "You did amazing out there! Jordan and I thought you deserved to be celebrated."

"Blimey, this is heavy!" Jordan exclaimed, catching Laura's attention. He picked up the golden egg Laura had left on the table, weighing it in his hands. "I reckon you should open it now."

Many people shouted in agreement, passing the egg to Laura. She carefully dug her fingernails into the groove on the egg, prying it open.

It was hollow, empty- however, the moment Laura opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wailing, filled the room. She quickly closed the egg. Laura had never in her life heard anything like it... other than Nick screeching.

"What was that?" Jordan said, raising an eyebrow. "It sounded like a banshee. Maybe you're going up against one of those."

"I doubt it," Thomas Higgs said, rolling his eyes. "It's probably going to be some first years screeching in her ear."

"I don't think so," Laura said, blinking at Thomas, "but I have three months, so I've got time to figure it out."

Laura quickly excused herself, ducking into her dorm and placing the egg carefully into her chest. When she finished, she got up to see Pansy had followed her.

"Oh, hey, Pansy," Laura said, "why are you up here?"

"You left, so I just wanted to check on you," Pansy said, "you did go up against a dragon not too long ago."

"Thanks, Pansy," Laura said, stretching a bit. "I just wanted to put the egg away, but we can head back now."

"Also, is that Draco's sweater?" Pansy asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as they went back down.

"He said I looked cold and handed it to me," Laura shrugged as they re-entered the common room. "You didn't hear this from me, but he one hundred percent staged it."

Pansy laughed, nodding.

Draco and Blaise found them pretty quickly.

"Are you two alright?" Blaise asked. "Draco and I turned away for about five seconds, and you two disappeared."

"I just needed to put the egg away," Laura shrugged. "Nothing major."

"Oh," Blaise and Draco said simultaneously.

"Come help us clean up," Pansy laughed, dragging Blaise to help her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Draco asked as they went and helped clean up.

Laura nodded as she grabbed a stack of plates. The wound was healed, but she could feel herself starting to get sore.

"I probably won't be tomorrow, but I'm doing great now," she shrugged and yawned. "I guess I'm also tired."

Draco took the stack of plates from Laura and nudged her towards the stairs towards the girl's dorms.

"Go sleep," he said. "I'll help Blaise and Pansy finish cleaning up, and before you say anything, they'll understand. You've been through physically strenuous things today, I think you deserve a rest."

A big smile formed on Laura's face. She sent Draco a thankful nod before going up to bed.