Juvenile Delinquency Essay Example for Free

Juvenile Delinquency Essay There are numerous theories to why a person becomes who they are and how they got there, what makes it difficult to understand is which correct theory to follow and believe. Listed are a brief analysis of a few theories and two case studies of two troubled youths that will help to open a window to witness what is happening to society’s youth and how they contribute to adulthood. Although, several theories are around regarding juvenile delinquency, tapering them down to one solution is nearly impracticable. Knowing that a theory is simply an educated guess, one can see there is not one single cause for delinquency in society today . However, there are several theories that should be considered and explored. We should make a more in-depth look at figures and determine where crime actually begins. The following are two separate crimes and for many, the correct theories surrounding them. I will explore theories such as the Robert Agnu’s General Strain Theory which suggest that anger, frustration and adverse emotions are linked to negative and destructive relationships. I will also explore Sigmund Freud’s psychodynamic theory which suggests delinquent behavior is a product of abnormal personality structure formed early in life which consciously controls her choices. Juvenile Delinquency I will begin with Lakeisha McCoy a 16 year old girl living in Malvern Arkansas, a rural area in county seat of Hot Springs with the population of 9,021; (Wikipedia 2000) Lakeisha is from a single parent home with her mother and three other your female siblings surviving on the income $ 375 a week and no father figure in the home. Lakeisha’s mother works 40-50 hours per week at the Waffle House and has no daycare for the younger children . Therefore Lakeisha is unsupervised for better part of (6) hours after school due to her mother’s schedule. Lakiesha’s mother has an extensive criminal record possible mental illness, and was a troubled youth. She chooses boyfriends are less than desirable citizens most have little job security as well as drug and alcohol tendencies. Lakiesha was recently arrested for shoplifting at the local dollar store after stealing two pairs of shoes and three shirts. Next subject is Martin, a 14 year old male who lives in Dallas Texas, a large metropolitan city with the population of 1,299,543; (Wikipedia 2008) Martin is from a two parent household with one younger sister living on the annual income of $100,000. 00 a year. Martin’s parents are both employed, however, they work opposite shifts to ensure at least one parent is available for supervision at all times. Both parents keep the children at home after school and they are not involved with any after school or extra family functions. Martin was arrested for breaking and entering into a neighbor’s home during the day when his mother was a doctor’s appointment with his younger sister. What would society believe to be the reasoning behind both Lakeisha and Martins crimes? Some would say â€Å"There just troubled kids† or maybe would say â€Å"It’s because neither had supervision†. However, research and theorists view it in a completely different way. Let’s look at Sigmund Freud’s psychodynamic theory which suggests delinquent behavior is a bi product of abnormal personality structure formed early during the beginning stages of life. This theory would then explain her choices in relationships and how she feels about herself . Example mental torment can lead children into violence and aggression . An neglected child attention from peers will introduce them to a family structure or gang. This theory indicates that children act on unconscious needs and desires. With id, egos ,and super ego functioning together a child can live a normal in the aspects of personality if one becomes dominate then abnormal personality traits can be viewed in a â€Å"God† like complex. (Siegel et al. † 2003). Arousal theorists believe that obtaining thrills is a motivation of committing crimes. They believe children commit crimes like shoplifting for the thrill of possibly getting away with it . They also believe this directly linked environmental and genetic reasons and this group responds to a different brain stimuli. This might indicate that some children need more stimuli to feel comfortable which links higher degrees of excitement . The theories do not stop with just a chemical thrill seeking side of these children; there are a few other facts to consider. (Siegel et al., 2003). Robert Agnu’s General Strain Theory explores the notion that anger, frustration and adverse emotions are directly linked to negative and destructive relationships. Example, Lakeisha’s mother is one with abusive tendencies, she is ridiculed and called names which affects her behaviors both inside and outside the home by harboring a since of fear. Disappointment and anger. This eventually leads to antisocial behavior. He indicates that the negative behavior is linked to a certain peer group which might lead the adolescent to riskier behavior such as drug use. (Siegel et al. , 2003). Also Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory suggest children exposed to and learn prosocial and antisocial attitudes and behavior ;meaning that the definitions of violating the law outweigh the definitions of being law abiding . Lakeisha’s mother has a long criminal record including , shoplifting , robbery and drug dealing. Since Lakeisha was exposed to this behavior most of her life, she begin to understand the law differently than a child whose parents were law abiding citizens. Terrence Thornberry’s interactional theory suggests most onset of criminal activity is linked to the weakening of social bonds during adolescence; marked by the deterioration of attachments of function within a society. It also believes that seriously delinquent children form a counter cultural belief system that justifies their behavior they interact with peer groups that that reinforce the same type of behavior and beliefs. This reinforces the term â€Å"Birds of a feather flock together† . Together they may look for excitement and engage reckless behavior and by doing so; they will justify their actions by stating â€Å"we have to do something for enjoyment† (Siegel et al, 2002). In Lakeisha’s case all three theories can be tied to her behavior, individual sociological and developmental stages have all been tainted . From birth Lakeisha was statistically predisposed to commit crimes and have a delinquent youth. Today, there are 100,000 children incarcerated throughout the United States and the number in continuing to rise. Studies show that in 19999 there were nearly (2) million juvenile adjudicated in the United States courts. That is an increase of 27% since 1990. The number of drug law violations increased by 168% public order increased by 74% and offenses of a person increased by 55% (Puzzanchera, 1999). Martins’ case is linked more towards the interactional theory and arousal theory than the opposite. His behaviors seem easier to turn towards the positive aspect than the latter. After several years of juvenile justice the general consensus should consider exploring there issues first. look in and around all the theories and perhaps children can avoid obstacles in their way. REFERENCES Foster care and juvenile delinquency (n. d. ) Retrieved July 24, 2010 , from http;// www,ark. edu/psyc112/fostercare/. Pussanchera, C (1999) The national juvenile court data archives. Retrived Oct 19, 2005 from Juvenile Court Statistics Web site: http//www. ncjrs. org/pdffiles I /ojjdp/201141. pdf#search=Juvenile%20statistics Siegel, L (2002) Juvenile delinquency, The Core, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Sigel. J. , Welsh, B, C, Senna, J. J. (2003) Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, practice, and law (8th Ed. ). United States: Thomson Wikipedia (2002). Retrieved July 27, 2010 from the free Encyclopedia Website: Wikipedia (2006) Retrieved July 27, 2010 from The free Encyclopedia Website

Organizational Change Management Theory

Organizational Change Management Theory People and Organization Management in the Built Environment Organizational Change Management Theory Introduction- To understand change in an organization, it is important to study an organization and its culture. This is because, changing an organization is nothing but changing its culture which ultimately causes change in performance. An Organization can be defined as â€Å"social arrangement of consciously coordinated activities for achieving controlled performances in the pursuit of common goals†. (Price and Chahal, 2006, p. 238) Organizational culture can be defined as â€Å"characteristic, spirit and belief of an organization [†¦] generally held about how people should behave and treat each other in an organization [†¦] and attitudes to change.† (Price and Chahal, 2006, p. 238) Depending on the market requirements, an organization is setup according to- resource allocation, production capacity, technological requirement etc. This is why organizations have to constantly change to adapt to the ever-changing market while securing the organizations perspectives. Depending on the market situation, it can be a crisis change or chosen change. Organizational change can be developmental (doing better than current situation), transitional (implementation of new desired state) or transformational (evolutionary new state). (Price and Chahal, 2006) But whether it is intended or forced, the company needs to change in order to remain competent. Change management helps resist the effect that change in the market has on an organization, increasing the importance of change management over the years. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) Changing an organizational culture affects the people involved in it in various ways like change in job profile, learning new techniques, job cut, etc. So, it becomes necessary to manage all the people involved, to successfully implement change while not disturbing the companys goal. This makes change management a complex process. Considering different orientations like planning, stake-holder management etc. change management can be defined as- A continuous aggregation of processes, instruments and techniques, to improve the efficiency of the organization in problem solving and target attainment, achieved by eliminating the causes of resistance to change, working in an organized and systematic way, from both company and employee perspectives. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) Change process: Since the whole change process is very complex, let us consider a case-study to understand it better. We will analyze it using three models of change management, after which we will attempt to draw a strategic change management framework which can be used in any organization. Our case-study will also be critically analyzed against this framework. Case-study Aluminium Company of America (ALCOA) (1990) plant at Swansea is the company under review. (Price and Chahal, 2006) Senior managers of this company realized the need to review their plant culture and processes. They presented their case to the ALCOA board at Pittsburg, USA emphasizing on the companys present and desired state. The board was convinced about the need to change. Senior managers then established a taskforce to take the responsibility of the change program. It had 12 members ranging from employees, production managers, engineers, personnel, operators and craftsman. The task force drew the following Vision Statement- ‘To help establish ALCOA, Swansea, as a model company by developing a plant that contributes to the long-term prosperity and security of the company and its employees. (Price and Chahal, 2006, p. 245) In 1991, the taskforce drafted the internal document comprising of some important elements and strategies including vision, need to change, benefits, critical factors, resistance, etc. The ‘plan to overcome resistance was: â€Å"[] we must go forward and improve or cease to do business†. (Price and Chahal, 2006, p. 245) The taskforce reviewed and changed their manufacturing processes and procedures by benchmarking with other companies like ALCOA Tennessee, Cadburys etc. They observed no initial resistance while implementing new processes and procedures. But, later they noticed some symptoms like reduced productivity and they observed the reasons, as employee aspects like working practices, multi-tasking, pay, arising because of the old structure of organization having seniority and unionized systems. To overcome this, the workforce appointed a new team, which developed a system by analyzing the organizations present and desired state. They changed the working philosophy of the plant workforce and the basis for remuneration. They conducted a series of workshop trainings for the entire workforce. Though this entire process was difficult, they observed improved performance at the start of 2000. They were very close to their targets. The new reduced workforce was highly committed and motivated. But afte r all this success, ALCOA Swansea unexpectedly closed down in 2003. The senior management blamed overcapacity and slow market growth for failure. (Price and Chahal, 2006) Analysis: Although the senior management blamed overcapacity and slow market growth, it clearly indicates that they failed to analyze the market and adjust to it by aggressive marketing, necessary lay-offs etc. To understand the reasons for the failure, we will analyze the case-study using three models viz. The Leavitts Model (1965), Weisbords six-boxes (1976), McKinsey 7S Framework (1981-82). Leavitts Model: Leavitt focused on four variables in the organization, their interdependence and their influence on the change process. The variables considered are- * Task and subtasks- Those which are involved in achieving the target. * People- Who carry out the task. * Technology- Which is adapted to achieve the task. * Structure of the organization- In terms of authority, communication, workflow etc. Interlinking of the variables suggests that this is an interactive and continuous process. He did not take external factors into account. (Falletta, 2005) In our case-study, the first factor to vary was ‘Task. Change managers decided to change the companys plant culture and processes. Then they appointed a workforce, so the second variable changed was ‘People. Then ‘Technology and ‘Structure changed as a result of the changed plant processes and procedures that is change in the working philosophy and remuneration. But later on, an outbreak of resistance demanded a change in the human variable as well as the Structure. This resulted in the creation of a new highly motivated workforce. This increased the companys productivity and changed the sub-task, which was to win enough projects for the workforce to keep them motivated and achieve the ‘vision. But, the senior management was not a part of the task force and became an external factor leading to ignorance of vital marketing function. Considering the slow market growth, the change managers could have changed either ‘Technology or ‘People variabl e; that is they could have sold some machinery or reduced the workforce to achieve the desired productivity. Ignorance of all these resulted in failure of the change process and ultimately company closure. Weisbords six-boxes: Weisbord considered six broad categories as shown above. When compared with Leavitts model, there are three different factors considered- * Relationship- The way in which people interact with each other and with the technology. * Rewards- Given to workforce for performance. * Leadership- Common leadership tasks including the equilibrium between the other factors. External environment is also considered in this model unlike Levitts model. It also tells us about the importance of input and output in relation to the external and internal environments. It does not highlight much on interconnectivity of all the internal factors (Falletta, 2005). In our case study, Relationship between the team was maintained well, making it highly motivated. Relationship between people and technology was also maintained which was achieved through training. Provision for rewards was made by changing the basis for remuneration. But, the Leadership failed. This is because of the failure to analyze the balance between external and internal inputs and outputs like reduced market growth, less productivity and profitability. This may be the result of lack of co-ordination between senior and junior management and non inclusion of senior management in the task force. When the junior managers observed lesser productivity than expected, senior managers should have made an attempt to get more jobs by aggressive marketing or should have reduced the manpower. The ‘vision was partially achieved. Though they tried to achieve employee security by retaining them, the companys perspective of long term prosperity and security was not achieved and the proc ess failed. McKinsey 7S Framework: This model was drawn by the employees at McKinsey, who did corresponding research in business and industry. It considers seven variables which are- * Strategy- The plan in allocating resources to achieve the target. * Systems- Existing processes followed in the organization. * Staff-Different categories of personnel. * Skills- Different capabilities. * Style- How key managers behave to achieve the goal. * Shared value- The significant guiding concepts common among the organization. The interconnectivity between these is shown by the shape of the model. The author advises that the company cannot just change one or two variables to change the whole organization. In order to achieve long term benefit, variables should be changed to become more congruent as a system, suggesting that change is a continuous process. It does not consider external environment. The concept of the performance or effectiveness is not clear in the model. (Falletta, 2005) In our case-study, Shared values are the ‘vision statement as this is the common goal of all the employees. Skills were as per the requirement of the change process which was achieved through training. Production Systems were as per requirements, but Financial Systems needed more check on productivity and profitability. Staff and Style failed because of lack of coordination between senior and junior managers due to non-inclusion of the senior management in the task force, making them an external factor. As a result, they were unable to establish system to take care of shared values. Strategy failed as the company did not allocate more staff in marketing team, while production team needed lay-off. Hence, the vision was not achieved and company closed down. Strategic framework of Change management We will draw a six step strategic framework to help implement change in any organization. We will also analyze our case study using this framework. The main distinguishing characteristic of this framework is, that it considers the detailed role of all those involved in the change management process. 1. Preparing the organization This initiates the thought process. The first step is to study the organizations present state to determine its change capacity to have a realistic vision. Studying the organizations present routines gives an understanding of how the organization operates which guides about its performance in a specific routine. This will again strengthen the understanding of organizational operations and will guide about relevant performance. (Feldman, 2003, p. 729) Change managers then interact with different stakeholders to understand the need to change to achieve the right purpose and agree on the organizations desired state, considering internal and external drivers of change. This helps managers list out broad types of cultural and technological changes required. This is then conveyed to the entire workforce along with the benefits the company and employees would get through the change. This helps win their confidence and make them feel secured and involved. Care is taken not to convey informat ion about a specific group or individual to avoid the feeling of mistrust amongst the whole organization. (Price and Chahal, 2006) In our case study, this step was implemented effectively. Organizational analysis for present and future state was done perfectly and it was conveyed to people in such a way that everybody was convinced about the need to change. 2. Developing the process Vision is the guiding statement of the change process which relates the companys ultimate goal, making it the most important step of the change management process. The vision and objectives should be realistic and clear. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) Change managers first decide three groups viz. implementation team, range of stakeholders and workforce. Feedback from step one is analyzed and used as the basis to find out different change strategies. All these strategies are then evaluated against certain questions which are * Does the option have a clear perspective and a systematic approach? * Does the option support organizational or personal goals? * Were all the working environments and source perspectives considered? (Price and Chahal, 2006) Different change strategies analyzed above are again brainstormed and evaluated within the group and a final strategic process is decided which can even be the combination of some of the options evaluated. Finally a working document is drafted. Different sections in the draft include- Background, Vision, Goal, Objectives, Design, Implementation plan, Timescales, etc. (Price and Chahal, 2006) Implementation plan should include important aspects like cultural development, employee mobilization, knowledge management, incentive systems, transformation map, and stakeholder management. It is observed that 10% to 30% of companies fail to plan for this. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) Cost-benefit analysis is a very important aspect of change. Every change costs something which can be categorized as economic and psychological. Economic cost is related to expenditure incurred, while psychological cost is the strain caused when people try to adjust to the change. (Newstrom and Davis, 2000) So this cost-benefit analysis is required to determine the worthiness of change. Only 40% of the companies think that cost-benefit analysis is a must because all activities are investments that must pay off in the end. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) In our case study, the vision statement was well written and the implementation plan was fairly drawn. But they failed to apply the Cost-benefit analysis at the right time and could not recognize that their resources were over assigned. Also, they failed to plan for the changing market situation, therefore could not adjust to the market growth. 3. Test support This is the phase before the final planning stage. Once the strategic process is decided, management ensures that the team is still enthusiastic about the plan. This is the last opportunity to review all the documentation and accommodate any last minute developments before the actual implementation. This stage confirms the decision about the strategic process. (Newstrom and Davis, 2000) In our case study, this step was either not taken or not mentioned in the article. But, it ultimately did not affect the process. 4. Communication Successful communication of vision and objectives at the right time, to the stakeholders and the people affected by the change is the key to success. In order to link strategic and operational change, it is necessary to communicate it ending on a warning. (Whipp and Pettigrew, 1992) Implementation team should identify the effect change has on the groups as well as on the individuals. While assigning new jobs, they should try to cooperate with the employees to the highest degree possible and make them feel involved. â€Å"When people think about what actions they are to take in an organizational routine, they are not confined to thinking about performances of the routine they are enacting but may think broadly about a wide variety of organizational performances†. (Feldman, 2003, p. 729) Change managers need to be proactive in reducing the amount of resistance by having the ‘plan to overcome resistance ready. (Price and Chahal, 2006) Personal communication, conflict management, leadership development and team building are the most important aspects of effective communication. Retention management is the most overlooked aspect observed in nearly 50% of the companies. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) In our case study, communication with employees ended on a warning note as given in the plan to overcome resistance. Change was communicated successfully and the managers cooperated with the workforce resulting in successful restructuring of the organization; correcting all the defects. 5. Implementation This is a crucial phase of the process. Change managers follow the implementation plan and continue to do so till the end. If not done properly, there is a great risk of encountering resistance which can be recognized through symptoms like reduced productivity, gossips/rumors, etc. When recognized, its source needs to be identified and treated according to the ‘plan to overcome resistance drawn at step 4. (Price and Chahal, 2006) There are some common implementation barriers observed, such as- too many activities without prioritization, no sustained monitoring of activities (observed in more than 40% of the companies). Other barriers are- constant reorganizations of the company, inadequate support from line management, inadequate readiness to take responsibility etc. (Cap Gemini Ernst Young, 2004) In our case study, implementation of the plan was successful in the beginning. When they observed resistance, they took necessary action against it. But it was not followed till the end. The plan was to increase the productivity. When the market slowed down, necessary action should have been taken like workforce reduction or aggressive marketing to bring sufficient jobs for the highly motivated workforce. 6. Evaluation Change managers can evaluate the effectiveness of the process using Key Performance Indicators, at any stage of implementation. Generally, planning engineer or implementation team is not involved because of the obvious vested interests. Middle management can do it better, with unbiased views. This can be done with process inspections and audits. New processes can be reviewed and compared with the chosen process. After doing so, if any problem is identified, necessary adjustments need to be made to the process; this can be repeated several times. This continues and the process becomes a driver for the next change. (Price and Chahal, 2006) In our case study, this step was almost neglected by the change managers. They either failed to analyze the less productivity resulting from the slow market growth or failed to incorporate necessary changes in the process to achieve the vision. Conclusion: Change management is a very complex process because of the different factors involved in it. Though there is no globally accepted model, we can use different models in the same situation. Some models are easier to use, while others need more critical analysis according to the situation. It depends on the change manager to adapt a certain process. If all the steps are followed through, keeping the vision in mind, we can successfully implement change. Otherwise it can be as disastrous as company closure.

A View From Teh Bridge :: essays research papers

A View from the Bridge - Carbone family and community in scene 1 [-red-] Eddie is very protective of Catherine. Eddie seems very concerned as to the welfare of Catherine. "Where you goin' all dressed up?" "where you goin'?" "whats going on?" "I think its too short ain't it?" Eddie doesn't want Catherine to grow up "you're walking wavy!" He is concerned that she might get sexually assaulted or may be taken advantage of by men. Catherine disapproves of his protectiveness and nearly starts to cry "almost in tears because she disapproves". There seems to be a link between Catherine and B, Catherine wanted to wait until B was there before she broke her news. It is as if B understands Catherine but Eddie does not. This is shown by the fact the Catherine brakes the news to B. before she tells Eddie. Catherine feels that she can be more open with B than with Eddie. Eddie thinks that B. is too friendly, he is worried that they might end up sleeping on the floor and their guests might end up having the beds. Eddie wants Catherine to finish school and once again this shows concern for Catherine, but B sides with Catherine, once again it is as if they have an understanding with each other. B knows that Eddie is being too over protective and that they cannot keep Catherine in cotton wool all of her life. Eddie does want the best for Catherine but B realises that she may not get another well-paid job like this one. Eddie considers Catherine as a little project "I supported you this far I want to support you a little more". As a result Eddie finds it hard to let go of Catherine. This is shown by the fact that is takes Eddie a while to be persuaded by B. that the work is the best thing. Eddie is worried that once Catharine has her job she will get her own place and they will never see her again. "And then you will come visit on Sundays, then once a month, then Christmas and new years finally" I get the idea that B understands what Eddie is going through and that there is an understanding between them because of this. After reading the 1st scene that Catherine objects to being wrapped in cotton wool for all of her life, she wants to walk wavy and she want to go out with boys.

Amos 9 :: essays research papers fc

Exegetical Paper: Amos 9:5-10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  -I will be examining Amos 9:5-10 The message that the author is trying to convey in Amos 9:5-10 is that YHWH has proven himself to the people to be a trustworthy and loyal God. He helped resurrect Israel, the Philistines and the Arameans. In turn these people, particularly the Israelites, have betrayed his trust by acting sinfully toward the kingdom of Israel. The Lord YHWH will judge those people of Israel who are called to do right but who choose to do wrong. The wrongdoers being those that have acted sinfully. Amos, in vision, saw the Lord standing upon the altar at Bethel. God has come for one thing and one thing alone, judgment. There is no escaping the Lord now, for wherever he stands, one can be seen. YHWH has an inescapable presence. Those whom he opposes can find no shelter; wherever they go, his eyes will follow. Wherever sinners flee from YHWH’s justice, it will overtake them. Not only does God have an inescapable presence, he also has the power to do virtually anything imaginable with the Earth. As mentioned in Amos 9:5-6: â€Å"The Lord, the LORD Almighty, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who live in it mourn—the whole land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt—he who builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the Earth, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—the LORD is his name.† Those whom sin or rebel against God will seek an unwanted response. W hether that unwanted resonse be an earthquake, volcano or any other natural disaster. If one is respectful of YHWH they will be respected back in turn and will someday be brought to heaven. Those whom God brings to heaven by his grace, shall never be cast down; but those who seek to climb up by vain confidence in themselves, will be cast down and filled with shame and embarrassment. That which makes escape impossible. YHWH will set his eyes upon them for evil, not for good. If one is honestly sin-free they will someday find heaven but as for those whom have sinned and then turn around and to try and make it up to the Lord, they will never seek his approval therefore not resorting to heaven.

Rome :: essays research papers

Rome began as a small city-state. It's army and way of running government remained the same as the small city grew to a huge empire. Somehow, this small-time system of management lasted for 600 years. It's obvious ill suitedness showed through though, when Rome's once strong rigid links began to jingle. When Rome began to crumble, its army went first. Besides causing civil unrest, with the people knowing their army was less than satisfactory, the loss of the army's comforting presence also caused a feeling of weakness about Rome.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economy of Rome was not perfect either. Though the taxes were heavy, they were not able to cover the cost of government and construction of public buildings, the maintenance of the army, support two capitals, etc. etc. Because of this, Rome's splendor and beauty began to diminish (without the public funding to preserve the beauty), unrepaired roads and bridges, increased banditry, danger in travel (hence decreased trade), and a weak army. This was all because Rome did not organize an economic style made for and fitting an empire of its size.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A final force in the decay of Rome, perhaps as a result of the previous mentioned, was loss of public morale and values. Although in general, Rome was always mainly without the morals righteous people try to uphold today, Romans were hardworking, athletic, philosophical, stern, noble, and patriotic. When public morale decreased, however, Rome fell into a pit of laziness, unethical, disloyal dishonesty. One example of how this effected society, is when armies were pressured to work hard, the disloyal soldiers abandoned their legions to flee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rome's main problem, as you can see, is the combination of all of these factors.

Ike Wister Turner

Ike Wister Turner came into this world on November 5, 1931. He was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. He is most popularly known for his 1960s work with his then wife Tina Turner in the Ike & Tina Turner revue. As a teenager in high school he led his own music group, the Kings of Rhythm. He employed the group as his backing band for the rest of his life. His first recording, â€Å"Rocket 88† with the Kings of Rhythm credited as â€Å"Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats†, in 1951, is considered a possible contender for â€Å"first rock and roll song†. Relocating to St. Louis, Missouri in 1954, he built the Kings into one of the most renowned acts on the local club circuit. It was there he met singer Anna Mae Bullock, whom he married and renamed Tina Turner, forming the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, which over the course of the sixties became a soul/rock crossover success. Throughout his career Turner won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for three others. Alongside his former wife, Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Allegations by Tina Turner in her autobiography of her abusive relationship with Turner and the film adaptation of this coupled with his cocaine addiction damaged Turner's career in the 1980s and 1990s. He claims to have spent more than $100,000 on coke in a two-month period in 1989 . Addicted to cocaine and crack for at least 15 years, â€Å"I was on a 15-year party,† he says. â€Å"This hole in my nose was so bad that when I would go to sleep, it would be hurtin' so much that I would be tryin' to get my hand up behind my eyeballs†¦ Pain. The first thing I'd want to do when I got up was get cocaine and put it in my nose. That would deaden the pain. † Turner was convicted of drug offenses, serving seventeen months in prison between July 1989 and 1991. He spent the rest of the 1990s free of his addiction. Near the end of his life, he returned to live performance as a front man and produced two albums returning to his blues roots, which were critically well received and award-winning. Turner has frequently been referred to as a ‘great innovator' of Rock and Roll by contemporaries such as Little Richard and Johnny Otis. Phil Alexander (then editor-in-chief of Mojo magazine) described Turner as ‘the cornerstone of modern day rock ‘n' roll'. He spent the 1990s free of his addiction, but relapsed in 2004. Ike Turner was found dead of an accidental cocaine over dead on December 12 2007 at his home in San Marcos in San Diego County.

Chapter 20 The First Task

Harry got up on Sunday morning and dressed so inattentively that it was a while before he realized he was trying to pull his hat onto his foot instead of his sock. When he'd finally got all his clothes on the right parts of his body, he hurried off to find Hermione, locating her at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, where she was eating breakfast with Ginny. Feeling too queasy to eat, Harry waited until Hermione had swallowed her last spoonful of porridge, then dragged her out onto the grounds. There, he told her all about the dragons, and about everything Sirius had said, while they took another long walk around the lake. Alarmed as she was by Sirius's warnings about Karkaroff, Hermione still thought that the dragons were the more pressing problem. â€Å"Let's just try and keep you alive until Tuesday evening,† she said desperately, â€Å"and then we can worry about Karkaroff.† They walked three times around the lake, trying all the way to think of a simple spell that would subdue a dragon. Nothing whatsoever occurred to them, so they retired to the library instead. Here, Harry pulled down every book he could find on dragons, and both of them set to work searching through the large pile. â€Å"Talon-clipping by charms†¦treating scale-rot†¦' This is no good, this is for nutters like Hagrid who want to keep them healthy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate†¦' But Sirius said a simple one would do it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Let's try some simple spellbooks, then,† said Harry, throwing aside Men Who Love Dragons Too Much. He returned to the table with a pile of spellbooks, set them down, and began to flick through each in turn, Hermione whispering nonstop at his elbow. â€Å"Well, there are Switching Spells†¦but what's the point of Switching it? Unless you swapped its fangs for wine-gums or something that would make it less dangerous†¦.The trouble is, like that book said, not much is going to get through a dragon's hide†¦.I'd say Transfigure it, but something that big, you really haven't got a hope, I doubt even Professor McGonagall†¦unless you're supposed to put the spell on yourself? Maybe to give yourself extra powers? But they're not simple spells, I mean, we haven't done any of those in class, I only know about them because I've been doing O.W.L. practice papers†¦.† â€Å"Hermione,† Harry said, through gritted teeth, â€Å"will you shut up for a bit, please? I m trying to concentrate.† But all that happened, when Hermione fell silent, was that Harry's brain filled with a sort of blank buzzing, which didn't seem to allow room for concentration. He stared hopelessly down the index of Basic Hexes for the Busy and Vexed. Instant scalping†¦but dragons had no hair†¦pepper breath†¦that would probably increase a dragon's firepower†¦horn tongue†¦just what he needed, to give it an extra weapon†¦ â€Å"Oh no, he's back again, why can't he read on his stupid ship?† said Hermione irritably as Viktor Krum slouched in, cast a surly look over at the pair of them, and settled himself in a distant corner with a pile of books. â€Å"Come on, Harry, we'll go back to the common room†¦his fan club'll be here in a moment, twittering away†¦.† And sure enough, as they left the library, a gang of girls tiptoed past them, one of them wearing a Bulgaria scarf tied around her waist. Harry barely slept that night. When he awoke on Monday morning, he seriously considered for the first time ever just running away from Hogwarts. But as he looked around the Great Hall at breakfast time, and thought about what leaving the castle would mean, he knew he couldn't do it. It was the only place he had ever been happy†¦well, he supposed he must have been happy with his parents too, but he couldn't remember that. Somehow, the knowledge that he would rather be here and facing a dragon than back on Privet Drive with Dudley was good to know; it made him feel slightly calmer. He finished his bacon with difficulty (his throat wasn't working too well), and as he and Hermione got up, he saw Cedric Diggory leaving the Hufflepuff table. Cedric still didn't know about the dragons†¦the only champion who didn't, if Harry was right in thinking that Maxime and Karkaroff would have told Fleur and Krum†¦. â€Å"Hermione, I'll see you in the greenhouses,† Harry said, coming to his decision as he watched Cedric leaving the Hall. â€Å"Go on, I'll catch you up.† â€Å"Harry, you'll be late, the bell's about to ring -â€Å" â€Å"I'll catch you up, okay?† By the time Harry reached the bottom of the marble staircase, Cedric was at the top. He was with a load of sixth-year friends. Harry didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; they were among those who had been quoting Rita Skeeter's article at him every time he went near them. He followed Cedric at a distance and saw that he was heading toward the Charms corridor. This gave Harry an idea. Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand, and took careful aim. â€Å"Diffindo!† Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed. â€Å"Don't bother,† said Cedric in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. â€Å"Tell Flitwick I'm coming, go on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. He slipped his wand back into his robes, waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared into their classroom, and hurried up the corridor, which was now empty of everyone but himself and Cedric. â€Å"Hi,† said Cedric, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. â€Å"My bag just split†¦brand-new and all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Cedric,† said Harry, â€Å"the first task is dragons.† â€Å"What?† said Cedric, looking up. â€Å"Dragons,† said Harry, speaking quickly, in case Professor Flitwick came out to see where Cedric had got to. â€Å"They've got four, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them.† Cedric stared at him. Harry saw some of the panic he'd been feeling since Saturday night flickering in Cedric's gray eyes. â€Å"Are you sure?† Cedric said in a hushed voice. â€Å"Dead sure,† said Harry. â€Å"I've seen them.† â€Å"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know†¦.† â€Å"Never mind,† said Harry quickly – he knew Hagrid would be in trouble if he told the truth. â€Å"But I'm not the only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now – Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too.† Cedric straightened up, his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes. â€Å"Why are you telling me?† he asked. Harry looked at him in disbelief. He was sure Cedric wouldn't have asked that if he had seen the dragons himself. Harry wouldn't have let his worst enemy face those monsters unprepared – well, perhaps Malfoy or Snape†¦. â€Å"It's just†¦fair, isn't it?† he said to Cedric. â€Å"We all know now†¦we're on an even footing, aren't we?† Cedric was still hooking at him in a slightly suspicious way when Harry heard a familiar clunking noise behind him. He turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom. â€Å"Come with me, Potter,† he growled. â€Å"Diggory, off you go.† Harry stared apprehensively at Moody. Had he overheard them? â€Å"Er – Professor, I'm supposed to be in Herbology -â€Å" â€Å"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry followed him, wondering what was going to happen to him now. What if Moody wanted to know how he'd found out about the dragons? Would Moody go to Dumbledore and tell on Hagrid, or just turn Harry into a ferret? Well, it might be easier to get past a dragon if he were a ferret, Harry thought dully, he'd be smaller, much less easy to see from a height of fifty feet†¦. He followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one. â€Å"That was a very decent thing you just did, Potter,† Moody said quietly. Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all. â€Å"Sit down,† said Moody, and Harry sat, looking around. He had visited this office under two of its previous occupants. In Professor Lockhart's day, the walls had been plastered with beaming, winking pictures of Professor Lockhart himself. When Lupin had lived here, you were more likely to come across a specimen of some fascinating new Dark creature he had procured for them to study in class. Now, however, the office was full of a number of exceptionally odd objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in the days when he had been an Auror. On his desk stood what looked hike a large, cracked, glass spinning top; Harry recognized it at once as a Sneakoscope, because he owned one himself, though it was much smaller than Moody's. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial. It was humming slightly. What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus. â€Å"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?† said Moody, who was watching Harry closely. â€Å"What's that?† Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial. â€Å"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies†¦no use here, of course, too much interference – students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile around. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff,† he added in a growl. â€Å"And what's the mirror for?† â€Å"Oh that's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk.† He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It had seven keyholes in a row. Harry wondered what was in there, until Moody's next question brought him sharply back to earth. â€Å"So†¦found out about the dragons, have you?† Harry hesitated. He'd been afraid of this – but he hadn't told Cedric, and he certainly wasn't going to tell Moody, that Hagrid had broken the rules. â€Å"It's all right,† said Moody, sitting down and stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. â€Å"Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been.† â€Å"I didn't cheat,† said Harry sharply. â€Å"It was – a sort of accident that I found out.† Moody grinned. â€Å"I wasn't accusing you, laddie. I've been telling Dumbledore from the start, he can be as high-minded as he likes, but you can bet old Karkaroff and Maxime won't be. They'll have told their champions everything they can. They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human.† Moody gave another harsh laugh, and his magical eye swiveled around so fast it made Harry feel queasy to watch it. â€Å"So†¦got any ideas how you're going to get past your dragon yet?† said Moody. â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"Well, I'm not going to tell you,† said Moody gruffly. â€Å"I don't show favoritism, me. I'm just going to give you some good, general advice. And the first bit is – play to your strengths.† â€Å"I haven't got any,† said Harry, before he could stop himself. â€Å"Excuse me,† growled Moody, â€Å"you've got strengths if I say you've got them. Think now. What are you best at?† Harry tried to concentrate. What was he best at? Well, that was easy, really – â€Å"Quidditch,† he said dully, â€Å"and a fat lot of help -â€Å" â€Å"That's right,† said Moody, staring at him very hard, his magical eye barely moving at all. â€Å"You're a damn good flier from what I've heard.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry stared at him. â€Å"I'm not allowed a broom, I've only got my wand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My second piece of general advice,† said Moody loudly, interrupting him, â€Å"is to use a nice, simple spell that will enable you to get what you need.† Harry looked at him blankly. What did he need? â€Å"Come on, boy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  whispered Moody. â€Å"Put them together†¦it's not that difficult†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And it clicked. He was best at flying. He needed to pass the dragon in the air. For that, he needed his Firebolt. And for his Fire-bolt, he needed – â€Å"Hermione,† Harry whispered, when he had sped into greenhouse three minutes later, uttering a hurried apology to Professor Sprout as he passed her. â€Å"Hermione – I need you to help me.† â€Å"What d'you think I've been trying to do, Harry?† she whispered back, her eyes round with anxiety over the top of the quivering Flutterby Bush she was pruning. â€Å"Hermione, I need to learn how to do a Summoning Charm properly by tomorrow afternoon.† And so they practiced. They didn't have lunch, but headed for a free classroom, where Harry tried with all his might to make various objects fly across the room toward him. He was still having problems. The books and quills kept losing heart halfway across the room and dropping hike stones to the floor. â€Å"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate†¦.† â€Å"What d'you think I'm trying to do?† said Harry angrily. â€Å"A great big dragon keeps popping up in my head for some reason†¦Okay, try again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He wanted to skip Divination to keep practicing, but Hermione refused point-blank to skive off Arithmancy, and there was no point in staying without her. He therefore had to endure over an hour of Professor Trelawney, who spent half the lesson telling everyone that the position of Mars with relation to Saturn at that moment meant that people born in July were in great danger of sudden, violent deaths. â€Å"Well, that's good,† said Harry loudly, his temper getting the better of him, â€Å"just as long as it's not drawn-out. I don't want to suffer.† Ron looked for a moment as though he was going to laugh; he certainly caught Harry's eye for the first time in days, but Harry was still feeling too resentful toward Ron to care. He spent the rest of the lesson trying to attract small objects toward him under the table with his wand. He managed to make a fly zoom straight into his hand, though he wasn't entirely sure that was his prowess at Summoning Charms – perhaps the fly was just stupid. He forced down some dinner after Divination, then returned to the empty classroom with Hermione, using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid the teachers. They kept practicing until past midnight. They would have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think that Harry wanted things thrown at him, started chucking chairs across the room. Harry and Hermione left in a hurry before the noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, which was now mercifully empty. At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm. â€Å"That's better, Harry, that's loads better,† Hermione said, looking exhausted but very pleased. â€Å"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell,† Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Hermione, so he could try again, â€Å"threaten me with a dragon. Right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He raised his wand once more. â€Å"Accio Dictionary!† The heavy book soared out of Hermione's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it. â€Å"Harry, I really think you've got it!† said Hermione delightedly. â€Å"Just as long as it works tomorrow,† Harry said. â€Å"The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That doesn't matter,† said Hermione firmly.† Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come. Harry, we'd better get some sleep†¦you're going to need it.† Harry had been focusing so hard on learning the Summoning Charm that evening that some of his blind panic had heft him. It returned in full measure, however, on the following morning. The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure – though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there. Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing â€Å"We'll have a box of tissues ready, Potter† as he passed. It was a state of nervousness so advanced that he wondered whether he mightn't just lose his head when they tried to lead him out to his dragon, and start trying to curse everyone in sight. Time was behaving in a more peculiar fashion than ever, rushing past in great dollops, so that one moment he seemed to be sitting down in his first lesson, History of Magic, and the next, walking into lunch†¦and then (where had the morning gone? the last of the dragon-free hours?), Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to him in the Great Hall. Lots of people were watching. â€Å"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now†¦.You have to get ready for your first task.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter. â€Å"Good luck, Harry,† Hermione whispered. â€Å"You'll be fine!† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own. He heft the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on his shoulder. â€Å"Now, don't panic,† she said, â€Å"just keep a cool head†¦.We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand†¦.The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you†¦.Are you all right?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry heard himself say. â€Å"Yes, I'm fine.† She was leading him toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Harry saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view. â€Å"You're to go in here with the other champions,† said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, â€Å"and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there†¦he'll be telling you the – the procedure†¦. Good luck.† â€Å"Thanks,† said Harry, in a flat, distant voice. She left him at the entrance of the tent. Harry went inside. Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a how wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When Harry entered, Cedric gave him a small smile, which Harry returned, feeling the muscles in his face working rather hard, as though they had forgotten how to do it. â€Å"Harry! Good-o!† said Bagman happily, looking around at him. â€Å"Come in, come in, make yourself at home!† Bagman looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again. â€Å"Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!† said Bagman brightly. â€Å"When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag† – he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them – â€Å"from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different – er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too†¦ah, yes†¦your task is to collect the golden egg!† Harry glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur Delacour and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry felt. But they, at least, had volunteered for this†¦ And in no time at all, hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of feet could be heard passing the tent, their owners talking excitedly, laughing, joking†¦.Harry felt as separate from the crowd as though they were a different species. And then – it seemed like about a second later to Harry – Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack. â€Å"Ladies first,† he said, offering it to Fleur Delacour. She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck And Harry knew, by the fact that Fleur showed no sign of surprise, but rather a determined resignation, that he had been right: Madame Maxime had told her what was coming. The same held true for Krum. He pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground. Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Knowing what was left, Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs. â€Å"Well, there you are!† said Bagman. â€Å"You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now†¦Harry†¦could I have a quick word? Outside?† â€Å"Er†¦yes,† said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman, who walked him a short distance away, into the trees, and then turned to him with a fatherly expression on his face. â€Å"Feeling all right, Harry? Anything I can get you?† â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"I – no, nothing.† â€Å"Got a plan?† said Bagman, lowering his voice conspiratorially. â€Å"Because I don't mind sharing a few pointers, if you'd like them, you know. I mean,† Bagman continued, lowering his voice still further, â€Å"you're the underdog here, Harry†¦.Anything I can do to help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No,† said Harry so quickly he knew he had sounded rude, â€Å"no – I – I know what I'm going to do, thanks.† â€Å"Nobody would know, Harry,† said Bagman, winking at him. â€Å"No, I'm fine,† said Harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine. â€Å"I've got a plan worked out, I -â€Å" A whistle had blown somewhere. â€Å"Good lord, I've got to run!† said Bagman in alarm, and he hurried off. Harry walked back to the tent and saw Cedric emerging from it, greener than ever. Harry tried to wish him luck as he walked past, but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of hoarse grunt. Harry went back inside to Fleur and Krum. Seconds hater, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model†¦. It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed†¦yelled†¦gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum was still staring at the ground. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent. And Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse†¦.Horrible pictures formed in Harry's mind as he heard: â€Å"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"He's taking risks, this one!†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Clever move – pity it didn't work!† And then, after about fifteen minutes, Harry heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg. â€Å"Very good indeed!† Bagman was shouting. â€Å"And now the marks from the judges!† But he didn't shout out the marks; Harry supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd. â€Å"One down, three to go!† Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. â€Å"Miss Delacour, if you please!† Fleur was trembling from head to foot; Harry felt more warmly toward her than he had done so far as she heft the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. He and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze. The same process started again†¦.†Oh I'm not sure that was wise!† they could hear Bagman shouting gleefully. â€Å"Oh†¦nearly! Careful now†¦good lord, I thought she'd had it then!† Ten minutes later, Harry heard the crowd erupt into applause once more†¦.Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown†¦more clapping†¦then, for the third time, the whistle. â€Å"And here comes Mr. Krum!† cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry quite alone. He felt much more aware of his body than usual; very aware of the way his heart was pumping fast, and his fingers tingling with fear†¦yet at the same time, he seemed to be outside himself, seeing the walls of the tent, and hearing the crowd, as though from far away. â€Å"Very daring!† Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. â€Å"That's some nerve he's showing – and – yes, he's got the egg!† Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished – it would be Harry's turn any moment. He stood up, noticing dimly that his legs seemed to be made of marshmallow. He waited. And then he heard the whistle blow. He walked out through the entrance of the tent, the panic rising into a crescendo inside him. And now he was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence. He saw everything in front of him as though it was a very highly colored dream. There were hundreds and hundreds of faces staring down at him from stands that had been magicked there since he'd last stood on this spot. And there was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon him, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't know or care. It was time to do what he had to do†¦to focus his mind, entirely and absolutely, upon the thing that was his only chance. He raised his wand. â€Å"Accio Firebolt!† he shouted. Harry waited, every fiber of him hoping, praying†¦.If it hadn't worked†¦if it wasn't coming†¦He seemed to be looking at everything around him through some sort of shimmering, transparent barrier, like a heat haze, which made the enclosure and the hundreds of faces around him swim strangely†¦. And then he heard it, speeding through the air behind him; he turned and saw his Firebolt hurtling toward him around the edge of the woods, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in midair beside him, waiting for him to mount. The crowd was making even more noise†¦.Bagman was shouting something†¦but Harry's ears were not working properly anymore†¦listening wasn't important†¦. He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground. And a second later, something miraculous happened†¦. As he soared upward, as the wind rushed through his hair, as the crowd's faces became mere flesh-colored pinpnicks below, and the Horntail shrank to the size of a dog, he realized that he had left not only the ground behind, but also his fear†¦.He was back where he belonged†¦. This was just another Quidditch match, that was all†¦just another Quidditch match, and that Horntail was just another ugly opposing team†¦. He looked down at the clutch of eggs and spotted the gold one, gleaming against its cement-colored fellows, residing safely between the dragon's front legs. â€Å"Okay,† Harry told himself, â€Å"diversionary tactics†¦let's go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He dived. The Horntail's head followed him; he knew what it was going to do and pulled out of the dive just in time; a jet of fire had been released exactly where he would have been had he not swerved away†¦but Harry didn't care†¦that was no more than dodging a Bludger†¦. â€Å"Great Scott, he can fly!† yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. â€Å"Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?† Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck – if he kept this up, it would be nicely dizzy – but better not push it too long, or it would be breathing fire again – Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky – he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes – He could feel it stinging, he could hear screaming and groans from the crowd, but the cut didn't seem to be deep†¦.Now he zoomed around the back of the Horntail, and a possibility occurred to him†¦. The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. Though she writhed and twisted, furling and unfurling her wings and keeping those fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, she was afraid to move too far from them†¦but he had to persuade her to do it, or he'd never get near them†¦.The trick was to do it carefully, gradually†¦. He began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared†¦. He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, hike a snake before its charmer†¦. Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now†¦.She shot fire into the air, which he dodged†¦.Her jaws opened wide†¦. â€Å"Come on,† Harry hissed, swerving tantalizingly above her, â€Å"come on, come and get me†¦up you get now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane – and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs – he had taken his hands off his Firebolt – he had seized the golden egg – And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm, and it was as though somebody had just turned the volume back up – for the first time, he became properly aware of the noise of the crowd, which was screaming and applauding as loudly as the Irish supporters at the World Cup – â€Å"Look at that!† Bagman was yelling. â€Å"Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!† Harry saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue the Horntail, and, over at the entrance to the enclosure, Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurrying to meet him, all of them waving him toward them, their smiles evident even from this distance. He flew back over the stands, the noise of the crowd pounding his eardrums, and came in smoothly to land, his heart lighter than it had been in weeks†¦.He had got through the first task, he had survived†¦. â€Å"That was excellent, Potter!† cried Professor McGonagall as he got off the Firebolt – which from her was extravagant praise. He noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at his shoulder. â€Å"You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score†¦.Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already†¦.† â€Å"Yeh did it, Harry!† said Hagrid hoarsely. â€Å"Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -â€Å" â€Å"Thanks, Hagrid,† said Harry loudly, so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and reveal that he had shown Harry the dragons beforehand. Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket. â€Å"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter,† he growled. â€Å"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Professor McGonagall. Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried. â€Å"Dragons!† she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously all the while. â€Å"Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky†¦this is quite shallow†¦it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though†¦.† She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly. â€Å"Now, just sit quietly for a minute – sit! And then you can go and get your score.† She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, â€Å"How does it feel now, Diggory?† Harry didn't want to sit still. He was too full of adrenaline. He got to his feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before he'd reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside – Hermione, followed closely by Ron. â€Å"Harry, you were brilliant!† Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. â€Å"You were amazing! You really were!† But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost. â€Å"Harry,† he said, very seriously, â€Å"whoever put your name in that goblet – I – I reckon they're trying to do you in!† It was as though the last few weeks had never happened – as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion. â€Å"Caught on, have you?† said Harry coldly. â€Å"Took you long enough.† Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn't need to hear it. â€Å"It's okay,† he said, before Ron could get the words out. â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"No,† said Ron, â€Å"I shouldn't've -â€Å" â€Å"Forget it, â€Å"Harry said. Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears. â€Å"There's nothing to cry about!† Harry told her, bewildered. â€Å"You two are so stupid!† she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling. â€Å"Barking mad,† said Ron, shaking his head. â€Å"Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores†¦.† Picking up the golden egg and his Firebolt, feeling more elated than he would have believed possible an hour ago, Harry ducked out of the tent, Ron by his side, talking fast. â€Å"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground†¦turned it into a dog†¦he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well – the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance – well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire – she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum – you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs – they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them.† Ron drew breath as he and Harry reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, Harry could see where the five judges were sitting – right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold. â€Å"It's marks out of ten from each one,† Ron said, and Harry squinting up the field, saw the first judge – Madame Maxime – raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight. â€Å"Not bad!† said Ron as the crowd applauded. â€Å"I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air. â€Å"Looking good!† Ron yelled, thumping Harry on the back. Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Ludo Bagman – ten. â€Å"Ten?† said Harry in disbelief. â€Å"But†¦I got hurt†¦.What's he playing at?† â€Å"Harry, don't complain!† Ron yelled excitedly. And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too – four. â€Å"What?† Ron bellowed furiously. â€Å"Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!† But Harry didn't care, he wouldn't have cared if Karkaroff had given him zero; Ron's indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him. He didn't tell Ron this, of course, but his heart felt lighter than air as he turned to leave the enclosure. And it wasn't just Ron†¦those weren't only Gryffindors cheering in the crowd. When it had come to it, when they had seen what he was facing, most of the school had been on his side as well as Cedric's†¦.He didn't care about the Slytherins, he could stand whatever they threw at him now. â€Å"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!† said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. â€Å"Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened – but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah – and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes†¦.Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent.† Ron said he would wait, so Harry reentered the tent, which somehow looked quite different now: friendly and welcoming. He thought back to how he'd felt while dodging the Horntail, and compared it to the long wait before he'd walked out to face it†¦.There was no comparison; the wait had been immeasurably worse. Fleur, Cedric, and Krum all came in together. One side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn. He grinned at Harry when he saw him. â€Å"Good one, Harry.† â€Å"And you,† said Harry, grinning back. â€Å"Well done, all of you!† said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. â€Å"Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth – but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open†¦see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg – because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!† Harry left the tent, rejoined Ron, and they started to walk back around the edge of the forest, talking hard; Harry wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Then, as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Harry had first heard the dragons roar, a witch leapt out from behind them. It was Rita Skeeter. She was wearing acid-green robes today; the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them. â€Å"Congratulations, Harry!† she said, beaming at him. â€Å"I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?† â€Å"Yeah, you can have a word,† said Harry savagely. â€Å"Good-bye.† And he set off back to the castle with Ron.