Alternative Point of View (Fleur Delacour)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Viktor jogs into the maze after Cedric and Harry, while Fleur stands shivering in the June air, not because it's cold, but because she is terrified of the hedge that looms above her head. It seems like forever before the horn is blown for the 4th time, and Fleur is called to the entrance. With one last rattling breath, she walks into the foggy maze, unsure of what to expect. Remembering that the Triwizard Cup is at stake, she breaks into a jog and prepares for whatever could lie ahead.
The leaves of the hedge have a frost covering them, despite the warm air outside the maze. How can this be? Fleur thinks to herself as she reaches the first corner. Before she has any time to consider this, a dark figure drifts out of nowhere towards her. Stunned, she takes a step back, but trips on a root and falls to the ground. The air is sucked of the little life it had, and the dementor looms closer; thirsty for the memories of Fleur's mind. But Madam Maxime has been training her for this competition for a long time.
'Expecto Patronum!' she yells into the darkness. A brilliant silver swan erupts from the tip of her wand, immediately swooping towards the dementor. It tries to fight back, but the swan is relentless, and the dementor is forced to flee the maze.
Fleur pauses for a moment; she wants to make sure it does not come back. Brushing off the dirt from her pants, she continues moving into the maze.
'Lumos,' she whispers, and the tip of her wand begins to glow. As she wonders, she starts questioning her choice to partake in the tournament. There could be anything in this maze! By coming to this country she had put her own sister in danger! Everyone is crazy in this school; what were they thinking, putting a fourteen year-old child under the lake?
She hears a rustling sound behind her; her anger is driven from her mind as she turns on her heel.
''Arry?' she whispers 'is zat you?' When no one replies, she starts to edge towards where she heard the sound. But there is no one…
Preoccupied with the eerie silence that now surrounds her, she trips on another root, and lands heavily on her elbow. Her wand falls from her hand and rolls out of reach. Before she can get up, the rustling returns, but louder. It's moving towards her. She can't get up; the root around her foot has tightened. A strong gale sweeps through the maze; her silvery sheet of hair flips onto her face so her vision is obscured and the fog is blown away. Through the strands, she thinks she can see the hedge closing on itself, but that can't be? Not taking any chances, she tries to reach for her wand, but it's too far away.
As the rustling moves closer, it begins to sound more like a crashing. This only makes Fleur panic more as she tries to rip the root with her bare hands. It's no use. Defeated, she lets out a desperate cry.
''ELP ME!'
The hedge is finally upon her. It slows as it reaches her legs. As if she is sinking into quicksand, she is absorbed into the leaves. She gives up and rests her head on the uneven ground, tears flowing down her face. Only her arm is left visible when she hears another sound.
'Fleur?'
''Arry!' Fleur tries to say, but she finds that she is paralysed. Perhaps the maze used a paralysation charm? As she continues to sink into the hedge, she sees Harry through the leaves and branches; he's picking up her wand. Red sparks shoot into the air, before he drops the wand and continues on through the labyrinth.
The crowd cheers as Fleur exits the maze accompanied by Madame Maxime and Alastor Moody, who used his magical eye to find her in the maze. The two other headmasters, Dumbledore and Karkaroff, approach them.
'Monsieur Dumbly-dorr!' Fleur said, tears still rolling down her cheeks, 'what were you zinking!? A dementor in ze maze?'
'All in good fun, my dear, it was merely a boggart!' smiled Dumbledore, 'I trust you will be taking good care of lovely Fleur here, Olympe?'
'Of course!' said Madame Maxime as she steers Fleur to an empty seat by the elbow. Fleur's sister Gabrielle runs over and collapses into her arms.
'I was zo worried!' she sobbed 'I zought you would be killed!'
Fleur says nothing, but tightens her hug, never wanting to part with her sister again. Some red sparks fly into the air from the maze; someone else must be in trouble. Fleur sits up straight as Moody enters the maze again, this time with Karkaroff.
A few minutes later, the two teachers emerge from the maze, with Viktor Krum hovering in front of them; as if he is on an invisible stretcher. Fleur stands up and sees that Krum's eyes are open, but they're vacant and have a blue glow to them. He's been cursed, and by the way his arms are tight by his side, he's been hit with a paralysing jinx.
He continues hovering into the healer's tent, and is out of sight.