Daring, Nerve and Chivalry

by

Justin Jossart

A/N: So here's the First Task! I hope it meets all of your expectations. You guys should get a pretty good idea of the pairing from this chapter. If not, then I don't know what to tell you.

Elvander72: He's already started to. Notice that he didn't have any wariness towards her before forging his sword, but now she's sending small alarm bells ringing through his head.

Nysk: I'm not going to burn myself out. This story is eating through my week off from work, though. I can't seem to put it down. As for Bella/Harry... I think that it's really only possible in time travel fics and Dark Harry fics. I just can't see Light Harry getting with post-Voldemort Bella, even if she reformed. Too much bad blood there.

01eggy10: Well, you got your wish.

Mwinter1: Lyra Aurora Noir is the name Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black chose when she used a Dark Ritual to regain her youth.

Guests: Hermione and Ron are Harry's best friends. They always have been. I know that neither of them are the most popular of characters, but they will play a major role in the story. I can't see a Light Harry abandoning them. Grey or Dark, maybe, but a Light Harry? Not a chance. I do think that you're being a bit too hard on Hermione. She is a good, loyal friend who has never done anything but stay by Harry's side, even at her own detriment. As for her 'tantrum,' I think that you are being a bit harsh. She's only ever had two friends in her entire life. When one of them suddenly changes beyond recognition, of course she's going to be upset.

Arthas Potter: It wasn't originally going to be that long, but it kind of got away from me. I had so much fun writing it, to be honest, even if it was mostly filler.

Chapter Seven

Harry hated Portkeys. This was the third time he'd used one, and it was the third time he'd landed on his ass, except this time he'd fallen into a large puddle. Fleur's musical laughter echoed through the cave that they'd appeared in as the blonde doubled over, unable to contain her mirth. "Are you okay, 'Arry?"

"Nothing injured," he replied irritably. "Nothing except my pride, anyway."

"Come 'ere." The French witch cast a Drying Charm on his wet clothing. "It is okay, 'Arry. I will not tell a soul. Ze Visual Devices, on ze other hand, may not be so discerning." She gestured towards the cameras flitting about the cave.

"Fantastic," Harry said dryly as he realized that the entire magical world had witnessed humiliation. Draco Malfoy was probably laughing himself silly. "Let's just get on with this."

"As you wish, mon amie." The duo studied the cave they'd been transported to. There didn't seem to be any clear exits. There was a hole the size of a quaffle in the ceiling, which let in a decent amount of light, but was definitely too small for either of them to fit through.

"Do you see anything?"

"Non." Harry followed the wall going one direction, while his teammate went the opposite way. He was looking for cracks, crevices, anything that could lead them through to the next obstacle. "'Arry! I 'ave found something!" Harry jogged to her location across the cave. She was standing beside a large boulder, her lithe body pressed against the wall. "Zere is something behind 'ere."

Harry pressed himself against the cave wall, and sure enough, there was a slim crack between the boulder and the wall, lit by a dim source of fire beyond. "I see it." He looked at her, expecting some hocus-pocus, but it seemed like she was waiting for him to do something.

"What are you waiting for? Make with ze pushing,"

"Excuse me? Use a Reductor Curse and turn the whole thing to rubble," he replied, stepping away from the boulder. The thing was almost as tall as he was and at least five feet across.

"Very well." The blonde twirled her wand at the boulder, launching a bright blue beam of light... that ricocheted off the apparently warded stone and exploded against the ceiling above, showering them with a hail of large stones. Harry dove towards his teammate, twisting as he grabbed her, knocking them both to the ground and out of the way of the falling rubble. The young man landed roughly on his back as intended.

"So forward, 'Arry," Fleur teased as she lay on his torso. "Careful, a lady may get ze wrong impression." She giggled at his blush, standing and dusting herself off. "I told you zat we were better off moving ze stone by 'and."

"Pushing it is, then."

"Next time we do things my way," Fleur flashed him a dazzling grin.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry grunted as he threw his shoulder against the huge stone blocking their path. Ever so slowly, the rock started to move. His back and shoulders flexed with the effort, straining against his too-tight shirt. With a final grunt, Harry toppled the tall piece of rock onto its side, watching it tumble to the cave's floor with an almighty crash. "Happy?"

"Very. We get to proceed, and I get a nice view," Fleur teased. "Zat was very impressive."

"Ha, ha. I'd like to see Cedric do that," he replied dryly. "That thing was heavy."

"If 'e cannot, zen we will win," the French witch replied. "And I really want to win. It's why I picked you. What did Lyra call you? A trained gorilla?"

"Something like that," Harry said irritably, grabbing their flag from the middle of the cave. "Let's go."

"Lead ze way, Jimbo."

Harry clambered over the fallen boulder and into the passageway beyond. The passage had a pretty low ceiling, forcing him to stoop his head uncomfortably. A single torch was sitting in a bracket on the wall. He held a hand out to assist Fleur over the boulder, which she accepted graciously, before appropriating the torch for future use. "Stay close," he ordered as they proceeded. As they walked down the path, the torch and Fleur's wand became their only source of light. As the cave grew darker, Fleur drew closer to him, sharing the bright light of her wand.

"I think we are are going down," Fleur said. "It is very subtle, zough." Harry agreed. The path was definitely sloping downwards. Eventually, the path ended with nothing but hole a little bigger than a person. The hole appeared to be nothing more than a gaping maw of darkness.

"How deep, do you reckon?"

"'Ow am I supposed to know?" She canceled her Lumos spell, picking up a nearby stone the size of her palm. "Lux," she breathed, and the rock started to glow softly from within. Harry was dazzled by its steadily shifting color. Fleur dropped the glowing stone into the hole, and they both watched it fall, leaning over the pit. A few moments later it clattered onto the cave floor below. "Oh, zat is not zat bad at all!"

"You're not the one who's going to have to carry two people down that far," Harry griped. "What is that, three hundred feet?" He accepted Fleur's conjured rope, looping it through a crevice in the wall that had probably been created for just that purpose. As much as it might appear to be, this cave was not natural, after all.

"Oh, 'Arry. You are not going to 'ave to carry me. I am a witch," she grinned. "À bientôt." With a little wave, she jumped into the hole.

"Bloody showoff," he griped, making sure she was clear before tossing the rope, flag and torch into the pit. "I could do that, too!" He started his descent, hand over hand, his muscles straining to grip the rope. As strong as he was, he was also carrying a lot of weight. "Couldn't have conjured a knotted rope, now could she? That would have been too much."

Her soft giggle echoed up to him. "'Urry up, Jimbo! We do not 'ave all day!" She called when he'd reached roughly the halfway point.

"Well, why don't you find the next obstacle while you wait?" He shouted back irritably, grunting from his exertion. "I'll be down in a minute!"

"Comme vous voulez," she chirped, which Harry took as assent. As he lowered himself down, he could see the light from her wand moving further and further away. "Zis room is énorme."

"Yeah, well, don't wander off too far," he cautioned. "I'd hate to get separated down here."

Her only response was a scream of terror, followed by multiple spells fired back to back. The orange light of Blasting Curses lit up the cavern, and Harry could see several... things... surrounding his teammate. Looking down, he judged the distance to the floor beneath him, then let go of the rope. He landed as well as could be expected from a thirty foot drop onto hard, uneven rock. Nothing felt broken or sprained. He could hear the camera buzzing to catch up, but he didn't care. Fleur's curses had become more frantic. "'Arry! 'Elp me!"

Snagging the torch as he sprinted towards her, Harry called Lily into existence. The sword appeared in a flash of silver light, its comforting weight settling into his right hand as he ran. The creatures assaulting Fleur were small, the size of children, but they were legion, more and more pouring out of holes in the walls. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of them, crawling over each in their desire for fresh meat. They looked like some mad wizard had combined a dog, a lizard and a goblin into one disgusting, slobbering monster. Fleur's Blasting Curses were blowing them to smithereens, but they would eventually overwhelm her.

He cut through them, dispatching two or three with every sweep of his bastard sword. Lily's fire flared to life as it sliced into his foes with reckless abandon. Harry felt himself get lost in the fight, hacking and slashing, all form forgotten as the beasts fell before his fiery sword. Fleur's curses rocked the ground around him, sending the beasts flying in masses of gore and flesh. Finally, he reached his teammate. They stood side by side, wand and sword flashing in the darkness.

Finally, the creatures abated, retreating back into their holes. "Holy shit," Harry gasped. "That was crazy."

"Oui," Fleur replied, gasping for air. "I am assuming zat zey were supposed to be a 'magical' obstacle."

"Yeah, I don't see Ced fighting off those things with a torch," Harry said. "What were they? I've never seen them before."

"Kobolds," Fleur said. "Zey are native to caves in eastern France and Belgium. Zey dislike fire."

"Then why the hell were you using Blasting Curses?"

"I panicked!" She defended, blushing. "I was all by myself and zey were scary. I used ze first thing I could think of." She glanced down at the sword in his hand. "You, on ze other hand, are full of surprises. A chevalier, 'Arry?"

"You say these things, Fleur, and I have no idea what they mean," Harry said grumpily.

"I believe ze English word is knight," she said. "Zough it may not be ze same. A chevalier is a courageous man who rides a horse into battle and follows ze codes of chivalry."

"Well, I don't know about the 'chivalry' part, but I certainly don't ride a horse," Harry said. "Though apparently I'm supposed to tame a Pegasus at some point. That should be fun."

Fleur laughed, casting spells to clean them of the dirt, blood and offal that clung to their skin and clothing. "I told Lyra zat I could see you with a sword," she cocked her head. "It suits you, I think. How did you conjure such an item with no wand?"

Harry didn't know what to tell her. He wasn't about to out Godric and the Order on a global broadcast. "It's complicated."

"Indulge me, 'Arry. 'As it something to do with ze glove you insisted upon? Ze one zat forced me to dress like a prostituée twice?" Her tone was sickly sweet, but Harry could sense the irritation in her voice. Apparently she hadn't gotten over the wardrobe mix-up.

"Gauntlet," the young man corrected. "And yes, they're related, but the bracer isn't necessary to summon the sword."

"You are making no sense," Fleur stated, her eyes narrowed.

"Let's just say that the sword is a part of me," Harry evaded, not lying but not telling the whole truth.

"Fine," she huffed. After a moment she gave him a sly, slightly flirtatious look, her blue eyes flashing with mischief. "You know, as a little girl I dreamed of a brave chevalier sweeping me off my feet."

"Don't let Ced hear you say that," he said, dispelling Lily in a flash of silver light. "He'd probably buy a horse within the hour." The blonde giggled. "Let's find the way out. Together this time."

"You are ze one 'o wanted me to explore," she snapped. "Do not place ze blame at my feet, and do not forget ze flag." Rolling his eyes, Harry jogged back to the hole. Fleur's rope was gone, but their bright blue flag still lay beneath the mouth of the pit. "You can leave ze torch," she called. "I'd much rather you 'ave a 'and free for your sword."

"What if we need it? We might have to set something on fire or something."

"'Ave you forgotten zat I am a witch already? If we need fire, I will conjure it."

"Well, you seemed to have forgotten how to conjure fire against the kobolds," Harry replied, dropping their torch upon the ground, shifting the flag into his left hand. "You know, you could just carry the flag, and we could have kept the torch."

"I am not allowed to carry ze flag," she replied primly. "I believe zat is part of your job as ze Champion without a wand."

"They never said that and you know it," Harry griped. "You just don't want to haul this thing around."

"It is done now, anyway," Fleur sniffed. "Let us find ze way out."

It turned out that there was no way out. They searched for nearly half an hour, checking every inch of the walls, but there was no exit. There were no holes in the floor or ceiling, except the one they'd entered through. "I don't get it. Where are we supposed to go?"

"I 'ave an idea," Fleur replied, her voice solemn. "But you are not going to like it."

"What is it?" The French girl pointed one elegant finger at the largest hole that the kobolds had climbed out of. It also appeared to be the one closest to the ground, only about ten feet off the cave floor. "You've got to be joking. There's no way in hell. I'll never fit through there."

"You 'ave to, 'Arry. It is ze only way." As much as he hated the idea, he had to concede the point. "It will be a tight fit."

"A tight fit? I'll probably have to dislocate one of my shoulders!" She arched an eyebrow, daring him to complain further. "Fine! Let me climb up there and pull you up."

"Non. I will go first. Your sword will be useless in such a tight space," she said, her cerulean gaze brooking no argument. "You will climb us up and I will lead ze way."

"Oh, Fleur. I'm a chevalier, remember?" He said, advancing on her. "There will be no need for climbing." He grabbed the giggling girl by the waist, hefting her up into the kobold hole with little difficulty. She clambered a little way inside, giving Harry enough room to pull himself up into the ridiculously small space. It was more than just a tight fit. Harry's shoulders jammed against the walls of the narrow passage, his back scraping against the ceiling. He found that the only way he could move was to kind of lay on his side, using one arm to pull himself forward while kicking with his legs. His other hand clasped the flag tightly to his chest. At least he had a nice view of Fleur's derrière. He was suddenly thankful for skin tight shorts.

"Are you comfortable?" Fleur giggled ahead of him, crawling on her hands knees. "Zat looks very awkward."

"Go fuck yourself," Harry snarled. It was very awkward.

"Such language, 'Arry," Fleur teased. "Zat is no way to speak to a proper lady."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I come across a proper lady."

She laughed, her lilting soprano filling the hole. "You wound me. I am starting to think zat you are no true chevalier." A chittering, barking noise echoed through the narrow hole in front of them. "I believe we are about to have company."

"Make sure to use fire this time, not Blasting Curses."

"Silence," Fleur commanded testily. "I will not be so easily frightened again." Through Fleur's legs, he could see the dog-like scaly faces of the kobolds crawling towards them. The witch scorched them away with a long gout of flame from her wand, before continuing down the seemingly endless hole. It was slow going; she had to stop every few feet to clear the creatures from their path. Eventually, their little passage ended, dropping off into a large cave. Harry couldn't see past Fleur, but she had paused to assess the situation.

"What's it look like?"

"Ze room is lit by torches. Zere is a drop, which leads to a big lake. Zere is a boat at ze far end, but it looks like we can pull ze boat across with a chain. Past zat, zere is a very large, round door surrounded on it's edge by glowing runes."

"Okay, so drop out of the hole, run to the lake, pull the boat, row to the other side, then figure out how to open the door?"

"Something like that," Fleur paused. "Except, zere are quite a few kobolds between us and the lake. More zan ze last time."

"Outstanding."

"Well, it will not get any easier by sitting here," Fleur declared. "We will overcome zese creatures and win ze Task."

"I don't suppose you can do the whole 'fire-throwing-bird-of-death' thing, can you?" Harry asked. "That might come in handy."

"I am only a quarter-Veela," Fleur sniffed, obviously offended. "I am unable to transform. My wand will suffice. Let us get zis over with."

"As you wish, my lady." Fleur pushed herself through the mouth of the hole, using her wand to cushion her fall. Harry drug himself to the passage's lip, looking down. Fleur was almost twenty feet below, casting great, sweeping waves of flame to keep the kobolds away from from Harry's prospective landing spot.

"Well, this is gonna hurt like a bitch," Harry muttered, kicking hard with his legs while simultaneously using his free arm to send him over the lip. He tumbled out of the hole, turning end over end, bracing himself for an impact that never came. Instead, he landed daintily on the ground. Fleur smirked at him before turning back to the creatures. Harry scrambled to his feet, letting Lily flash into his hand. Fiery sword in one hand, flag in the other, he cut through the beasts that separated him and Fleur from the lake. The beautiful blonde witch matched him step for step, protecting their flanks with bursts of flame from her wand. The kobolds screeched and howled around them, but the Champions were untouchable.

They stood back to back, flaming sword and graceful wand. Kobolds poured from holes in the wall, skittering from the ceiling and leaping through the darkness. Harry struck down his foes with skill earned through hours of training, dodging, weaving, slashing, always advancing. A particularly close burst of flame forced him to glance over his shoulder.

When he'd first seen Lyra, he'd thought she was a goddess, a deity of wild darkness that promised passion and mystery. The Lady of the Lake had been a goddess of otherworldly, ethereal beauty, as distant and untouchable as the moon, offering peace of mind and self-reflection.

Both paled, insignificant, to the goddess before him now.

She was a goddess of fire. Born of flame and smoke, she stood untouched, no, untouchable in the flames of her own creation. She was passion tempered with elegance, a princess wreathed in burning grace. Her blonde hair had fallen free from its braid, dancing like the flames she commanded. She looked over her own shoulder, her cerulean eyes meeting his emerald gaze. She smiled, and Harry couldn't think of a single word to describe her beauty in that moment. The emotions in her eyes were indescribable, incomprehensible, but he knew that they were reflected in his own. That moment could have lasted a second, a lifetime, or anywhere in between.

"Get to ze chain!" Fleur shouted, a massive tongue of fire clearing the path. "I will hold zem off!" Harry nodded, letting Lily disappear in a flash of light as he tossed the flag next to the thick, steel chain that would bring their only escape from the seemingly never-ending horde of monsters. The chain was insanely heavy, and dragging it through the water would prove no easy task. Each pull strained his thick muscles to the limit. The boat was so far away, and every inch he gained felt like a herculean task. Fleur had to be running on empty by now. She'd been throwing around powerful Blasting Curses and conjuring massive flames since they'd begun the Task.

He pulled faster, trying to keep some sort of momentum, but it felt as if the boat was fighting him the entire time. His arms and back ached, straining from this seemingly impossible task, but the boat was still so far away. Too far. There was no way Fleur could keep up at her current pace. He needed to move faster. Screaming with effort, Harry pulled harder, faster. Sweat rolled off his face, soaking his shirt. Faster. Harder. Left hand. Right hand. Left hand. Right hand. It became a mantra in his head. Faster. Have to pull faster.

A single kobold managed to skirt Fleur's flames unnoticed, lunging at Harry's unprotected back. Caught unawares, he was unprepared for the sharp pain lancing through his left leg as the creature sank its powerful jaws into his thigh, driving him to one knee. He could feel the creature tear a chunk of flesh from his leg, wrenching a howl of pain from his throat. The chain slipped from his grasp, and to his horror some unknown magic started pulling it back the other way.

Throwing aside the kobold now clambering up his back, the young man desperately lunged for the chain, catching it in his hands, refusing to let it slip from his grasp again. The kobold dove at him again, its bloody maw open wide, only to be roasted in mid-air by a ball of flames. Fleur's cerulean eyes were burning with rage and concern as she gazed upon his leg, but she turned back to the creatures threatening to overwhelm them.

Unable to stand, Harry braced his good leg against a nearby rock and started pulling the massive chain again. It was even harder now, the boat seemed desperate to return to far side of the lake. Right hand. Left hand. Ignore the pain. Right hand. Left hand. Ignore the dizziness born from blood loss. Right hand. Left hand. The boat was close now, only a few short steps from shore. One more pull. He gripped the chain in both hands, pulling with all his considerable strength, and the boat finally nudged the shoreline.

"Fleur! Our ride's here!" She darted to him, their eyes meeting for a brief second. Grimacing at his profusely bleeding leg, she grabbed his outstretched hand. She tried to pull him to his feet, but he was far too heavy.

"'Arry, you need to get up!" He tried, getting as far as one knee, but the burning pain, light-headedness and sudden nausea joined forces to send him careening back towards the hard stone. "Get up!" Fleur commanded desperately. "I cannot lift you!" She was trying to drag him now, with very limited results. Looking behind her, Harry saw that the boat had once again started drifting towards the opposite side of the lake. Fleur stood protectively over him, sending a wave of flames at their attackers.

The beautiful witch knelt before him, stroking one hand across his cheek. Her blue eyes gazed into his. "Please."

Harry forced himself to stand. It took everything he had left, but he managed to half jump, half fall into the boat. He cried out in pain as his bad leg collided with the small bench inside. Fleur leaped nimbly over him, their flag in hand, her wand sending another wall of fire to keep the beasts from boarding their escape raft.

"'Arry! I need for you to stay with me," she said, her voice deceptively calm. "You are losing a lot of blood." He tried to stay awake, but the dark edges of his vision threatened to swallow him. He saw Fleur cutting away the left leg of his pants, casting several teal colored spells at the vicious-looking wound. The darkness threatened to overtake him again...

A delicate hand on his face brought him back to the moment. "Stay awake, mon chevalier," she commanded softly, returning her attention to his injured leg. He watched her work, her silvery blonde hair masking her beautiful face. He noticed that the boat had picked up a bit of speed as it moved towards the other side of the massive underground lake. "Zere. I 'ave done all I can. It will 'ave to do."

"Thank you, Fleur," Harry said. "You're amazing."

"You should not act so surprised. I am Fleur Delacour," she teased. "It will be a moment before we reach ze other side," the blonde witch said, checking the boat's progress. "Will you be able to finish?"

Harry pushed himself to his feet. It still hurt like hell, and he was still lightheaded, but he could put weight on his leg again. "Yeah. Let's win this thing." Her brilliant smile was worth the pain, though he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. "How about you? Are you okay? You're been throwing around a lot of magic; I don't know how you're still standing."

"I am fine," she lied. "I will need a long bath and some sleep after we win, though."

"Same here," Harry said, sitting down and leaning against the side of the boat, his large form occupying most of the available space.

"You are taking up all ze room," Fleur griped, settling herself against his muscular frame. Her petite body nestled in the hollows of his arms, though she was careful to avoid his injured leg. "But you do make for a very comfortable pillow."

"I aim to please."

They sat in companionable silence for several long minutes, each enjoying the closeness. "I don't know if you 'ave considered it, but ze door will likely be guarded by something," Fleur finally said as they neared the far side of the lake. "It seems unlikely zat zey would just let us open ze door in peace."

"As long as it's not more kobolds," Harry grimaced. "I don't want to see another one of those things for as long as I live." He looked at the door looming ever closer. "You're right. One person will have to unlock the door while the other deals with something else. It's how they've done pretty much everything else for this Task."

"I was not expecting zis, to be honest," Fleur said ruefully. "After seeing ze outfits and ze Visual Devices, I was expecting zis to be a joke."

"Same here," Harry admitted. "But I think we're almost through this."

"I am sure we are close," Fleur said, checking the time with a Tempus spell. "We 'ave been down 'ere for almost three hours."

"That's it? It feels like it's been days," Harry chuckled. "How do you think Cedric and Lyra are doing?"

"I cannot say. Lyra is a very accomplished witch, I 'ave 'eard," the French witch said thoughtfully. "Perhaps as good as me, if not better. But I 'ave a natural affinity to fire zat she cannot 'ope to imitate, and I do not think zat Cedric will have completed the physical obstacles as fast as you."

"To be honest, I don't know how he would pull that boat at all. I could barely move it, and I don't mean to brag, but I know I'm a lot stronger than he is." He had Godric's potions and sadistic workouts to thank for that.

"I am not sure, then. It seems unlikely zat zey would provide an impossible task," she said, extricating herself as the boat washed up onto the lake's rocky shoreline. "Are you ready?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"Zen let us go." The duo clambered out of the boat, Harry with only some minor difficulty. They walked towards the door, wary of any sudden attacks. "How proficient are you with Runes and wards?"

"Hypothetically? Excellent," Harry said honestly. "However, I've never actually opened a Runes textbook or deconstructed any wards, so take that as you will."

"Zere are two ways we can open ze door, I think," Fleur said. "I can pick ze lock, which would require me to deconstruct the ward, layer by layer, with my wand."

"Or?"

"You can metaphorically kick ze door in by overcharging ze Runes."

"Which is faster?"

"Kicking ze door in is always faster."

"Then let's just do that." Harry placed his palms on the door and began channeling his magic through the Runes. As soon as he did, though, a howling roar echoed from above.

"I was afraid of zis," Fleur said tiredly. "See, ze problem with kicking down ze door is zat you'll wake up everyone in ze house." Harry watched as a monstrous beast leaped from above, landing by the lake shore and whirling to face them.

Harry had originally thought that kobolds looked like dogs breed with lizards and goblins. This new creature looked like some mad wizard had breed a wolf, a drake and a troll. The thing was utterly massive, standing taller than Harry at the shoulder, covered in black shaggy fur and a reptilian head coated n red scales. Its long, dark claws clicked on the stone with every predatory step forward, while its beady, intelligent eyes focused on the exhausted Fleur Delacour.

"Fleur? You may want to start picking that lock now," Harry said, stepping towards the beast and getting its attention. Lily appeared in his hands in a flash of silver light. Fleur shot him an angry look as she drew her wand and stepped beside him.

"Non. We do zis together," she spat. "Je suis Fleur Delacour. I am not some weak maid to be protected."

The creature roared at their defiance, showing off a muzzle filled with sharp, yellow teeth. Its malice and anger rolled over them in waves. Harry dashed forward as Fleur's fire conjuration arced over his left shoulder. The creature recoiled from the flames, rearing up on its hind legs to tower over them. Pivoting, the young man ducked beneath the beast's retaliatory swipes, Lily cutting deep into the monster's rear leg.

So began their dance, Harry weaving in and out range of the monster's fangs and claws, striking then retreating, then striking again. Fleur assisted from the sidelines, her spells pummeling the beast whenever Harry moved out of the line of fire. Slowly but surely, the creature wore down. While Harry hadn't had the chance to deliver a finishing blow, his many strikes slowed the beast considerably.

"Move, 'Arry!" Fleur called, causing the young Initiate to roll to the side. The French witch strode forward confidently, conjuring a cone of fire so large and hot that Harry had to shield his face from the overwhelming heat and blinding light. The beast howled with rage and pain, trying to get away, but there was no escape from Fleur's burning wrath. Sweat rolled off Harry's face and neck as the spell went on.

Finally, Fleur quenched her conjured flames, falling towards the stone floor from exhaustion. Harry caught her before she could hit the ground, holding her petite frame in his massive embrace. The creature, whatever it had been, was nothing more than roasted flesh and sizzling sinew. "Are you okay?" Her blonde head nodded against his chest. "Rest now. I've got things from here."

Sweeping her into his arms, Harry carried the Beauxbatons Champion to the circular door. She was barely awake, drifting in and out of consciousness. Though she seemed unhurt physically, he knew that she was most likely suffering from magical exhaustion. He set her down ever so gently against the wall, turning his attention to the wards. It was time to kick the bloody door down and get out of this hell hole. The young man pressed his palms against the door, channeling as much magic as he could into the Runes along its edge. The wards, overloaded with his sudden influx of magic, failed spectacularly and explosively, tossing Harry backwards. He tumbled painfully, reopening the wound on his left leg, finally rolling to a stop by the lake's edge.

He lay there for a moment, succumbing briefly to the pain. His leg was throbbing, his blood slowly pooling onto the stone below. He needed to get up. He needed to get Fleur out of here. She was in no condition to move, so it was up to him to see them to the end. If anything else attacked in their shared moment of weakness, they'd be finished. Groaning, Harry forced himself to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Fleur's small, delicate voice called.

"Peachy," Harry said sarcastically as he limped to her side. "How are you?"

"Tired," she smiled up at him. "Zat last spell was intense."

"You're telling me," Harry laughed, settling against the wall beside her. "I thought you were going to roast me on accident."

"I would never roast you, 'Arry," she sniffed. "I am insulted at your implications. I am in full control of my magic."

"Yeah, yeah. Fleur the Powerful and Wise."

"And Beautiful. You must not forget Beautiful," she grinned, then adding, "and 'Umble, as well."

"I'm sorry. It's so hard to keep up with all her Highness's titles."

"You will learn, mon chevalier." Harry blushed at the term of endearment.

"I suppose we should get a move on," he said, though he didn't feel like moving at the moment. "Otherwise Lyra and Cedric are going to win." Using the wall to support himself, he struggled to his feet.

Fleur whined adorably. "I was just getting comfortable."

"Come on," he replied, scooping her into his arms. "Up you get." He shifted the witch into his right arm, holding her like one would a child. Her dainty arms wrapped around his neck. Stooping, he collected their flag, which had seen better days. The blue cloth was slightly singed and tattered around the edge. Using the silver pole as a make-shift walking stick, he carried the young witch through the now open door.

An excessively long passage greeted them. The ceiling arched overhead, and torches bracketed the wall every ten feet or so. The corridor stretched before them, and Harry could only faintly make out its exit in the distance. He supposed if they had been in better condition that this would be the 'sprint to the finish.' As it was, it was merely a long, arduous, shuffling journey towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The silver flagpole rang out sharply against the stone floor with every other step. Looking down, he noticed that Fleur had fallen asleep in his arms.

After what seemed like an age, they finally emerged from the tunnel into a relatively small room that stretched high overhead. Directly ahead stood a tall, smooth wall, stretching at least three hundred feet to to the top. Two thick ropes hung down its length, coiling on the stone floor at the bottom. A small river bubbled to his right, separating them from a passageway almost identical to the one they'd come from.

So this was it. One more grueling climb and they'd get out of here. Using Lily to slice the last ten feet from their offered rope, Harry crafted a makeshift harness for the still unconscious Fleur, securing the petite witch to his muscular frame. Her arms wrapped around his neck, Fleur's beautiful face nuzzled against his chest as he slid their flag into the space between them. His already aching muscles screamed in protest as he began his ascent.

It was slow going. Every foot, every inch was a hard-fought test of masochism. Hand over hand, again and again he climbed. He focused solely on placing one hand over the other until he heard shouting from down below. A quick glance down and to the right confirmed his fears. Cedric and Lyra had just sprinted through the other passageway. Cedric was pointing up at him while Lyra conjured a set of straps.

Harry tried to climb faster, but he didn't have anything more in the tank. Either his current speed would be enough, or they would lose. He had a head start of at least a hundred feet, so hopefully it would suffice. Grunting with effort, he continued his slow, steady climb.

Cedric and Lyra had apparently worked out their climbing situation. The witch hung a few feet below Cedric in some sort of harness that buckled into a similar harness around Cedric's waist. She carried their flag cradled in her lap. The Hufflepuff was apparently more fresh than Harry, because the older boy was climbing with startling swiftness. To Harry's alarm, Lyra had drawn her wand and was studying him with calculating eyes.

"Fleur, love, I'm gonna need you to wake up now," Harry gasped.

"Can't. Too sleepy."

"Yeah, bedtime's gonna have to wait," Harry said, glancing back down below at his opponents. "I need you to get up. Cedric and Lyra are here."

She opened here cerulean eyes, blinking slowly. "What's going on?"

"We're climbing the final obstacle. Cedric's gaining."

"Climb faster," she said, smiling softly.

Harry shook his head. "We have too much of a head start. They're not going to catch up." He judged the distance towards the top and each of their current speeds. At this rate, Harry and Fleur would reach the top first.

"Zen what is ze problem?"

"I think that Lyra's come to the same conclusion," he swallowed. "And I think she's about to blow us off the wall." That got her attention. Her blue eyes focused, glaring at the raven-haired witch below and fumbling for her wand. Harry followed her gaze, watching the Durmstrang Champion raise her wand, a manic gleam in her eyes. It all happened as if in slow motion. Later, Harry would be able to recount the next few moments in excruciating detail.

Cedric seemed to realize what Lyra was planning. "What are you doing?" The Hufflepuff roared. "You'll fucking kill them!"

"Diffindo!" Lyra's voice echoed in the small chamber, her violet eyes flashing in the torch light.

"NO!" Cedric kicked at her hand, his foot connecting a bare instant after the hot pink Severing Charm left her wand.

Fleur readied her wand, preparing to block the spell.

Too late, they realized that Lyra hadn't aimed for them, but for the rope anchoring them to the wall.

Harry watched impotently as the Charm cut neatly through the thick rope.

Cedric was shouting, one hand reaching out as if he could bridge the twenty feet that separated them. His face was twisted in fear.

Harry grasped their blue flag, pulling it from between them, flinging it away as he twisted in mid-air so his back was towards the ground.

Lyra's violet eyes were wide in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend what she had done.

Fleur was screaming something in his ear, her wand aimed past Harry's shoulder.

Harry curled his arms around her, trying to shield her from the worst of the fall.

Impact.

Darkness.