DISCLAIMER; I own nothing but my own characters. All characters, settings, spells, races, etc. that are included in the HP books are property of J.K. Rowling. Any other books, movies, shows, etc. that I may mention or draw from are property of their own creators and/or designers. I will most likely draw on some of the other fanfictions I've read, so if you see your stuff here, well, it belongs to you.

*HPWD*

Chapter 8; The Power of Three… er, Four

*HPWD*

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Third and final Task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Once again, Dumbledore was bellowing out the greetings and information for the crowd. "The Champion's Task is simple! Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard cup deep within the maze! The first Champion to find and touch the Cup will be awarded and addition 20 points! As Mr. Aerendyl and Mr. Diggory are tied for first place, they will enter the maze first. They will be followed by Mr. Krum, and finally Miss Delacour. We will begin at the start of the cannon!"

As he finished, Dumbledore gestured with his wand at the cannon set up a short distance away, and before anyone could react, it went off with a tremendous BOOM! He looked slightly sheepish, but gestured Kalinth and Cedric forwards anyways.

Turning to the stands, they both waved to their families. Kalinth's sharp eyes picked out Serah standing with the Weasleys and Hermione, as well as Remus and a great, shaggy, black-furred dog. They waved and called out to him. Grinning, he waved in response.

Turning back to the maze entrance, Kalinth and Cedric nodded at each other, before stepped forwards into the shadows. Going around the first bend and sitting down, they waited for the others to join them. The cannon sounded again, and Viktor soon joined them sitting on the firm earth. It sounded a third time, and the three stood up as Fleur walked around the corner. Kalinth could see the three teens take a deep breath to settle themselves, before turning to the single elf in their midst. They were a team, and they had trained for this.

"Cedric, you have right guard, Fleur, you have left. Anything approaches from the sides, you turn it back, or you turn it to dust." Fleur grinned, happy to have an excuse to blast living things with fire. Cedric just sighed at the expression on the part-Veela's face. "Viktor, you're our rear guard. Anything moves, curse first, question later." The Bulgarian chuckled darkly, twirling his wand, ready to blast things into little itty-bitty bits. "Alright, I'll take point. Stay close, and keep alert. Remember our training, and you'll do fine."

Squaring their shoulders, the four moved forwards, deeper into the gloom of the maze.

*HPWD*

Cautiously moving forwards, the four looked for any signs of life within the foreboding confines of the maze. Despite the slowness of it, they moved steadily towards the center of the maze. Kalinth couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, though. They were nearly 15 minutes in, and they still hadn't come across any obstacles.

Suddenly, Kalinth raised his left hand in a closed fist, as he came to a halt. The others stop behind him, tensing for a fight, but luckily, not saying anything. Lowering his hand, he gripped his wand/staff tighter, ears perked for any sound. Then he heard it; a quiet click-clack that was getting louder by the second. He knew that sound… Scenting the air, Kalinth caught the scent of insect, poison, and brimstone.

Cursing quietly, he whispered to the others.

"It's a skrewt. Remember, flip it, then blast the bejeezus out of it."

Viktor chuckled slightly, but otherwise, they remained silent. Seconds later, the ugly carapace of the skrewt could be seen rounding the corner in front of them. Crouching and taking careful aim, Kalinth shot off the first spell.

"Expulso!" A jet of red light lanced out from the tip of his wand to slip under the front legs of the skrewt and explode, sending a shower of dirt into the air, and flipping the giant bug onto it's back. Wasting no time, Viktor followed up with his piercing hex that punched a hole in the bottom of the creature's armor. A bright orange fireball, followed by an equally bright orange curse, rocketed through the hole in the defense of the skrewt that Viktor had made. Just as it started to burn from Fleur's fireball, Cedric's cruse exploded, showering the four in bits of burning skrewt-juice. A few quick vanishing charms took care of the bug guts covering them.

They all looked at each other, slightly sheepish.

"Maybe we over-did it a bit?" Cedric suggested?

*HPWD*

Rounding a corner shortly after the skrewt episode, Kalinth stopped dead, the others bumping into him, unprepared as they were for the sudden stop with no signal given. Curious, they leaned around Kalinth to see what the hold-up was.

Standing directly in the middle of the path, was Serelath.

"Serah?" Kalinth questioned, moving forwards slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"How dare you call me that name, you filthy, arrogant whelp! How you call yourself my mate! I should burn you to ash for all you've done to me!"

Stopping suddenly, Kalinth had a slightly pained look on his face as he asked his next question.

"What have I done to you, Serah? I know you aren't gravid, we haven't done… that… for quite a while… Was it something I said? We haven't had any arguments recently..?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! I HATE THAT NAME! Of course I'm not gravid, why would I even let scum like you touch me?"

A stricken look passed over Kalinth's face as he stepped back. He hung his head, and went to turn around, when he paused, something tickling at his senses. Reaching out with his mind, he darted across his link to Serah, to feel her still up in the stands, both sobbing and snarling at the torment the impersonation was putting her mate through.

Straightening up, he turned back to the creature impersonating his life-partner. Raising his wand, he spoke with deadly calm.

"You are not my mate. You are simply a bogart, trying to imitate her. Ridickulus!"

Instantly, the bogart was forced into a polka-dotted version of Serah's bipedal dragon form dressed in much to large clown clothes. At the four's laughter, it burst into smoke and was whisked away by the evening breeze. Sending reassuring thoughts to Serah, Kalinth continued on.

*HPWD*

"Huh. Now that's interesting." Kalinth said, calmly looking at the ground that was now above him. The other three were tense and didn't dare move as the glowing, golden mist surrounded them.

"I don't care if it's interesting, Kalinth! Just get me down!" Fleur screamed furiously. Cedric and Viktor vigorously nodded their agreement.

"Oh, stop complaining. It's just an illusion."

"An illusion!?" Cedric exclaimed. "I don't care what you say, this feels real to me!"

Rolling his eyes, Kalinth sent a gouging curse down next to his feet. As soon as it hit, a moderate amount of earth was scooped from the ground that seemed to be above them.

"Ah." Viktor said, looking rather embarrassed at being so frightened of an illusion.

Sighing, Kalinth stepped forwards, breaking through the illusion. The world spun around him before settling back to its proper position. Hearing a thump behind him, he turned and saw Cedric sprawled on the ground as the three stepped through the illusion. Stepping towards his fallen companion, he extended his arm downwards in a silent offer. Smiling, Cedric grasped his friend's forearm and pulled himself up.

"Thanks, Kal."

"Kal?" The elf asked, confused. Serah had called him that a few times, but he never thought much of it. Now, he realized he had a nick-name. He grinned. "I like it."

Moving forwards, they rounded the next few corners, only to come across a huge lioness with the head of a human woman.

"A sphinx." Fleur murmured.

"Very good, little fire bird." The sphinx said as she stopped her pacing and sat down directly in the middle of the path. "That which you seek lies beyond me, but to pass, you must answer my riddle. Should you believe this to be too difficult, simply remain silent, and I will allow you to leave unharmed to find another way. Should you answer correctly, I shall let you pass unharmed. However, should you answer incorrectly… Well, I'm sure you get the point," she said, showing off her pointed teeth in a feral grin as she finished.

The four looked at each other for a moment, before they slowly nodded one by one. Turning back to the sphinx, Kalinth spoke up.

"May we hear the riddle, please?"

The sphinx smiled slightly and nodded, before starting to speak.

"Alive without breath, as cold as death. Never thirsty, ever drinking. Clad in mail, never clinking. What am I?"

As she finished talking, the other three Champions turned to Kalinth.

"Why does everyone think I have all the answers?" he sighed, before addressing the sphinx. "It's a fish."

"Very good," she purred. "You have earned the right to pass. The others, however, have not. They must also answer a riddle."

"Very well," Kalinth said, calmly moving passed the Egyptian creature.

"What begins, but has no end, yet ends all that begins?" she asked next.

"Death," Viktor said simply. At her nod, he moved to join Kalinth.

"At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?"

Fleur frowned, and paced across the width of the path as Cedric tried to figure out what the ancient creature meant.

"Stars?" Fleur half asked, half stated. At the sphinx's nod, she also walked past. Now it was Cedric's turn

"I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. There's no happiness without me nor is there sadness. I am always in risk, yet never in danger, you will find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness. What am I?"

Kalinth winced. Logic was not Cedric's strong suite.

The Hufflepuff paced back and forth mumbling to himself. Occasionally, he would pause and start to turn to the sphinx, before stopping, shaking his head and continuing on. After what seemed to be an eternity, he froze, then smacked himself on the forehead.

"The letter S," he finally answered the sphinx.

At her smile and nod, he moved on to rejoin the other three. Rounding one last corner, they were greeted with a soft blue glow emanating from the Triwizard cup at the end of the path. Starting forwards, Fleur suddenly let out a stifled gasp, before firmly pushing the others into the hedges opposite her. Nobody said anything, knowing that if Fleur had done that, something must be up. Silently, she pointed down the path at the dark blob slowly stepping over the hedges.

"Oh no…" Kalinth murmured, sliding down to the ground and quickly sinking into a meditative trance. Quickly, he suppressed as much of his magic and life-force as he could, knowing that if the acromantula felt it, the giant spider would instantly attack.

The spider paused for a moment over their path, but it seemed to dismiss whatever it had felt and moved on. Releasing a shaky breath, Kalinth came out of his trance once he was sure the giant arachnid had left. Shaking his head, he silently declined any explanations for the others at the moment.

Gathering around the Cup, they slowly reached for it.

"Stop!" Kalinth cried, jerking his hand back, barely an inch from touching the Cup. The others followed his command without question, though they did look a little irritated.

Weaving around the Cup, Kalinth activated his mage sight, letting him see the flowing streams of magic surrounding the Cup. He recognized the standard anti-theft and anti-summon charms that have always been one it, but also sees two newer spells, both portkeys. The paths were conflicting, however, so it was hard to tell where they went.

"This Cup has two portkeys linked to it," the elf explained as he looked at the other three. "They're set to activate whenever someone touches it, usually the winner only. The paths are conflicting though, so I can't tell where they lead."

Kalinth watched as the three glanced at each other before firmly facing him.

"We're with you, Kal," Cedric started.

"Every step of the way," Fleur finished, Viktor simply nodding in agreement.

"Thanks guys," Kalinth grinned.

"Alright! We have no idea what we're going to be port'ing into. Wands at the ready, and don't hesitate. Shoot first, even if it's at shadows, and ask questions later. The instant we land, tuck and roll; we'll need to get back to the Cup to return. I don't care what is there; get down, get the Cup, and get the hell outa there."

The three nodded at Kalinth's instructions, placing their hands over the Cup. At an unspoken signal, they seized the Cup as one, and their world dissolving into streaks of color and the rushing of wind.

*HPWD*

A/N; Another chapter done! Almost there! Also, kudos to anyone who can spot the Doctor Who reference.