Darkness and a Fairy
Chapter 11
The Doctor turned to face the blond arachne. "Are you sure this is even possible?"
"As long as Mizuchi is with you, I'll be able to form a link with your TARDIS, and you can traverse the barriers separating our realities."
"Jumping realities shouldn't even be possible."
"You of all people know that it is. You managed it during the Project Inferno incident. It's easier, when your own ...destiny lines... is a good enough term. When your destiny lines intersect with the alternate timeline, it is easier to jump. In this case, Hikari's and Mizuchi's ancestor was involved heavily in this cluster of realities."
Kemuri reluctantly entered the clearing. It was that or be dragged there by Mizuchi. "Why do I have to leave my Mistress's side?"
"Because you won't survive where she ends up on her next jump, and our exit-window is only open for another two hours," explained Harmony.
Hikari entered the clearing, with several fairies in tow. "Here are the Snapdragon Tribe, ready to go. Why aren't you hustling me to leave right now?"
"The Tri-Wizard binding spell will kill all the other participants if you do not complete the final task. Additionally, your ability to form Space-bridge Class dimensional portals uses a different set of 'rules' to the retro-engineering you used to modify my time rotors."
A few minutes later, the clearing was empty.
()()()()()
Hikari examined the item Mizuchi left on the table.
"What is that?" asked Professor McGonagall. "It looks like a sword, but there are too many extra components for that to be the case."
"It actually is a sword," explained Hikari. "We just call it a bulkhead cutter, because of the shape of the cutting components. If the cutting component was a circular blade instead of a chain, we would have called it a 'tank saw'. If the cutting component was an energy field, it would be a 'salvage cutter'. I think the last one was only named that, because the energy-blade is the only thing that can cut through the dwarf-star alloy our ships hulls are constructed out of."
"So it is a weapon." The disapproval in McGonagall's voice was apparent.
"A weapon made from unusual components," said Hikari. A look of surprise appeared on her face. "Smegging hell! Orichalcum?" She looked closer at the rest of the weapon. "Elder wood, a few components I can't identify, inlaid inside the structure. Mizuchi probably has, but she didn't want to tell me. This is a Spell Focus!"
"A what?" McGonagall asked.
"This is our people's version of a wand," replied Hikari.
()()()()()
"Professor Dumbledore! What brings you to the Department of Mysteries today?" asked a wizard.
"I was wondering if you had something that could Obliviate someone with an eidetic memory," he replied. He lowered his voice. "It's Order business."
"I'll see what I can find," he whispered back.
()()()()()
It was time for the final task. All the contestants had to do was navigate the enchanted hedge maze. The winner was the first to reach the Cup.
Viktor turned towards Harriet and Cedric. "When you two finish making out, and come up for air, could you explain what your school-mate is doing in that corner?"
Harriet broke off her kiss, and glanced over towards Hikari. "She's with her boyfriend," she commented, before returning to her make-out session.
The people in the competitors' tent looked towards the corner, but only saw shadows.
"Boyfriend?" commented Fleur. "I thought she liked girls."
"Why would I limit myself to a mere fraction of the choices available to me?" Hikari asked. Her hand appeared to brush something they couldn't see.
"Your friend should remove his invisibility cloak, while in here," commented one of the judges.
"He's leaving," replied Hikari. "He has work to attend to."
"Fine," commented the wizard. "Just don't wear invisibility cloaks outside of official Auror business, ...mister?..."
"Karitoriki," replied the shadow, as it left the tent.
()()()()()
Hikari made it to the centre of the maze. Just as she was about to touch the Cup, an alert flashed up on her armour's HUD. An embedded teleport spell? "Target analysis. Track coordinates."
:-Analysing... Please wait...-:
From the other side of the Cup, she heard Harriet's voice. "Together."
Smeg! Hikari thought. "Stop!" she called out, but was too late. The Cup disappeared, with no evidence of whoever was on the other side of the pedestal.
Viktor and Fleur arrived in the centre of the maze, out of breath.
"Where are Cedric and Harriet?" asked Viktor.
"The Cup was a teleport trap," replied Hikari. "They touched it, and disappeared."
:- Error. Quantum entanglement detected -:
++MechaFaeire1337: Unlock sys/file VTXman3.5 and sys/file VTX/map5.1
:- Files unlocked. Reprocessing -:
"The cup was a portkey?" commented Fleur, in surprise. "We need to tell the judges." She and Viktor fired off their 'distress flare' spells. The judges came running in, staring with confusion at the empty pedestal.
:- Coordinates locked. Quantum interference 98%. Initiate space-bridge: Y/N? -:
++MechaFaerie1337: Negative. Activate the Gate spell. Same target coordinates. Update alert status from yellow to blue. Stay here.
Hikari stepped out of her armour, and transformed into her Sylph form.
Viktor and Fleur watched Hikari walk through a vertical magic circle that had appeared in the air.
()()()()()
Harriet struggled against the enchanted statue, tears streaming down her eyes, as the newly-resurrected Voldemort stood over Cedric's corpse, and mocked her.
"...And look, Harriet. My family retur-" THUMP. Voldemort was crash-tackled by 90kg of angry fairy queen.
"Filthy creature!" exclaimed one of the masked wizards. "How dare you touch the Dark Lord!"
Hikari ignored them, as she tore the arms off the statue, freeing Harriet.
"Not that I'm not grateful," she gasped. "But why aren't you in your armour."
"It restricts my abilities," replied Hikari. "Voldemort isn't the only enemy in the area."
"D'you think?" sarcasm dominated Harriet's reply. "There are at least twenty Death-Eaters behind you." Then she noticed Hikari wasn't looking at her. She turned towards where Hikari was looking.
"Right now, those are more dangerous than the twenty five people on my six."
"What is so fascinating about my grandfather's mausoleum?" Voldemort called.
"It's not the mausoleum," she replied. "It's the statues."
Flanking the tomb's entrance were two angel statues. They were sculpted to look like they were mourning for the person entombed within.
Hikari whispered to Harriet. "Keep myself between you and the statues at all times, and when that's not possible, do not blink."
Hikari flinched as a spell got past her shield.
Harriet gasped. The statues had changed poses. Their hands were no longer covering their faces. "Who's animating them? Everyone appears to be aiming spells at you."
"They aren't statues.' Hikari drew her blaster. "I've heard of these creatures, but have never actually seen them before."
EXTERMINATE!
The light in the area surrounding the statues 'inverted' but the statues remained unaffected.
"Smegging hell!" Harriet noticed a hint of worry in Hikari's voice. "RUN!"
Hikari grabbed Harriet's arm, and ran, picking a direction away from both the Death-Eaters, and the statues.
"Look at the cowards run!" mocked one of the wizards.
Why is she running? Voldemort wondered . Then he saw the expressions on the statues "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The statue flashed green, and appeared to crack.
The cracked statue turned its head towards the wizards.
Just as they were reaching the edge of the cemetery, Hikari stopped. Harriet's hopes were raised, as she saw Professor Dumbledore walking towards them.
"I can't have you telling people about my ...bond... with Fawkes." He raised his wand.
"Close your eyes, Harriet," whispered Hikari.
"Yes, yes. A good idea," Dumbledore commented. "She really shouldn't see this coming."
"You're right. She shouldn't. Perception Filter." Hikari's presence seemed to vanish, but Dumbledore knew she was still there. He raised his wand-
...and was gone...
There was a third angel statue in the cemetery.
"You led him her, didn't you?" Hikari addressed thin air. "Clever idea to bypass the horcrux, by shunting him backwards in time."
"I wasn't entirely sure it would work," said Karitoriki. "We still need to find a way to remove the soul-fragment from that phoenix." He drew his scythe, and put its blade through the angel's chest.
Hikari spun around, her sword appearing in her hand. The fourth angel's neck directly in its path.
"You've missed Cedric's resurrection-window," whispered Karitoriki.
"Voldemort got away," observed Harriet.