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Last time on Let the Games Begin
There were much worse things than being delayed… although even he was starting to wonder. When were they going to reach that godforsaken Sword?
"There it is!" cried Hermione at long last, pointing to a huge volcanic rock in a vaguely pyramidal shape, further down the uneven corridor they'd just turned into. Something long and thin was glinting on it, sparkling randomly when the reddish flicker of flames struck it.
"About bloody time!" grumbled Potter.
Terry threw the dice again, relieved when they got the needed five. The air had gotten warmer and warmer as they neared the Wheels of Death and now that they were practically at their feet, it was almost unbearably hot.
The huge contraptions loomed over them menacingly. Up close, they were terrifying. Much, much bigger than they'd looked from afar and in a surprisingly elevated position. Terry wasn't sure how they'd manage to climb on them: the gear teeth were the size of heavy lorries and perfectly smooth, offering no grips even where they touched the surrounding rocky area instead of being separated by a fiery lake.
Flames erupted randomly from the lava pool, making Terry jump in fright every time. Occasionally, lapilli would be thrown from the flames and rain down on them, stinging a little. Smoke spirals raised here and there, lingering in a hot miasma.
The sooner they managed to leave the area, the better!
They hurried to gather around the majestic-looking rock that held their prize. Focused as they were on reaching the Sword, however, they failed to notice that the engraving on this square was different from the usual bas-relief of four connected wheels. When they stepped on it, a gong sound reverberated through the temple, seemingly making the very air around them vibrate.
They exchanged panicked looks.
"What was that?" whispered Hermione, as if unwilling to disturb the following resounding silence.
They shook their head helplessly. Terry's eyes fell to the floor. "The symbol… it's different!" he exclaimed.
"Looks like a key of sorts," remarked Potter.
Unfortunately that didn't give them any more clue about the situation.
Potter sighed: "Well, whatever it was, I'm sure we'll find out…"
"And probably not like it…" added Hermione under her breath.
Potter shrugged. "In the meanwhile…" He gestured to the nearby rock.
The Sword was chained to it by hilt and blade both, sort of dangling diagonally against the porous surface.
A quick flick of Hermione's wand had the locks magically open and the lean weapon fell into Longbottom's waiting hands.
They huddled closer to inspect it.
It was long and shiny, with so many jewels on the hilt it made them blink because of all the little sparks of light it reflected incessantly. Though Terry had to wonder if they were real at all.
Potter held out a hand and Longbottom readily relinquished it. They watched as the green-eyed boy turned it over a couple times and balanced it critically. He made a noise of disappointment. "Well, it certainly isn't much," was his short comment.
"It looks just fine to me," protested Hermione. "It's beautiful! Like a Sword out of a fairy tale. The kind of ancient Sword the real king in exile would pass down in incognito to his roaming descendants, until the Kingdom was threatened and he had to save the day in a glorious epic Battle and reclaim his lost throne, proving his right with his forefathers' Sword!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
Then she blushed at their stares. "Well, you know what I mean! It's how it always goes in novels and the like." She crossed her arms petulantly. "I've always thought that was really romantic…" she sighed.
Potter nearly chocked: "R-romantic?" He stepped closer to his friend, scrutinizing her intently: "Hermione, are you feeling well?"
She pouted.
"Look," said Potter in a very reasonable tone. "A sword isn't something romantic. It's… well, basically, it is a long piece of metal with very sharp edges. That, you know, you use to cut things. Monsters. People, occasionally," he explained in a helpful tone.
They transferred their stares to him.
"Well, it is!" he huffed, crossing his arms defensively. "And there's no need to look at me like that! After all, I'm the only one here who's actually wielded a sword in battle, so I should know what I'm talking about!"
"That's right!" exclaimed Terry in amazement. "I'd forgotten… you used the Sword of Gryffindor to face the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets!" There was a choked, incredulous sound from Malfoy, that went completely ignored. "I heard all about it from the portrait of Headmaster Aragon…" he stopped suddenly when he realized he was sounding like a babbling fangirl.
Potter just shrugged.
"You know…" said Hermione. "I'm pretty sure the Sword of Gryffindor was a magical, gleaming, beautiful sword. I seem to recall you saying that its handle had rubies the size of eggs. And Ginny said it was glittering. Just like this one!"
"Yes, but at least it was well-balanced! And sharp! This one is so light that I doubt we could pierce something with it even putting our whole weight behind the hit. And it's practically dull. Look!" he complained, running a finger along its edge. It didn't even draw blood.
Would he be like that after this Tournament was over, Terry wondered in vague amazement? Talking casually of happenings that to most people were the stuff of legend? Reminiscing past adventures with such nonchalance?
Of course, there was the tiny little detail of having to survive the adventure first…
He shook his head and said aloud: "Well, I bow to your superior expertise, but since I don't particularly want to pierce, cut, hit or otherwise maim or kill anything with it, I'm pretty okay with it being mostly for show. Increases the chances that we won't have to do anything more strenuous than wave it, which is perfectly alright with me!"
Potter and Granger chuckled and even Longbottom cracked a small smile. They went on blithely ignoring Malfoy's indistinct mutterings. It seemed to be a working solutions to deal with the blond.
"Come on, let's go!" called Longbottom, gesturing to where they'd come from. "I think there was a ladder to reach the Wheels down that way…"
"Ok," nodded Potter, handing the Sword to Terry, who took it in surprise. Nobody else seemed to expect anything else, though.
"Let's hope it doesn't take long, I'm boiling!" exclaimed Hermione. She was the only one who hadn't taken off the outer robe of the uniform yet: all the boys had already reached the conclusion that their shirt was more than enough in the heat and had shrugged off their sweaters as well.
They retraced their steps with two throws, making the Wheels turn noisily once more, and found that Longbottom was right: there was a metal ladder anchored to a tall rock that would allow them to climb onto the second largest Wheel if the gear was in the right position. Looking up at the top, they could make out the shape of a huge gear tooth, ready to be stepped onto.
"Well," said Potter taking a deep breath, "here goes nothing!"