Witness
"That was very advanced magic," said Granger, trotting along side Corvus after they'd slipped out of the classroom. He nervously glanced around them, in case people from the Great Hall were already approaching this hallway. "That kind of Transfiguration is NEWT level, isn't it? Or have they changed the curriculum for OWLs? Oh I hope so – opens up the subject so much."
"Granger?"
"Yeah?"
"Go away." He quickened his pace. He was heading for the Astronomy Tower for his next class. Without looking back at her, he took a sharp right turn, colliding into a couple snogging.
It was Louis and Milvina Fox.
"You two?" gasped Corvus. He only saw a flash of Milvina's pretty face before she turned away, using her long raven hair to hide her embarrassment. He felt a strong sense of dejavu, he'd stumbled upon a similar scene when Louis and Milvina first started dating. "But – but what about Rebecca?"
"Shh!" his former friend hissed viciously and peered over Corvus's shoulder. His brow frowned when he spotted Granger and the other two Gryffindors in the hallway. He eyed Corvus, "What's this about?"
"Nothing, they're just there, aren't they?"
"Interviewing replacement pawns?"
"Nah, losing the extra weight's been quite a comfortable experience."
Louis's piercing blue eyes flashed dangerously. Corvus wasn't sure, but he thought he saw his former friend move his hand to his pocket out of the corner of his eye. Just to make sure, he tightened his grip on his wand.
The tension was shattered when Milvina choked back random sobs. "I can't!" she choked before dashing off. Louis watched her, clearly stuck between chasing after her and continuing this stand-off. As Corvus began to ease, the Veela suddenly snapped his attention back at him and had his wand out in a blink of an eye.
"No point in telling anyone we saw each other, right?"
"You wouldn't," he said, tersely. He tried not to break Louis's intense gaze, but he was cautious of where the other boy's wand was.
"Might."
"We're going to be late for class."
Louis snickered and stepped back. "True... probably should hop to the toilets first though, Blackstone."
He nodded to the front of Corvus's robes, it was wet like he'd pissed himself. Corvus's jaw dropped in horror.
"Looks to be too late, oh dear," he laughed as he walked away. Corvus could hear other students coming down the hall. Louis had used some kind of spell, non-verbally, and Corvus hadn't detected a think. He ogled at the former-Salesman, he really was good at Charms.
X
X
Since running into Louis and Milvina Fox snogging, Corvus imaged there was tense in the air when he saw Louis with Rebecca in the Great Hall. Milvina Fox would purposefully avoid eye contact with Louis and Corvus. Louis, however, never shied away from Corvus watching him, in fact he stared right back as if challenging him.
Of course Corvus hadn't told anyone. It wasn't his business. Perhaps there was even a little part of him that wanted to keep Louis's secret safe so the former-Salesman might warm up to him again. He had more potential than he knew, that water spell he used on his robes hadn't been a normal spell. It was a water curse of some kind, the wet-spot only grew larger when Corvus tried to dry it out magically and non-magically. He ended up throwing out the robes.
"Heard the latest Potter news?" asked Malfoy, taking a seat beside Corvus. Crabbe and Goyle plodded down on his other side.
"Is that all you speak about at this school? Harry Potter?" wondered Breises. She was looking bored, holding Max's right hand while he flipped through his Herbology notes using his other hand. That left him with no hands to eat with, but he's bewitched his fork and knife to serve him every forty seconds. He was like a robot.
Malfoy's lip curled unpleasantly. Neither Breises or Malfoy had warmed up to each other yet, "Of course not. But every once and a while Potter does something like faint in the middle of class and have a freak nightmare."
Corvus cocked an eyebrow, "What?"
"He fainted in his Divination class," he explained, purposefully looking away from Breises who now showed mild interest. Max still hadn't looked up from his multiple tasks, Corvus wasn't even sure his friend was aware of Malfoy's presence.
"He was crying," said Crabbe, uncharacteristically speaking. Corvus stared at him, slightly bewildered. Last time he heard him speak was three years ago.
"And rolling around on the floor," added Malfoy.
"That's weird," said Breises.
"Yeah," Corvus agreed. He turned around in his seat to look at the Gryffindor table. Granger and Weasley were there, but there was no sign of Potter. This wasn't the first note-worthy dream Potter's had...
X
X
Over the next few days, Corvus wasn't approached by Granger, Weasley or Potter. Ironically this wasn't a relief, it actually concerned him. He assumed they were still meeting up for practice sessions, but he didn't know what classroom they'd be hiding in so there was no way of him catching them.
The mood in the castle as they entered June became a mix of excitement, tension and dread. Dread for those sitting their OWL or NEWT exams. The excitement was about the third task and Corvus guessed the tension came from that too, as well as the aforementioned exams.
"I can't believe Max would rather study in the library, on a day like this," said Daphne. The pair of them walked outside onto the grounds. It was truly a beautiful day. Plenty of people were outside, either studying or passing the time.
"Reckons it's too distracting." Just as Corvus said it, he spotted Veronique and a small group of Beauxbatons students. Cautiously he beelined it back, Daphne laughed and followed him.
"Are you two officially over then?"
"I guess. We haven't talked to each other in weeks."
"It's rather surprising, how useless you are when it comes to dealing with girls," she said, looking over her shoulder back at Veronique, who hadn't noticed her ex-boyfriend. Corvus declined to comment.
They sat down on the grass. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were standing in the shadow of a tree nearby. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be keeping a look out, both were smirking. When they noticed Corvus looking at them, they gave him a nod.
"Do you want me to quiz you?" she asked him, stretching out her legs in front of her. Her hair was up in a ponytail, revealing her face to the sunlight. She hadn't unpacked her bag of books and notes.
"Haven't you got rubbish study too?"
"Not really feeling it," she grinned. "But I can quiz you – that way I can pretend I'm revising."
"Alright," he gave up and pulled out his Potions' notes. As he handed them to her, she eagerly searched through them for a hard question. He watched her, then abruptly asked, "So how did that date go?"
She looked up, smiling brightly, "It was nice."
He returned a half-felt smile. For some reason, he wasn't that happy for her. "But you haven't gone on one since, right?"
"We have, nothing special obviously," she explained. "It's kind of a secret right now... mostly because Pansy and Tracey will go mad once they hear."
"Is it someone embarrassing then?"
"No!" she laughed. His fake smile was becoming more difficult to maintain. She drew up her knees and wiggled her feet, still smiling, "It's strange, because I think you're the only one who knows that it's been going on..."
"That is strange," he mumbled.
"You know him, it's – " she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly as something behind Corvus.
"Hey Black, quick question," Malfoy said. Corvus twisted himself to look at Malfoy standing over him, smirking like an idiot. Or like someone who was up to no good.
"What is it?"
"What do you think about Potter?"
Corvus frowned, "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged, "Wondering, did you hear that he's telling people he fainted in class because he had a nightmare about the Dark Lord?"
"No, I hadn't," he said suspiciously. "How'd you hear that?"
"Goyle told me," he sneered then quickly continued, "Potter sounds deranged, doesn't he?"
"He's probably not the first to have a nightmare about You-Know-Who," remarked Daphne, her smile and giddiness gone.
"Exactly," said Corvus.
"You don't think he's dangerous? He can speak Parseltongue, that stuff's always linked to Dark Magic."
"Dark Magic? Potter? Please," he scoffed. "If Potter really was dangerous, he'd use the Dark Arts to help him win the Triward Tournament. Instead of haplessly stumbling through each task."
Malfoy's eyes glinted mischievously, "You reckon?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll let you carry on," he said. "Got stuff to do too, right boys?"
Crabbe and Goyle snickered moronically.
"Sometimes they can be so weird," commented Daphne as they walked away.
X
X
Usually this time of the year was Corvus's favorite, it was when the Salesmen flourished. Fifth and seventh years ordered aids in concentration, mental agility and wakefulness. Corvus even considered dipping into his pocket-money for an ounce of powdered dragon claw. Dragon claw was meant to give your brain a boost, but it was also extremely expensive. It would've cost him three hundred Galleons.
They received their examination timetables and details of the procedure for OWLs during their Potions lesson.
"Your OWLs are spread over two successive weeks," Snape told the class as they copied down the dates and times of their exams from the blackboard. He paced along the aisles, enjoying the anxiety. "You will sit the theory papers in the mornings, practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night. Before the any of you get funny ideas in your heads, know that the most stringent anti-cheating charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbling Cuffs and Self-Correcting Ink.
"Black, have I missed any contrabands? I'm not as up to date with criminal tactics as you," he said suddenly, sneering at him.
Corvus viciously crossed one of his 't's before answering, "That's all I can think of, sir!"
Their first examination, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning. Max spent the night reciting the definition of a Substantive Charm before checking it himself against The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. Corvus practiced basic Locomotion Charms, making his quills and shoes race each other around in ecliptic circles round his head.
Dinner was a very subdued affair that night, Corvus turned into a bit of a Max, with his notebook on one side of his plate and his textbook on the other. So he'd have his hands free to practice spells, he bewitched his knife and fork to feed him as well.
"They're here," Max said suddenly, ignoring the fork of mashed potatoes hitting his chin impatiently. He was staring into the Entrance Hall.
Corvus's utensils fell, his concentration disrupted. He turned back to look too. Through the doors of the Great Hall they could see Dumbledore standing with a small group of ancient-looking witches and wizards. "Perhaps one of them will die peacefully in their sleep," he said.
Alas, none of them did and their exams went as scheduled. Once they'd had breakfast, the fifth and seventh years milled around in the Entrance Hall while the other students went off to lessons. At half past nine, they were called forward class by class to re-enter the Great Hall. The four house tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table at the end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them. When they were all seated and quiet, she said, "You may begin," and turned over an enormous hour-glass on the desk beside her.
Corvus took the first second of the exam to take a deep breath. Two rows to his right and a seat ahead of him Max was already scribbling. Three rows to his left and four seats ahead, Anwar was staring at his exam paper as if it he was reading the Daily Prophet. Louis was sitting somewhere behind him. He turned over his paper, with a grim expression until he read the first question;
a.) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.
"Easy," he whispered to himself.
X
X
"That was easier than I thought," said Max as they emerged into the Entrance Hall. They'd just sat their Potions practical. It had been the most difficult one for Corvus, but he was positive he'd scrapped an 'Outstanding.'
"Given how much hype these tests are given, I find myself rather disappointed," he said casually. Their last exam was History of Magic, which he wasn't even going to bother studying a minute more of. They strolled towards the lawn towards the lake.
"Max!" Cho Chang and her group of girls came running after them. She was holding the exam paper from that morning. "Congrats to both of you, we're done!"
"Now we just have to wait til July for our results," sighed Jocelyn Grey.
"At least you don't have to ever sit for a Potions exam again, Joss," said Marietta, nudging her friend.
"How do you think you did?" Cho asked Max. He gave a modest shrug. "What am I talking about, you probably took a nap during that test."
He half smirked, "There were moments in the practical where I wasn't sure."
She grinned at him, knowingly. Then she opened the exam booklet, "I'm about eighty-five to ninety percent sure I got this correct, but what did you write for this question?"
"I saw Professor Marchbanks talking to you after our Transfiguration practical," said Marietta, speaking to Corvus. "She was going on about your performance, seemed like she might have fancied a little?"
Corvus smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck, "Oh I don't think she was as impressed with me as she was about me being my mum's son. Apparently she saw my mum through her OWLs."
"Oh," Marietta's smile faded, "I didn't mean anything by it."
"I know," he assured her. It was surprising how awkward he still felt around her. "Excited for the third task?"
"Yes, of course! Cedric's been working so hard to prepare, hasn't he Cho?" she asked brightly, interrupting Max and Cho's conversation. There was definite change in both their moods, their smiles faltered and they went silent for a moment.
Finally Cho managed to pick up her smile again, "Yeah. It's going to be exciting."
X
X
Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the third task. Breises sat with the Durmstrang students at the far end of the Slytherin table, intently whispering with her classmates and Viktor Krum. The post owls appeared, bringing Corvus a letter from his mother telling him to meet her before the third task.
A barn owl arrived for Max, carrying his usual morning copy of the Daily Prophet. He unfolded the paper, glanced at the front page. "Rita Skeeter isn't a fan of Potter's anymore," he informed them, half-smirking. He turned over the paper for Corvus and Daphne to read.
HARRY POTTER
'DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS'
"Beautiful timing, isn't it?" laughed Daphne. Corvus didn't find this amusing in the least. He snatched the paper out of Max's hands.
"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?" Malfoy was holding up a copy of the paper. Slytherins up and down the table were snickering, twisting in their seats to see Potter's reaction.
Corvus quickly read the article, Rita Skeeter described Potter's alleged fainting in Divination. First she suggested this meant Potter was mentally unhinged. But then she really got to the good stuff, accusing Potter of being a danger 'that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.'
'"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth-year... "...He's made
friends with werewolves and giants too." … A member of the Dark Force Defence League, who
wished to remain unnamed, state that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue
'as worthy of investigation..."
Corvus rolled his eyes, of course Malfoy would jump to the opportunity to add to slander against Potter. He had half a mind to stop reading before the end, until he saw his own name.
'Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete
in the Triwizard Tournament. "He'd use the Dark Arts to help him win the Triward Tournament," says
Corvus Black, expressing the fear of many at the event. A Hogwarts Prefect, Black is the only child of
Madam Crafter Leandra Black, this nation's beloved public heroine and survivor of the Stirling Massacres.
The Tournament's third task takes place this evening.
"I never said that!" he exclaimed.
"Yes you did," Daphne said lightly, folding up the paper. "That day we were studying outside, you said it to Malfoy."
"Completely out of context – and I didn't tell Rita bloody Skeeter it," he said through his teeth. He glared down the table at Malfoy. Crabbe, Goyle and him were laughing at Potter, tapping their heads with their fingers, pulling grotesquely made faces and waggling their tongues like snakes.
"Why are you so upset?"
"It's the principle of the matter," he sighed exasperatedly. Honestly though, it was because he knew his mother was going to kill him for it. He stood up. With a flick of his wand, the paper in front of Malfoy flew up and smacked him in the face.
The Slytherin table went silent. Malfoy wrestled the paper off of him, his face was red and his blonde hair slightly disheveled. "What was that for?" he demanded, with outrage.
"I don't like being quoted without my permission," he replied with just as much anger.
"What's the big deal?" sneered Pansy Parkinson. "It's just Potter."
Automatically he came up with a reason, "I don't want my name next to his in any way. When I'm in the papers, I don't want it to be on the back of Harry Potter's fame."
Malfoy's eyes narrowed maliciously at Corvus, the first time he's ever dared show him such hostility. Louis heckled, breaking the tension, "Got ourselves our own prima-dona, haven't we?"
"Potter better watch out, we can't fit both their heads in Hogwarts," said Anwar.
"Yeah, we should cast a vote on which git stays."
That group of Slytherins snickered. Corvus tightened his grip on his wand and rolled his other hand in a fist. Daphne pulled on his sleeve.
"Leave it," she hissed. Neither of his former friends seemed perturbed by his anger. In fact, they seem to find it amusing. He cursed under his breath and grabbed his school bag, marching out of the Great Hall.
X
X
What should've been one of the easiest exams, History of Magic, turned out to be the most torturous. Corvus couldn't stop thinking about how Louis and Anwar turned him into a joke, how Rita Skeeter had quoted him without his permission and on top of it all, he couldn't stop thinking about Potter's bloody dream.
The Dark Lord was getting stronger and something with Ascanius Stirling was still happening. Mr. Crouch might have disappeared, but it was only to make way for something worse. Writing an exam right now was hopeless.
Just one more day, right? Potter just needs to finish this third task and it'll be over. Everything.
When time was up, he knew he'd be lucky if he got an 'Acceptable.'
X
X
"We can even the score with them," said Max. They'd left the castle before that evening's feast to walk outside and to enjoy a tentette. After dinner the students would be led to the Quidditch pitch for the third task. Corvus would have to meet up with the other Prefects, they were supposed to oversee organizing the other students.
"How can they still be angry at us?" sighed Corvus. "It makes no sense. How sensitive are they?"
"Doesn't matter now, they're out for good."
"It's not like they'd been crawling back to us," he said, rather dejectedly. "Remember your brilliant idea of bleeding them white?"
He shrugged, "They're loss."
Corvus wasn't entirely convinced. He still felt he'd lost a lot too in this whole mess. Staring off at the Forbidden Forest, he slowly exhaled a lung full of tentette smoke. "How about an impromptu excursion?"
Max gave his half-smirk and put out his tentette. They were just going to walk off when a voice called from the steps of the Entrance Hall, "Black!"
Moody was standing in the doorway, looking grim.
"We have to talk, lad," he told him, beckoning him in. Corvus and Max exchanged looks as Moody hobbled back inside. Wondering what could possibly be wrong now, he jogged after Moody. There were groups of excited, chatting students in the Entrance Hall. Moody made most of them scatter out of their way with a single growl.
"Is everything alright, professor?" Corvus asked as they got to the second floor, the noise from the Great Hall and Entrance Hall far below them.
"Yeh'll find out in private, Black, won't risk any eavesdroppers."
"Of course," he muttered and followed him into his office.
"Take a seat."
Was he in trouble? It felt like it. He took a seat in front of Moody's desk and watched as Moody went to his cupboard. He opened it, grabbing out two glasses and a half-finished bottle of Firewhiskey.
"Congratulations are in order," grinned Moody, twisting his face in the most gruesome sort of way. Corvus chuckled, wary.
"Really, sir? For what?"
Moody set the glasses down and used his teeth to open the bottle. "I know this hasn't been the best year for yeh," he said as he poured. "A lot of challenges were thrown your way, but you kept your head on tight and your wits sharp."
"Isn't that expected from every student?" he smirked, taking the glass. Moody sat himself down and grabbed his own glass.
"You're not good at humble, so just drink to your success," he told him, raising his glass.
"I'm surprised, is all," he said, toasting as well. He took a good gulp of the Firewhiskey. Not a stranger to the drink, he was impressed by its flavor. It was a good brew. "Teachers don't usually drink with students."
Moody hadn't drank, though he kept holding his glass. "With the third task coming up, I reckoned we both needed to relax. Recharge."
"Couldn't agree more."
"How do yeh think Potter's going to fare?"
"I couldn't really say, they've stopped inviting me to their training hours a few weeks ago," he admitted. "Tried finding them, but they were using empty classrooms wherever they could find them."
"Couldn't go right up to them and ask during lunch or dinner?"
Corvus's smirk faded, "Ah... well..."
"Yeh didn't want to be seen speaking with them," he finished, amused. "Yeh were only helping him because of your mother, weren't yeh?"
"Basically," he said. This was a surreal experience, sitting here, drinking with Mad-Eye Moody. Talking about not liking Potter... it was like he was living someone's dream. What he was doing was probably way cooler than what Louis or Anwar were doing.
Corvus felt his eyelids grow heavy. He yawned, "Excuse me."
"That's alright, lad... You're very close to your mother, aren't you Corvus?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's always just been me and my mum so... yeah we're close," he answered, suddenly drowsy. He drank some more. Moody was just staring at him, his glass still full.
"It's funny, because I think you have more in common with your father."
"My father?" he blinked rapidly. His eyes were half closed now and his mouth tasted like cotton.
Moody chuckled, "Drink going to your head?"
"You knew my father, sir?" he slurred.
"Yes," he said. "I knew him, but only from a far. It was out of character for him to be whisked away with your mother. He was a quiet, thoughtful boy..."
Moody's voice drowned out and suddenly Corvus jolted, he'd dosed off without realizing it and his professor was still speaking.
"... so much potential. His entire life he was on the right track but then your mother selfishly devoured his future..."
Corvus struggled to see Moody, his figure kept coming in and out of focus. This was strange. This wasn't normal to feel after Firewhiskey. "Sir... I think I'm sick..."
"He's been waiting so long to finally meet you, Corvus Black."
"Huh?" Corvus tried to stand up, but he stumbled over, hitting the floor. The world was spinning and the edges of his vision was blurry. A fuzzy silhouette stood over him and he heard Moody. He felt himself be drawn under.
"When you wake up, you'll know I've saved you."
X
X
Max held Breises's had as they walked onto the Quidditch pitch, which was completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-heigh hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them, the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.
The air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats in the stands. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear.
"Max! Breises!"
Corvus's mother came into view, walking against the crowds of students. A large black dog padded along beside her, its tail wagging. Max had a fleeting memory of when Corvus explained how Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.
"Miss Leandra," breathed Breises, her hand slipping out of Max's so she could cover her mouth. "I'm so surprised to find you! I expected you to be seated with the judges and other high ranking officials present."
She gave her very distant cousin a funny smile, "I'm looking for Corvus, have you seen him?"
"Professor Moody called him into his office before the feast," said Max, looking up from the dog.
"We haven't seen him since," said Breises, eager to be of use.
"Not even at dinner?" she frowned. They shook their head. "I suppose he should be with Mad-Eye then," she said thoughtfully. She absentmindedly stroked the dog's head. The dog's grey eyes were trained on Max.
"If we see him or what, I'll tell him you're looking for him, Ms. Black," he promised and took Breises's hand. Corvus's mother smiled.
"Why don't you two sit with me by the judges' table? Corvus would like to have some of his friends to watch the third task with," she said. "Best seats in the house."
"We'd love to!" exclaimed Breises. She pulled Max along with her as Ms. Black led the way. "I didn't know you had a pet, Miss Leandra."
"Please, both of you, call me Leandra," she told them as they climbed the steps to the judges' platform. "And I just got him, his name's Snuffles."
"An adorable name. I love dogs."
"There's Moody," Ms. Black said, distracted. Moody, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were walking in the stadium and approaching Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin waistcoat.
"They're going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," explained Ms. Black, searching the seats closest to the stadium. "So where's Corvus? Do you think he is with your other friends, Louis and Anwar?"
"No," replied Max, with no further explanation. "Maybe Daphne."
She sighed, frustrated. "It's impossible to find him in this crowd."
"He probably knows where you'll be seated," he said.
She nodded, "I suppose. I wish he'd waited for me, I told him I wanted to meet up before."
"He's been very upset today," said Breises. "Because of that mean article in the Daily Prophet."
Ms. Black's eyes narrowed slightly, "Yes, I particularly wanted to speak to him about that."
She gave up peering out into the hundreds of students and walked them to their seats. Without meaning to, Max noticed that Cho and her friends were seated to their right. She was in perfect view of him, their eyes met and they waved at each other. Breises loudly cleared her throat beside him.
Bagman's magically magnified voice echoed into the stands. "Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, on eighty-five points each – Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!"
The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. Max half-wondered if one of those birds was Corvus. The dog next to Ms. Black's seat barked loudly.
"In second place, on eighty points – Mr. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang Institute." More applause. "And in third place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Ms. Black wasn't clapping anymore, she was craning her neck to see the stands. "This is ridiculous, where is he?"
"So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three – two – one – "
He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Potter and Diggory hurried forward into the maze. Cho gave an excited shout of encouragement for Diggory. Max glanced sideways at her, noted how glowing she was and he privately wished Cedric Diggory would lose.
X
X
Harry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way and he fell forwards; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head.
"Where are we?" he said.
Cedric shook his head. He got up, pulled Harry to his feet, and they looked around.
They had left the Hogwarts ground completely; they had obviously travelled miles – perhaps hundreds of miles – for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A jill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.
Cedric looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry. "Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?" he asked.
"Nope," said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silent, and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"
"I dunno," said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"
"Yeah," said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him.
They pulled out their wands. Harry kept looking around him. He had, yet again, the strange feeling that they were being watched.
"Someone's coming," he said suddenly.
Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched two figures draw nearer, walking steadily towards them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face. One was very tall and thin while the other was short and squat. The tall one was walking as if he was holding something in his arms.
Both were wearing hooded cloaks pulled up over their heads to obscure their faces. And – several paces nearer, the space between them closing all the time – he saw that the thing in the person's arms looked like a baby... or was it merely a bundle of robes?
Harry lowered his wand slightly, and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look. They both turned back to watch the approaching figures.
It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second, Harry and Cedric and the two figures simply looked at each other.
Click. Click.
Without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all, his head was about to split open.
From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare."
...
...
...
SURPRISE! Next chapter will be centered on ASCANIUS STIRLING! Will include, obviously, Voldemort's rising, Death Eaters' reunion, that sort of stuff. I wrote passages straight out of Gof and OotP for this chapter. Sorry if the middle parts about Corvus's exams felt rushed, I basically plowed through them because they were just soooo long otherwise!
Pls R&R! Hope you're excited for Ascanius's glorious return.
