A/N: Here you are everybody. This is the beginning of the end, the start of the Third Task. There are only four more chapters left after this, provided I stick to the plot, so we're nearing the end of the story… but hopefully not the end of the series. I do some of the essentials for a sequel down, but I'll deal with that when I get to it.
Soon enough, it was the morning of the Third Task. Harry had spent the last week in preparation, brushing up on his deadly arsenal of spells and finally managing to transfigure his sword into a toothpick, to put in his pocket. Technically, Harry was only allowed to bring a wand but when had he started caring for the rules. With a good nights rest behind him and Meciel's comforting presence within his mind, Harry felt that he was ready for anything that the Third Task would throw at him.
Well, almost anything…
"What the hell is this?" Harry exclaimed flatly, his green eyes widening as he stared at the scene in front of him. McGonagall, standing next to him, sniffed in disapproval but stalked out of the room and back into the Great Hall, her task of delivering Harry to the small anteroom complete. Harry's eyes sought out Amanda, who was in the middle of a cluster of people, and a sour expression crossed his face. "You have three seconds to explain, brat."
"Brat?" One of the young men standing next to Amanda asked in a puzzled tone. His expression was one of distaste as he stared at Harry warily, almost as if he were waiting for the Denarian to attack them all. Next to him, Amanda sighed and raised a dutiful hand for the rest of the group.
"That's me," she muttered and raised her voice. "Well, since you don't really have a family…since you…um…killed them, they're…we're…here to support you…for the Third Task…since there's nobody else…"
"Ah," Harry let out, blinking in mild shock as he took in the scene before him.
Standing before him was the entire Carpenter family, minus the Knight. There was Charity, the tall and long-blonde haired mother. Her crystal blue eyes appraised him carefully; the usual disdain that Harry remembered was gone, replaced by careful reflection. Standing next to her mother was Molly, who eyed Harry with neutrality. Ever since the duel with Nicodemus, Molly had stayed out of Harry's way. Harry didn't know whether it was because she was grateful that he had saved her life, fearful because of his display of power or a mixture of both. Frankly, he didn't care- the less he saw of her, the better.
Harry took in the other siblings, Meciel whispering the names that Amanda had given to him years ago into his ear. There was Daniel, the tall and lanky boy- man now, who Harry had forced to drive him away from the Carpenter household. He had been the one that had spoken before and his grey eyes pierced Harry's with a hint of warning in them. Next in line was Alicia, who looked to be in her late teens with braided dark hair. She watched Harry with curiosity rather than the fear that the next boy, a dark-haired fifteen or sixteen year old, was currently staring at him with. Finally, the two little children, an eleven year old pigtailed blonde girl and a short dark-haired boy with serious grey eyes stared at him with nothing less than awe.
"So…support," Harry said slowly, raking his eyes up and down the Carpenter family. The beginnings of an irritated scowl were forming on his face as he glanced at Amanda. "Why the hell would I need, no, why the hell would I want your support?"
"That's what I told them," Daniel muttered sourly, meeting Harry's gaze fearlessly. Harry glanced at the eldest son with narrowed eyes, disliking him already.
"Okay," He said with a careless shrug, deciding that raising a fuss at that particular moment really wasn't worth it. "If you want to support me then just tell me I'm good and go away."
'You're getting soft, beloved,' Meciel murmured and Harry twitched in annoyance, giving Meciel a mental swat of irritation.
"You're good, Harry," Amanda praised blandly and Harry frowned.
"Like you mean it," He insisted and a mischievous smile curved his lips. "Do a song. Nobody's ever done a song for me before. Better yet, make it a striptease…"
Amanda shook her head in exasperation, rolling her eyes but not appearing to be surprised at his manner. The rest of the family, especially the younger lot, seemed to be surprised. Alicia was openly frowning at him and Matthew was torn between fear and reluctant amusement.
"Here," Charity said, speaking up for the first time. Harry blinked as she offered him a crumpled paper bag. He took it from her hands and opened it up, looking inside at the contents. It was the small gun that he had lent her ages ago, before he had come to Hogwarts and when he had just dispatched the assassins at her house. Accompanying it was a handful of bullets. "We didn't use it at all."
Harry scoffed and threw the bag back, which Charity reflexively caught with a startled expression on her face.
"I'm beyond guns now," Harry boasted proudly, an arrogant smile tilting his lips. He paused. "Besides, you've probably blessed it or broke it or something. For me, it's the same thing."
Charity looked annoyed but she tucked the bag away. There was an awkward silence as the family fidgeted under Harry's gaze. Whatever annoyance he had felt at this situation was gone now and instead, he enjoyed the squirming and restlessness of the group in front of him. Nobody quite knew what to say, but the little girl, Hope, kept staring at him with wide blue eyes. Harry frowned and stared back at her and she gave a loud, startled squeak and dove behind, as Harry noticed instantly, Charity's very nice looking legs.
"Is she on crack of something?" Harry asked Charity, a strange expression on his face as he caught Hope peeking from behind her mother. "Because detox is dangerous to kids, you know. I don't care or anything, but I don't want to be around when she carks it. I've sort of got a bad reputation around this place- I tend to kill things, so you understand that it wouldn't look good."
"No, Harry," Charity said flatly, a flash of disapproval running through her eyes. She drew herself up, levelling Harry with a piercing stare. "My nine year old daughter is not on crack."
"Oh," Harry said and frowned, tilting his head at Charity as he stared at her quizzically. "You know, you don't sound too happy to see me," "He's an observant one, isn't he?" Daniel muttered to his younger brother, Matthew, who let out a small snigger. Daniel turned back to Harry with a small smirk on his face but it instantly died when he saw Harry's eyes on him. A dark emotion glittered beneath the emerald depths but it vanished as quickly as it had come
"Oh, I am observant," Harry said cheerfully, a blinding smile appearing on his face as he leaned forward menacingly. "Watch as I observe how your broken and mangled bodies fall to the ground in a pile of your own blood after I kill you for being smart-arses."
Matthew gulped and quickly took a step back while Daniel tried and failed to meet Harry's gaze with confidence and bravery. Charity's posture had become rigid and dangerous but Harry glanced towards her and offered her a cheesy wink.
"Kids," He sighed remorsefully with a careful shrug of his shoulders. "You try to raise them up to be nice and sensible fellows and then they insult the first demonic murderer they come across. You know, this was probably a bad idea on your part. I tend to hurt the people I don't like."
Amanda rolled her eyes, obviously not impressed with both Harry's comment and Harry's wink, but Charity slowly relaxed as Harry showed no further signs of aggression and spoke up.
"I am grateful for all you have done for us," she said, looking uneasy and awkward. Her hand impatiently brushed a strand of her out of her face- a move Harry had seen Amanda perform dozens of times. "But this meeting was not my idea."
"Oh?" Harry murmured, blinking in surprise. A slight frown crossed over his face, as well as the first traces of wariness. "Who else would be dumb enough to send their beloved Christian family to support a 'demon of the night'?"
"It was…" Charity started.
"My idea," Somebody called out and Harry turned around to see Michael, enter the room. Wariness and a flash of fear struck Harry and he stiffened, his eyes narrowing to slits as he observed the Knight. He hadn't seen the man in years, ever since their brief encounter which had left Harry wounded and almost dead. From what Harry could remember of that night, Michael had barely changed. His hair was cropped short, dark against a streak of silver. He had a well-trimmed beard and there were worry and laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. He was a tall man with stern but compassionate grey eyes and Harry could sense the decency and goodness that Michael had within him.
It was enough to make him feel sick.
"Daddy!" Amanda squealed from behind Harry and a blonde and crimson blur rushed forward, bounding into her father's arms. Michael closed his arms around his daughter, joy and deep-seated love entering his eyes as he clutched her tightly against his chest. Harry watched all of this with a sour expression on his face and he made a loud retching noise, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, get a room," He muttered to himself.
"Where's Sanya?" Molly asked, throwing Harry a cold look.
"Out on business," Michael answered with a slight frown. "I won't be able to watch this tournament of yours, Molly. I get the feeling that I will be very busy tonight."
"Zealot," Harry muttered softly, rolling his eyes and preparing to leave the room. However, his muttered comment had garnered Michael's attention and the Knight turned to him.
"So, you're the Denarian that saved my family's life," Michael said, eying Harry carefully but without hostility. "I owe you my sincerest thanks, for both saving my family's life and killing Nicodemus. The world is a better place without him in it."
He extended a weathered and calloused hand and Harry glanced at it. He deliberately brushed it aside and ignored the hand as he stared back at the Knight.
"Are you sure you don't want to offer me anything else?" Harry asked, a mocking expression of hopefulness making him seem much more innocent and vulnerable than he really was. "Because I do take cash, cheque, card and little girl's souls."
Hope let out a muffled squeak and shuffled back behind Charity, who regarded Harry with exasperation and disapproval. Harry gave a nasty grin and gave the little blonde girl a mocking wave. Next to Charity, Daniel shifted on his fear- looking as if he wanted to do nothing more than hit Harry at that particular moment. Harry stared back at him challengingly but before anything could happen, Amanda broke in, her voice exasperated yet resigned.
"I don't suppose there's nothing I can say that will make you ease up a little?" She asked with a sigh, still being clutched in her father's arms
"Well, actually…" Harry said thoughtfully, switching his gaze back to Amanda. "If you say "Master Harry…". No, wait, "Lord Harry, I beg you!" then I may consider it."
"Never going to happen," Amanda said with a bright, fake smile.
"Then I'm going to stick with the arsehole routine," Harry said with a careless shrug. "Just know that you have the power to change me. Just say the words and I will be nice."
"Yeah, right," Molly scoffed under her breath but Harry heard her and raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"So," Michael intervened quickly, flashing both Molly and Daniel a stern look. "I heard you took my little girl to the Yule Ball."
"Yeah," Harry said dryly. "Then we had promiscuous pre-martial sex afterwards."
"Harry!" Amanda hissed, blushing furiously as she stared at him in horror. "We didn't," she hastily explained to her mother, who was eying Amanda with a startled and dismayed expression. Amanda's face became troubled and she shuddered, drawing herself deeper into her father's comforting arms. "Besides, that night I was in the hospital wing after…Nicodemus…"
"Please tell me you're not afraid of a dead man," Harry scoffed and Amanda shot him a pained glare, her blue-grey eyes narrowing in anger. Michael stood back and observed the interaction between his daughter and Harry with patient eyes. "Because Nicodemus is dead. Truly and utterly dead. Dead as a fish out of water, a cow in a slaughterhouse and Serbians in Croatia."
"That's low," Michael muttered, staring at Harry with disapproval. "Do you know how many people have died there in the past few months?"
"Do you know how little I care?" Harry asked flatly, before he swung his gaze to the door. "Anyway, I have better things to do than to talk to a bunch of Christians. Have a bad day and I hope you all trip on a stairway and break your legs or something.
"We love you too, Harry," Amanda called out blandly and Harry shook his head in disgust, stalking out of the room with a disgruntled frown on his face. The last thing he heard was the little boy speaking up, asking his sisters a question in a soft, serious voice.
"Is he always that mean?"
"Yes," Amanda and Molly muttered in unison.
Once again, Harry and the Champions stood within the Quidditch Stadium to complete a Triwizard Tournament task. However, once again the stadium had changed from a series of large stones and rocky ground into a lush twenty-foot high hedge that seemed to encircle the entire pitch. In front of the group was a darkened gap, the entrance to this vast maze of greenery. Harry's eyes flickered upward and saw a clear blue sky that was darkening as the sun went down, revealing the first of its twinkling stars. He then glanced at the other champions, all who stood apart from each other with determined expressions on their faces. None of them seemed to sense what Harry could, a darkened and ominous feeling that something big was going to happen tonight.
"So, this is it," Harry muttered, mostly to himself. His hand came up to idly brush against the pocket of his overcoat and he felt the small hard object beneath the thick material. A smile twitched his lips as he dropped his hand, feeling a little bit better knowing that he had another weapon at his disposal- the transfigured sword.
'Indeed it is,' Meciel whispered into his ear and Harry had the sensation of an unseen wind ruffling his hair, a roaring cascade of searing fire burning into his veins.
With long-practised ease, Harry grasped the power and allowed it to wash over him. The roaring presence of Hellfire, along with the euphoric bliss that came with it, caused Harry to relax and he stood loosely, a relaxed and arrogant expression on his face as he watched Bagman stand up at the podium, his voice blaring out over the darkened entrance to the maze and the hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators.
"Welcome, Wizards and Witches, to the third and final task of the Tri-Wizard tournament," Bagman began and beamed when a wave of applause and cheering roared out form the stands. He continued, "In this task, the respective champions must navigate their way through the maze to reach the centre. The first person to reach the centre of the maze and touch the Tri-Wizard trophy will receive twenty-five bonus points alongside the score that the judges will give you. Mr Krum and Mr Banks are in the lead on 75 points, Mr Diggory just one point under. Mr Potter is on seventy one points and Ms Delacour is on fifty-four. Every champion here has a chance to win today, so try your hardest! Since Krum and Banks have the most points, they will be entering the maze first. Mr Diggory will be allowed in ten seconds later, Mr Potter a minute later and Ms Delacour two minutes later. Wizards and Witches, let the Third Task begin!"
"Here we go," Harry muttered as a loud crack filled the air. A loud wave of cheers roared from the stands as the first two champions entered the darkened maze, watching each other warily. A moment later, another crack filled the air, signalling Cedric's advance into the maze.
Harry ignored them all and stood before the maze, distantly aware of Fleur's presence beside him. He narrowed his eyes, clutching his wand and preparing to cast a spell the instant that another crack filled the air. It seemed to take forever to Harry, but a third crack finally echoed into the night sky and Harry moved as a blur, his wand flying up as he levelled it right at the entrance of the maze.
"Echosondra!
Harry flinched as a loud crackling noise hit his ears and an invisible ball of sonic energy left his wand, soaring through the maze at great speed. The tip of his wand shuddered and Harry winced, his eyes clutched shut as his spell hit a leafy wall and instantly shattered into a thousand different parts, ricocheting off the wall and further into the darkened maze. Unheard to all except Harry, a long series of loud pinging noises echoed throughout the maze and a barrage of high-pitch tones struck Harry's ears. With each tone came a tantalising flash, a grainy image of lines and darkness. Harry winced, placing a hand to his head and scrunching up his face as pain lanced through his head. However, an instant later a pulse of soothing heat banished his pain away and the images stopped as Meciel emerged from the back of his mind, taking the brunt of the spell.
This spell, which worked like sonar, was a mostly unknown an unused spell because of the detrimental effects it had on its caster. Anymore more than a few dozen images resulted in a considerable amount of mental trauma for the wizard, because their minds were simply unable to comprehend what they were receiving. Luckily for Harry, who was receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of images, he had Meciel to do all the hard work for him and shield his mind from the potentially devastating effects. In a few moments, Meciel had already received, translated, organised and stored over a quarter of the maze's pathways, and in a few more moments, she had already devised the best way to get closest to the centre of the maze.
"We done?" Harry grunted under his breath, a pained scowl on his face as he stood in front of the maze entrance. "Because that hurt like a bitch."
Next to him, Fleur stated at him strangely and hesitantly, before another crack spurred her forward and into the maze. Harry could hear the crowd behind him tittering loudly but he ignored them.
'Yes, beloved,' Meciel replied briskly. 'If you follow my instructions, you will find yourself in the centre of this maze in no time.'
"Excellent," Harry muttered and raising his wand, he walked forward and entered the darkened maze.
The walls loomed around him, almost eerily, but Harry merely cocked an eyebrow and flicked his wand, a tinge of Hellfire escaping his tightly gripped grasp. A peculiar ball of crimson flames exploded in his left palm, illuminating the surroundings with a soft, red glow. Harry nodded in satisfaction, feeling a slight tickling sensation in his hand, and continued forward. He walked for a few minutes, Meciel whispering the right directions into his head whenever he reached a corner. Harry followed them without question and dove deeper into the maze. He didn't see any sign of obstacles or defences for the first five minutes, until, almost a quarter of the way into the maze, he met up with an unexpected surprise.
Harry turned right at the next corner, as Meciel instructed him to, and then came to a stop. Surprise flickered on his face and caution zapped through his veins as something loomed forward from the darkness in a barrage of strange clicking noises. It was a gigantic spider, as tall as Harry was, with clicking pincers and drooling fangs. It made a menacing growling noise and it scuttled towards Harry, intent on attacking him. However, the first instant Harry had seen the spider he had reacted.
"Evertoxuro!" He barked, his wand whipping up as the spider lunged at him. A jet of bright yellow flames billowed out of his wand and the spider screeched as it was met with a wave of searing heat. It stumbled backwards and Harry kept his wand steady, squinting past the almost-painful brightness of the flames and the large clouds of smoke that was rising into the sky. "Irruptus Ardor!"
A barrage of red-yellow fire blasted at the retreating spider, two balls of flames striking it on the back and causing it to screech in agony as it vaulted around a corner and disappeared from Harry's onslaught. The rest of the blasts of fire struck the maze wall and the grass and Harry's eyes widened, his wand whipping up to extinguish the flames. However, there was no need as the hedge and grass didn't wither under the heat and soon the fire died down. Harry stared at the hedge and frowned.
"Well, there goes plan B," Harry muttered sourly, idly kicking at the ground with his scuffed shoes. "I guess if we're ambushed, we can't burn our way out."
''We still have plan C, D and F,' Meciel reminded Harry, who nodded and started walking forward.
"What about plan E?" He asked, turning another corner with his wand raised, as if he were expecting another spider to jump out and attack him. However, the brief encounter with that spider must have left a lasting impression on it and Harry saw nothing, only smelling a faint acrid burning smell.
'We're not using plan E,' Meciel said firmly.
"Why not?" Harry asked defensively, the beginnings of a childish pout coming over his face. "It was a good plan."
'It was a terrible plan, beloved,' Meciel said exasperatedly. 'And you know it.'
"It could still work," Harry muttered sourly, kicking the ground with his shoes and sending a small chunk of wet dirt and grass into the air. "Don't knock it just because you don't like it."
'Oh beloved,' Meciel said exasperatedly. 'Just keep walking- and it's a right turn here.'
Harry rolled his eyes as he turned the corner and came to a sudden halt. A wary look came over his face at the glittering azure frost that coated the large hedges surrounding the path. Despite that rather beautiful appearance, Harry, or Meciel, could sense an enchantment on the sparkling wash of colours. Harry frowned, his wand raised as he cautiously approached the frost.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, came a choir of eerie singing, a beautiful and haunting spell that tugged at Harry's heartstrings. The sweet soft voices lapped at Harry's ears and for a single instant he felt peaceful- completely relaxed and devoid of all emotion. There was a soft pressure on his mind, a soothing yet completely foreign presence that was attempting to lull him into sleep. However, just as quickly as it had come, it vanished and Meciel reared forward. The full force of her majestic presence almost threatened to overwhelm Harry as the Fallen shattered the mental spell with a single spike of blazing power. At the same time, something warm fell over his ears and suddenly Harry was deaf.
The glow of the azure frost had dimmed a bit but still sparkled as Harry walked forward, his eyes flickering over his surroundings in case there was something else lurking behind them. When he had passed by all of the azure frost, Harry stopped and glanced back at it. He winced and clutched his ears as a high-pitched note spiked in his ears for a brief second, before his hearing suddenly came back and the sound of his breathing filled his ears.
"Thanks," Harry said, staring back at the frost with a contemplative expression.
'You're welcome, beloved,' Meciel said smugly.
After another casting of echosondra and a barrage of images that Meciel had promptly deciphered, Harry delved deeper into the maze. Because of the new information, Harry knew exactly where the centre of the maze was and how to get there. All that lay in his way was five corners and whatever obstacles were still guarding the trophy. As he turned the first corner, he came to a slow halt as he took in what had to be another obstacle. It was some kind of creature, half-human and half-lion, with clawed paws, a long yellowish tail and thick orange fur. It had a woman's face and parts of a woman's upper chest and her deep brown eyes swung towards Harry, a mysterious smile crossing over her face.
'It is a Sphinx,' Meciel said, not sounding worried at all. 'They are guardians of knowledge and treasure. She will only let you past if you solve her riddle.'
"A riddle," Harry muttered sourly.
'Yes.'
"I suck at riddles," Harry said and scowled, lifting his wand and levelling it at the beast, who blinked its luminous brown eyes and stared at Harry with surprise.
'Then kill it,' Meciel said carelessly. Harry shrugged as dawning horror appeared on the Sphinx's face, who opened its mouth to speak, revealing sharp canines. However, before she could utter a single word, Harry struck out.
'"Effodio!" Harry snapped, and there was a flash of silver light, a loud bang and a piercing scream of pain. The Sphinx collapsed, agony flickering over her features as one of her legs, now torn to bloody shreds and splintered bones, collapsed in on itself. She looked murderous as she tried to shrug off the pain, her teeth baring in an animalistic snarl, but Harry's next spell blasted her deeper into the ground.
The sphinx flinched and screamed in pain, dark crackles of magic flickering over her frame as she twisted and squirmed in the ground. The rage and anger in her voice had gone and she made pitiful meowing sounds, staring at Harry with fearful brown eyes. Her clawed paws scrambled in the dirt as she attempted to crawl away, shuddering with pain and fear. Harry watched her squirm as he levelled his wand at the sphinx again, her pitiful meowing noises echoing out into the night sky, and he hesitated before heaving a soft sigh.
The next spell that came from his wand was a golden flash of light- a spell that Harry had once seen Dumbledore use- and the sphinx cried out with relief as it seeped into her body, her pain temporarily soothed. She gazed at Harry with sorrowful brown eyes, tinged with both fear and disbelief, and opened its mouth to speak. A crimson bolt of magic struck her in the head and the sphinx slackened as it was blasted into unconsciousness.
'You are getting soft,' Meciel murmured, although she didn't sound too concerned. 'Harry Potter, slayer of Nicodemus and a Drakon, spares the life of the pitiful beast. Touching, truly touching.'
"Oh, shut up," Harry muttered, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as carelessly stepped over the stunned, wounded creature an turned the second corner. "And what can I say? I love women, and cats, and women with big breasts. Although, after seeing that Sphinx, I have to say that I'm not really a fan on cat-women."
'Let me guess, beloved,' Meciel said dryly. 'Her breasts were too small.'
"Actually it was her face," Harry said, a touch sharply and frowned. "Why do you always make me out to be some kind of hormonal pervert?"
'Because your eyes were practically glued to the Sphinx's chest,' Meciel said and paused. 'Besides, you are a hormonal pervert.'
"Touche, hot and sexy figment of my imagination, touche," Harry said and a smile curved his lips as he felt Meciel's spike of amusement.
He turned the third corner of the maze and stopped, a frown flickering over his face. Something stirred in the darkness before him, something big, and Harry got a glimpse of movement before all fell still. He frowned and held out his left hand. The crimson hued flames flared as Harry drew his arm back and hurled it into the darkness. As another fist of flames burst into existence over his hand, the other one exploded in a dull flash of light, not bright enough to hurt Harry's eyes but still enough for him to get a good view of the path - and of the creature that lay at the end of it.
It looked like a giant scorpion, more than anything, and towered over Harry. A blast of fire erupted from its tail and it scuttled forward with a great burst of speed. Harry got a glimpse of thick, plate-like armour and a white strip of flesh on the creature's belly before it charged at him. With a snarl, Harry made to jump back but Meciel, in a burst of Hellfire, spurred him on. She communicated to him without words, a flash of images and insight, and Harry obeyed, charging towards the creature. The creature let out a loud hiss, sounding like a snake more than anything else, and levelled its head as it prepared to knock him over.
But Harry was too quick and as the creature loomed over him he ducked, frowning in concentration. Rage flickered over his face and his eyes glinted coldly as he initiated part of his transformation. The creature hurtled over him, its momentum too fast to stop completely, and Harry allowed the gigantic wings of bone to erupt from his back. The sharp, jagged ends tore into the white belly and the creature made an odd gurgling noise, its speed making sure that Harry's wings dug in deep. Harry felt something hot and sticky strike his face but he ignored it as he retracted his wings and neatly sidestepped, the creature's tail missing him by a centimetre.
Harry stood up and whirled around, holding up his hand and allowing the soft red light to illuminate the area. The creature had collapsed behind him in a heap of legs. A dark, sticky pool of liquid was slowly seeping out from its belly, where it looked as if a large saw had gutted the creature in two. Harry took in a deep breath, his heart racing as adrenaline surged through his veins.
"That was close," He said slowly, gingerly touching his face and trying to scrub off the blood. "Good call, Meciel."
'Well done, beloved,' Meciel said, sounding both impressed and proud. 'You moved faster than I thought you were capable of.'
"Ah, well," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders and turning away from the dead creature. "It's all in the pelvis, you know, and since I've been practising so often lately..."
He was cut off as a loud, piercing scream filled the air- decidedly feminine in nature. Harry blinked, recognising the voice as Fleur's, and sighed.
"The French," He muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Bloody hopeless, the lot of them."
'I would dearly love to see you defeated by a Frenchman,' Meciel said quietly, amusement trickling into her tone. 'because the irony would be oh-so perfect.'
"Yeah, whatever," Harry said and rolled his eyes.
He turned the last corner a few moments later and strode into the centre of the maze, his eyes flickering over every corner in the small clearing. The Triwizard trophy was gleaming on a plinth not too far away. The entire area seemed to be illuminated by its glowing presence, driving away the shadows from the corners. Harry frowned, peering behind him and at the gap past the cup, his wand high and ready.
"So, where's the trap?" He muttered quietly, his veins roaring with Hellfire. His eyes glittered, both with excitement and wariness, and he slowly walked forward, approaching the Triwizard Cup.
'I do not sense anything,' Meciel told him quietly. 'Perhaps we were wrong. Perhaps Cessbulby was wrong.'
"Maybe," Harry said slowly. "But..."
Something blurred in the corner of his eye and Harry instinctively ducked, his wand flying up. He heard a snarl as something jumped over his head and landed behind him. He whirled around and saw a large dog with gleaming teeth spinning around, its eyes dull and without life.
'This is the trap?' Meciel asked scornfully.
'"Effodio!" Harry snapped and the dog gave a single whine as its head burst apart in a shower of wooden shards and green leaves. Harry blinked as the dog collapsed, twisting and shuddering until it had turned into a branch, one that could have easily been taken off the maze. He whirled around, just in time to sweep his wand upwards and parry a streak of light, driving it into the ground. "So, it's you."
Krum didn't say anything but there was grim determination on his face as he took a step forward, his wand levelled towards Harry. His eyes flickered behind Harry, towards the Triwizard Cup, and a flash of longing flickered over his face. "The cup is mine," He growled threateningly. "And you will not stop me! Concutio!"
"Declino!" Harry snapped and swiped his wand through the air. The murky brown curse flickered and there was a small flash of red light as Harry batted it away, back towards Krum.
The Durmstrang student ducked, his eyes widening, but he pressed on his attack. The ground shuddered around Harry and a dozen blades of grass rose up into red-striped serpents. An instant later the serpents shot upwards and zoomed through the air towards Krum, who gave an elaborate twirl with his wand. The snakes became a puff of smoke, which burst into flames a second later. Krum gave a strangled yell and stumbled backwards, his wand flicking through the air.
"You idiot," Harry said scornfully as he parried another curse with ease. "If I wanted to cup, then I would have taken it. In fact, maybe I will."
"Dolor!" Krum snapped. A black orb of magic burst from the tip of his wand but Harry sneered and drove it away. It struck the ground and disappeared in a shower of sparks and a column of oily smoke. "Accio Cup!"
Harry had flicked his wand at the same instant as Krum had summoned the cup. A blast of silver light flashed throughout the small clearing and Harry gave a sharp yank of his wand, causing Krum to give a strangled yell as something tugged at his arm, lifted him from his feet and sent him soaring over Harry's shoulder. As the gleaming metal of the trophy touched Krum's fingers, Krum's flailing leg brushed along Harry and with a jerk at the navel, both champions activated the hidden portkey and were vanished from the maze.