~*Chapter 18*~

The Final Trial

Most of the students were excited to see what the end of that Marathon would have to offer, but there were quite a few fifth- and seventh-years who only seemed stressed at the timing.

"It's the last weekend before the exams," Roxie pointed out with a sympathetic glance towards her brother, who was huddled in the common room with a group of other fifth-year Gryffindors frantically going over Potions notes. "Most of them want to get as much cramming done as they can, but they also don't want to miss out on watching the Marathon."

Andrew shrugged, folding a scrap of parchment into a vague birdlike shape before flicking it through the air at Dustin's head. "It shouldn't last too long, right? Only a couple hours."

Dustin batted the wobbly paper bird out of the air with ease, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "What about your cousin Louis?" he asked Al. "If students would rather study than watch the Marathon, they have the option. He doesn't. He's using up a lot of time lately doing these tasks. Isn't that kind of unfair?"

"Hey, the Headmaster told 'em all not to even volunteer if they thought it'd get in the way of their studying or whatever," Andrew said before Al could answer. "That's on him."

"Louis studies every spare chance he gets," Al admitted, trying to pretend the same worry had not been nagging at him. "He knows how important his O.W.L.s are. He just... wanted to do something big, I guess. You only get one shot at the Marathon."

"I don't know why he thinks he has to impress his dad," Roxie huffed, revealing a motivation Al had been unaware of. "Uncle Bill was pretty studious in school, and he's kind of a war hero after what that damned werewolf did to him. Louis just wants to show he can be smart and brave, I guess."

Al didn't say what he was thinking. Roxie and Fred seemed to be going out of their way to make their names as troublemakers at school much as their father had, and secretly he suspected at least some of that came from a desire to uphold their father's Hogwarts reputation. Like James, he thought, and tried to lead the conversation a different direction. "Have they actually said yet when the last task will take place?"

Felicia was curled up on the windowsill, watching Andrew's clumsy attempts to fold another paper bird with detached interest. "I overheard Lisa say it would be right before dinner, and that it might mean a late meal. Maybe whatever it is, they want it to be a little dark."

"So it's probably outdoors, like last year's." Andrew flicked the bird at Dustin again, but it only flew about a foot before it nosedived into the rug.

"That would be easier if you used magic, you know," Felicia said, amused.

"Says the Muggle-born," Andrew muttered, embarrassed. He scooped up the bird and crumpled it into a ball. "Like to see you do better."

Felicia made a face at him, then tore a piece of parchment in half and deftly folded it into a neat streamlined shape and flicked it into the air. The others all watched as it looped once and then soared across the common room to land on a first-year's head, startling him badly.

"Oops."

"That didn't look like a bird," Andrew said with a jealous frown.

"It's an airplane."

"What?"

"A paper airplane. They fly a lot better than those weird ugly birds you keep trying to make."

Andrew's face reddened, and he looked ready to start an argument, so Al rose to his feet noisily. "It's too nice out to stay cooped up in here. Let's go visit Hagrid or something."

"No thanks," Andrew said, looking a little uncomfortable. "I was gonna see if I could get a game of Exploding Snap together." He didn't like to admit that the big man still gave him the willies, mostly to spare Al's feelings.

Felicia, however, had come to grow quite fond of the rough-edged but genial Professor, and hopped off the windowsill at once.

"I'll see if Lily wants to come, too," Al decided, looking around for Trinity. "She's always looking over her shoulder when she stops to talk to us in the halls. She can relax at Hagrid's hut."

"Don't bother."

Al glanced up in surprise. He hadn't noticed Hugo wander over with his friends. "Saw her heading down to the lake to play with the giant squid with a bunch of other first-year Slytherins," his cousin explained with a faint sneer before turning his attention on Andrew. "Hey, if you're playing Exploding Snap, we want in."

Al sighed internally.

"Well at least she's not like... a pariah anymore," Felicia soothed.

Not like she would be if Slytherin knew she'd been a part of that unnerving night with the Dementor. Al shuddered. It was a blessing that Evaine's mother had pulled her out of school. Without her there constantly harassing Lily and insisting she didn't belong, at least some of the younger Slytherins seemed to be forgetting they probably shouldn't be friendly with a Potter. And hopefully, he thought meanly, leaving made Evaine look guilty.

He and Felicia trooped down to Hagrid's hut alone. When they arrived, however, Hagrid seemed pleased to see them but wholly distracted.

They found him outside his hut digging through a stack of crates that he hastily covered up with an old sheet when he saw them approaching. "Sorry, I can't have tea with you today," he insisted. "Important work, y'see. Secret. No peeking," he added hastily when Al made as if to lift a corner of the sheet.

"Are you helping with the Marathon?" Felicia asked, eyeing the lumpy sheet with frank curiosity.

"Y- Er, no. Just... some spring cleanin', is all." Hagrid shifted his considerable bulk to block the crates from view, fidgeting. "Come back tomorrow, I'll make cake."

Felicia looked like she was trying not to grimace. She'd suffered Hagrid's baking once before. "Spring cleaning is 'secret important work'?"

"What's the last trial, Hagrid?" Al wheedled. "You can tell us, we won't tell, promise."

But Hagrid would not be budged. "You'll have to wait an' see like everyone else." His eyes crinkled up in a smile that was mostly hidden by his bushy beard. "Though if I were you, I'd eat a big lunch. I think dinner's gonna be late tonight."

By the time the word got out that everyone was to assemble at the Quidditch field at five that evening, the whole school was burning with anticipation and curiosity.

"Y'know, I did notice that some of the Professors have been roaming the grounds since yesterday keeping anyone from getting too close to the Quidditch pitch," Vincent said as the Gryffindors hurried along after their Prefects to join the rest of the school in the stands. "They've probably been changing it like they did last year for the tests and the Golem."

"Guess it makes sense to keep having the final part there," James said. "It's the only place something big can happen and the rest of us can still see it."

Roxie had cast a charm on a batch of Gryffindor pennants and small flags, changing them to Hufflepuff's colors of gold and black. She handed them out to her cousins, practically forcing a knit cap onto her brother's head.

"I look like a bee," he complained.

"Shush. We need to show Louis we're supporting him."

"Fine," Fred grumbled, wagging a scarlet and gold flag in her face. "But I'm supporting our House, too. I want Louis to do well, but I still want us to snag some great points. I don't want another-" Roxie gave him a sharp look, and he closed his mouth on whatever else he'd been about to say. Ears burning, Al pretended not to notice. He didn't need to be reminded again that he'd been at least part of the reason their House had ended up dead last in House points the prior year. His generosity in the final round of his own Marathon towards the other Houses had not earned him much love in his own.

Al and his friends stumbled to their seats in the stands, too busy gawking down at the pitch to watch where they were going.

"They made a forest," James exclaimed, sounding both impressed and offended. "They better be able to undo it. Those roots are going to ruin the field."

"We play in the air," Dustin said under his breath. Al heard, and hid a grin, eyes still glued to the sight below.

The Quidditch field had effectively become a small forest glade. Al wasn't even sure the trees were real. They seemed a little stunted, barely reaching the first row of seats in the stands, and the foliage had been enchanted to be mostly transparent, giving a clear view of what went on below. There was even, he noticed with a slight wince, a creek with several branches criss-crossing the glade, as well as random humps of boulders, presumably for cover. He hoped the creek at least wasn't real. Ploughing a path through the turf was sure to upset all the Quidditch players.

"It's capture the flag!" Felicia suddenly squealed, pointing. Al looked where she indicated, baffled. There was a silver flag on a pole thrust in between some rocks. On the far end of the glade was a golden flag.

Roxie gave her a blank look. "Capture the flag?"

"Must be a Muggle thing," Andrew said, rolling his eyes.

"There's two teams, and each team tries to capture the other's flag," Felicia explained patiently. "First one wins. Sometimes you have to bring it over to put with your own flag."

"Well it can't be that simple," James scoffed. "This is a wizard marathon, not some Muggle game."

"Still," Vincent interjected, "I think she's right. This is at least based off of capture the flag. Except now the teams can jinx each other."

A few minutes later someone gave a shout, and all eyes turned upwards as a phalanx of brooms soared overhead to hover above the trees. It was the Heads of Houses, clearly there to keep an eye on the teams, and Shacklebolt at the forefront. He put his wand tip to his throat, magically magnifying his already booming voice so all in the stands could hear him.

"Welcome, Hogwarts, to the final round of this year's Marathon. As some of you may have already guessed, this trial resembles the Muggle game of capture the flag." Behind him, Neville wiggled his wand briefly, and an enlarged image of a golden triangular flag began spinning slowly over their heads. "The goal," Shacklebolt continued, "is to capture the other team's flag before they capture yours. Each team will have to use cooperation, planning, and of course spellwork to reach their goal. As before, no unnecessarily painful or debilitating jinxes. The use of such will result in loss of points." He gestured to the semi-transparent foliage below, and though he was a bit too far away to see, Al thought he heard a droll smile behind the next words. "There is an enchantment laid over these woods to muffle sounds going in. You see, the flags are too far apart and with too many obstacles to see from either side. So for those of you perhaps considering calling out directions or advice: shout away, but you will not be heard."

Al was so intent on listening and looking down at where one of the teams was beginning to group around one of the flags that he almost jumped out of his skin when someone gave his robe a sharp tug. He turned, a little annoyed, but only Fred was behind him, and he was talking to Roxanne about the Gryffindor on the team by the silver flag.

"Al," Lily's voice hissed, barely audible. "I need you to come with me. It's important."

Al hesitated, glancing back towards the Professors, who were starting to fan out so they could keep an eye on the match. "It's about to start," he whispered.

"It's Scorpius." Lily's disembodied voice sounded anxious. "I think he's in trouble. But almost all the Professors are out there and I don't know who to tell, and you two are kind of friends, right?"

"You think he's in trouble?" Al repeated, reluctant in the extreme. He let his gaze travel towards the Slytherin stands, but it was impossible to tell if Scorpius's slight frame was one of the many green-clad figures there. He felt impatient and annoyed. Lily could be overreacting. She didn't know about Scorpius's fear of heights, so she might just find his absence strange whereas he had a good idea why the boy hadn't bothered to come. But he couldn't tell her this. He'd promised to keep Scorpius's secret. "I'm sure he's over there some-"

She gave his robe another yank, nearly unseating him. Felicia glanced over at him curiously.

"I saw him," Lily whispered fiercely. "He got cornered by those two goons of Evaine's in the hall. They were practically dragging him out the back. You know, where literally no one will see what they do because everyone is here."

Al felt a chill go up his spine. "I dropped my Hufflepuff flag," he said quickly, loud enough for the others to hear, and ducked down between the benches as if searching for it. Instantly he felt the cloak settle, light as a feather, around his shoulders, and he could see Lily squatting underneath it in front of him, her face pale and worried.

"If you're talking about Dumford and Richmond, I don't know what you expect the two of us to do against them," he said quietly, his voice easily covered by the sudden cheering of the crowd. He ignored the faint impulse to stand up and see what was happening below. "We should bring help. Or find-"

"We don't have time to find a Professor in the stands, and we definitely don't have time to convince any of the others to help," Lily insisted, tugging at his arm and leading the way through the packed stands at a fast shuffle. "You're the only one who cares what happens to him, remember? Besides, they won't see us coming. If they're up to no good, we can jinx them from under the cloak."

"Why are they harassing him?"

"I don't know, I didn't hear," she admitted as they hurried down the narrow steps, the cloak flapping silently. "They already didn't like him because of whatever's going on with some of the Purebloods. Maybe they think he was there that night. With the Dementor. I'm sure they think it was Slytherins that interrupted them. Who else could've followed them? It's why I've been avoiding them like the plague. I don't go anywhere without the cloak, just in case. They keep giving me the stink eye."

They were away from the Quidditch field, so Lily bundled up the cloak so it wouldn't impede them, and they set out for the castle at a run.

"Where would they take him?" Al panted, stumbling to a halt to catch his breath once they reached the front lawn.

"I don't know. Out back somewhere." Lily heaved for breath a few moments, thinking.

"The lake," they both said at the same time. Exchanging a frightened look, they bolted through the doors, narrowly avoiding the caretaker Fogworth. He shouted after them in surprise and annoyance, but they ignored him. It was faster to cut through the castle than go around it.

"This way," Lily gasped, holding a stitch in her side and leading him down a narrow corridor. "Shortcut. I hope."

Her months of sneaking around the castle in the cloak proved useful. They were through the hallways and out the back door quicker than Al would have been able to take them.

"Gotta... catch my breath.." she wheezed, throwing the cloak over them. "They'll hear us... coming."

Al nodded in silent agreement, puffing and blowing, and they walked at a regular pace down the sloping hill towards the lake below. He wished he could make light with his wand; twilight had set in, making it impossible to see if anyone was by the lake from this distance. He could make out vague shapes here and there, but they could have been trees or boats.

The faint sound of angry shouts rose on the air, and Lily gripped his arm nervously.

His breathing finally under control, Al slipped out his wand, steering them in the direction of the noise. "You take care of Richmond," he murmured. "I'll take Dumford."

"What if there's more than two of them down there?" Lily asked in a small, nervous voice.

Al wished he'd thought of that earlier, and bit back a wince. "We'll still have the element of surprise," he said firmly. "And hopefully Scorpius will help."

"If they haven't taken his wand away," Lily fretted. "If-"

"Shh!"

They were close enough now to see that there were four figures at the edge of the lake. Two hulking boys he knew must be Dumford and Richmond, someone quite a bit smaller, and there, almost up to his knees in the water, was Scorpius.

He was wandless, soaked, and his face was contorted in a snarl of either fear or anger. He kept swaying from one side to the other as if looking for his chance to bolt.

"We know it was you," said the smallest figure, their voice low and hard to make out. "Tell us who was with you, or you're squid food."

Al drew in a quick breath, his mind flashing back to that night in the deep dungeons. There had been a masked figure that seemed to be in charge that was smaller than the others. The one who'd conjured the snake Patronus. Could this be the same person? He strained his eyes, but their hood was up and the light was almost gone.

"For the last time," Scorpius said through gritted teeth, "I don't know what you're on about. Give me back my wand and get lost. My father will hear of this, and then-"

"Your father," one of the boys- Richmond? -sneered. "He's no good to anyone right now." He pointed his wand at Scorpius. "Let me do it. Let me dunk 'im. He can't lie if he can't breathe."