When we were fully bound Delphi, used her wand to silence us and levitate us concealed out of the castle. She was clearly enjoying every second of her changed identity. Where there was discomfort and insecurity, now there's just power.

Albus was paying far more attention to where we were than I was. "What are we doing on the Quidditch pitch?"

Delphi says nothing but Scorpius got it at once. "The Triwizard Tournament. The third task. The maze. This is where the maze was. We're going back for Cedric."

Delphi laughed maniacally. "Yes, it is time to spare the spare once and for all. We will go back for Cedric and in doing so we will resurrect the world you saw, Scorpius, along with your filthy mudblood girlfriend."

Scorpius shouted. I had never heard him do that before. "Hell. You want to resurrect hell?!"

Delphi dropped us hard. "I want a return to pure and strong magic. I want to rebirth the Dark."

"You want Voldemort's return?" Scorpius sounded nauseous.

Delphi was doing something with the Time-Turner. Wrapping it around us. "The one true ruler of the wizarding world. He will return. Now, you've ensured the first two tasks are a little clogged up with magic, there are at least two visits from the future in both of them and I will not risk being revealed or distracted. The third task is clean, so let's start there, shall we?"

We won't stop him whatever you force us to do" Albus said bravely. "We know he needs to win the tournament with my dad."

Delphi was not impressed with his bravery. "I don't just want you to stop him. I want you to humiliate him. He needs to fly out of that maze naked on a broomstick made of purple feather dusters. Humiliation got you there before and it'll get us there again. And the prophecy will be fulfilled."

Scorpius grabbed on to that. "Wasn't aware that there was a prophecy, what prophecy?"

"You have seen the world as it should be, Scorpius, and today we're going to ensure its return." Delphi was almost done with whatever she was doing.

Albus defied her again. "We won't. We won't obey you. Whoever you are. Whatever you want us to do."

"Of course you will." She sounded so sure.

Albus sounded a little less brave now. "You'll have to use Imperio. You'll have to control me."

Delphi was firm "No. To fulfill the prophecy, this has to be you, not a puppet of you. You have to be the one to humiliate Cedric, so Imperio just won't do… I'll have to force you by other means." She took out her wand and pointed it at Albus, who sticks his chin out."

I was shaking but Albus glared at her. "Do your worst."

Delphi looked at him. And then turned her wand on Scorpius. "I will."

Albus shrieked. "No!"

Delphi smiled. I hated her smile. "Yes, as I thought, this seems to frighten you more."

Scorpius stiffened next to me. "Albus, whatever she does to me. we can't let her…"

Delphi shouted. "Crucio!" Scorpius yelled out in pain.

Albus sounded threatening and frightened. "I will…"

Delphi laughed. "What? What on earth do you think you can do? A wizardwide disappointment? A sore on your family name? A spare? You want to stop me hurting your only friends? Then as you're told."

She looked at Albus, his eyes stay resistant. "No? Then a taste for your mudblood. Crucio!" The pain was like being flayed alive while rolling in salt and razor blades. I tried not to scream but failed.

Albus was in tears. "Stop. Please."

Craig Bowker JR. ran in. "Scorpius? Albus? Everyone's looking for you…"

Albus called out. "Craig. Get away. Get help!"

Craig just had to ask questions. Such an inquisitive boy. "What's happening?"

Delphi turned her wand on him. "Avada Kedavra!" Sending a blast of green light across the pitch Craig is propelled backwards by it and is immediately killed.

There was a profound silence. A silence that seemed to last for a long time. "I promised I would save him. I promised…" I whispered.

Delphi shook Albus. "Did you not understand? These are not childish games we are playing here. You are useful to me, your friends are not."

I looked at Craig's body. Scorpius was right, this is hell.

Delphi rambled on. "It took me a long time to discover your weakness, Albus Potter. I thought it was pride, I thought it was the need to impress your father, but then I realized your weakness was the same as your father's; friendship. You will do exactly as you're told, otherwise Scorpius and Lilliana will die, just like that spare did." Voldemort will return and the Augurey will sit at his side. Just as it was prophesized. "When spares are spared, when time is turned, when unseen children murder their fathers Then will the Dark Lord return." She smiled and pulled Scorpius and me viciously towards her. "Cedric is the spare, and Albus," she pulled Albus just as viciously towards her. "the unseen child who will kill his father by rewriting time and so return the Dark Lord." The Time-Turner starts rotating. She pulled our hands to it having failed to wrap it around us. "Now!"

And again the giant whoosh of light. A smash of noise. And time stopped. And then it turns over, thinks a bit, and begins spooling backwards, slow at first. And then it speeds up. And then there's a sucking noise. And a BANG.

The maze was a spiral of hedges that didn't stop moving. Delphi walked determinedly through it. Behind her she dragged us. Our arms bound, our legs reluctantly moving.

Once again we heard Ludo Bagman "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the greatest the fabulous the one and the only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT." There was a loud cheer. Delphi turned left. "If you're from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer." There was a loud cheer. "If you're from Durmstrang give me a cheer." There was a loud cheer. "AND IF YOU'RE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER." There was a fulsome cheer. We are forced to move as a hedge closes upon them. "The French, finally showing us what they're capable of there. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the final of the Triwizard tasks. A maze of mysteries, a disease of uncontrollable darkness, for this maze, it lives. It. Lives. And why risk this living nightmare? Because inside this maze is a Cup and not just any Cup yes, the Triwizard trophy stands within this vegetation."

Delphi sounded far too excited for my comfort. "Where is he? Where is Cedric?"

A hedge almost dissected us. "The hedges want to kill us too? This gets better and better."

Delphi growled. "You will keep up or face the consequences."

Ludo Bagman was still talking. "The perils are plentiful, but the prizes are palpable. Who will fight their way through? Who will fall at the final hurdle? What heroes do we have within our midst? Only time will tell, ladies and gentlemen, only time will tell."

We moved through the maze, compelled by Delphi. As she moved ahead, we had a chance to talk.

Scorpius whispered, "Albus, Lilliana we need to do something."

Albus sounded near panicked. "I know, but what? She has snapped our wands, we're bound, and she's threatening to kill you."

Scorpius stood a little taller. "I'm ready to die if it'll stop Voldemort returning."

"So am I." I said firmly. "Craig was the first but he won't be the last."

Albus sounded uncertain. "Are you?"

"You won't have to mourn me for long, she'll kill me and quickly kill you too." Scorpius told him.

"Given that she is likely to torture me first," I told him. "I would rather die fighting and quickly."

Albus sounded desperate. "The flaw in the Time-Turner, the five-minute rule. We do all we can to run down the clock.

Scorpius shook his head. "It won't work."

As another hedge changed direction, Delphi pulls us in after her. We continued through this maze of despair.

Ludo Bagman was announcing the Tournament still. "Now let me remind you of the current standings! Tied in first place Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter. In second place Mr. Viktor Krum! And in third place sacré bleu, Miss Fleur Delacour."

We looked at each other and with one mind, we did what we did best. We ran away.

When we could no longer see her, Albus asked. "Where did she go?"

Scorpius looked around quickly. "Does it matter? Which way do you think?"

Delphi rose up after us. She's flying, and without a broom. "You poor creatures." She threw us to the ground. "Thinking you can escape me."

Albus sounded astonished. "You're not even on a broom."

Delphi flung her arms out. "Brooms such unwieldy, unnecessary objects. Three minutes gone. We have two minutes left. And you will do what you're told."

Scorpius stood up. "No. We won't."

Delphi snorted with mocking laugher. "You think you can fight me?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No. But we can defy you. If we lay down our lives to do so."

"And you can just… bugger off!" I shouted at her.

Delphi was not deterred, but just a few more seconds… "The prophecy must be fulfilled. We will fulfill it.

Scorpius laughed. "Prophecies can be broken."

"You're mistaken, child, prophecies are the future." But she sounded uncertain.

"But if the prophecy is inevitable why are we here trying to influence it? Your actions contradict your thoughts." Scorpius pointed out reasonably. "You're dragging us through this maze because you believe this prophecy needs to be enabled and by that logic prophecies can also be broken prevented.

Delphi was furious. "You talk too much, child. Crucio!"

Scorpius is racked with pain. Albus and I screamed his name. "Scorpius!"

Scorpius looked at Albus. "You wanted a test, Albus, this is it, and we're going to pass it." Albus looked at Scorpius and me, finally aware what he has to do. He nodded.

Delphi finally had enough. "Then you will die."

Albus found his strength. "Yes. We will. And we'll do so gladly knowing it's stopped you."

Delphi rose up full of fury. "We don't have time for this. Cru..."

A strange voice called out. "Expelliarmus!" And bang! Delphi's wand was pulled away from her. Scorpius looks on in astonishment. "Brachiabindo!" The voice called again. And Delphi was bound. We then turned as one and stared in astonishment at where the bolt came from. A young, good-looking boyof seventeen or so, Cedric.

Cedric held his wand out at us. "Come no further."

Scorpius shook his head. "But you're…"

Cedric answered him. "Cedric Diggory. I heard screaming, I had to come. Name yourselves, beasts. I can fight you."

Albus wheeled around, astonished. "Cedric?"

Scorpius sounded in awe. "You saved us."

Cedric still thought we were part of the test. "Are you also a task? An obstacle? Speak. Do I have to defeat you too?"

There was a silence. Then I thought quickly. "No. You just have to free us. That's the task."

Cedric took a moment to conider, trying to work out whether it was a trap, and then waved his wand. "Emancipare! Emancipare!" And just like that we are freed. "And now I can go on? Finish the maze?"

We looked at Cedric, heartbroken. I choked out a sob when Albus told him, "I'm afraid you have to finish the maze."

Cedric smiled. "Then I shall." Cedric walked confidently away.

Albus looked after him desperate to say something, unsure what to say. "Cedric…" Cedric turned toward him. "Your dad loves you very much."

Cedric was confused. "What?"

Behind them, Delphi was creeping into movement. She crawled along the ground.

Albus said sadly. "Just thought you should know that."

"Scorpius!" I called pointing at Delphi.

Cedric smiled uncertainly. "Okay. Um. Thank you." Cedric looked at Albus a moment more, and then walks on.

Scorpius looked at Delphi, but she stopped moving and pulled out the Time-Turner from within her robes.

Scorpius poked Albus. "Albus!"

Albus wanted to say more to Cedric. "No. Wait…"

Scorpius grabbed him. "The Time-Turner is spinning… Look at what she's doing… She can't leave us behind." We scrambled to grab part of the Time-Turner.

And there was a giant whoosh of light. A smash of noise. And time stopped. And then it turns over, thinks a bit, and begins spooling backwards, slow at first . And then it speeds up.

Albus looked around in horror. "What have we done?"

"Not this again!" I was feeling sick from all of the time hopping.

Scorpius looked unhappy but resolute. "We had to go with the Time-Turner, we had to try to stop her."

Delphi's mocking voice laughed. "Stop me? How do you think you've stopped me? I am done with this. You may have destroyed my chances of using Cedric to darken the world but maybe you're right, Scorpius, maybe prophecies can be prevented, maybe prophecies can be broken. What is undoubtedly true is I'm done with trying to use you annoying, incompetent creatures for anything. No more wasting precious seconds on any of you. Time to try something new." She crushed the Time-Turner. It exploded in a thousand pieces. Delphi ascended again into the air. She laughed in delight as she sets off.

We try to chase her, but they've not the slightest chance. She flew, we ran.

Albus called desperately. "No . . . No . . . You can't . . ."

Scorpius turned back and tries to pick up the Time-Turner pieces.

"The Time-Turner? It's destroyed?" I hoped against hope it could be used still.

Scorpius nodded miserably. "Utterly. We're stuck here. In time. Wherever in time we are. Whatever it is she's planning to do."

Albus pointed. "Hogwarts looks the same."

Scorpius suddenly realized our vulnerability. "Yes. And we can't be seen here. Let's get out of here before we're spotted."

"We need to stop her, Scorpius, Lils." Albus looked at us in horror.

Scorpius agreed. "I know we do, but how?"

...