Chapter Twenty Eight
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her. However, I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Alright, now that this chapter is out of the way, I can begin to write more James and Freya scenes. You guys won't believe what I have instore for you guys!
Guest: With the Freya and James scenes, in the future they may become sexier and intimate, but I need to build up their interactions and build up their relationship. In my eyes, there is something there between the two of them, but it hasn't been fully realised because of the memory charm in Freya's necklace and the situation that Freya is in. But don't worry, I have a plan for that!
Also, is everyone ready to find out more about Lydia? Any thoughts on her at the moment?
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
Around two hours had passed since that incident and Freya and Albus had been walking in silence ever since. Freya was busy scanning the area, making sure that there weren't any more creatures going to attack them. Albus hadn't left her side either and he still hadn't let go of her arm. Every noise that echoed in the night caused him to jump and look in the direction of the noise. However, Freya ignored the noises. She still had her wand in hand, ready to attack a moment's notice and she wasn't letting her guard down anytime soon. However, Freya had noticed that Albus was tired, she could see his eyes dropping every now and again and he had slowed down considerably. Sighing, Freya stopped walking. They had stopped in another clearing that was narrow and was surrounded by several tree roots. Nearby was a small lake that appeared to be clean but Freya knew that she would have to check it just in case. Everything in this forest could seriously wound or kill them – including the water.
"We'll take a break," Freya said, her voice low.
Albus tiredly nodded his head. He took out his wand and muttered lowly, "Molliare." He had his wand pointed at a log and then at the ground. He sat on the ground and placed his head on the log and sighed in content. The spell was an unseen softening effect on target surfaces, providing some comfort. Albus' feet ached from all the walking he had been doing and he was extremely tired. If he had known that he had to spend the night in the Forbidden Forest then he would have gone for a really long nap beforehand.
Rolling her eyes at him, Freya turned her back to him and checked the water. It was important that they kept themselves hydrated – hunger could wait. Only when she was certain the water was safe, Freya transfigured some rocks into cups and she scooped up the water. Slowly, Freya drank the water and was surprised by how refreshing it was. She waited a few moments and felt nothing. Standing up, she handed the other cup to Albus who took the drink hastily as he downed the drink in a few seconds.
"Thanks." He said with a smile.
Freya nodded her head, drinking more water from the little lake. "We can't stay here long. Rest up while you can." She said lowly, her stormy grey eyes still scanning the area.
Albus looked at her confused. "Why?"
"This may be a water source for a creature and I'm sure you don't want to find out which creature. Also, we need to find that key." Freya explained to the young Slytherin. Her father had taught her survival training from the age of nine and up. When she was nine, he had thrown her into a forest and came back the next morning to see if she was still alive – her father said that it built character and resilience. Freya had barely survived the night because she nearly died from hypothermia and she didn't know any heat spells at that point. It was from then that Freya realised how dangerous forests could really be, especially at night.
Albus' eyes widened and he nodded his head frantically.
They both sat in silence for a moment. Freya was still looking around with her wand in hand but she now satisfied with the drink. Albus also seemed to be content and was now dozing off with his head resting on the soft log, his light snores being one of the only sounds in the area. It was in that moment that Freya was actually thankful for her ability to survive without sleep for an extended period of time. Luckily, Freya had managed to get around six hours of sleep the night before which was most she'd had in a while. Freya was also counting herself luckily that Cordelia had forced her to eat a large portion of food for dinner otherwise she would have been hungry too. Looking up at the sky, Freya guessed that it had been around six hours since they began the third trial and they had another two to go. They just needed to find the key and then they could head back to the gates.
Just then, the peaceful night air was pierced when a low grow vibrated through the air and it was then followed by a low howl. The noise was close – very close.
Freya was on her feet in seconds and her wand raised. She eyes carefully scanned the area as her body tensed. Not seeing anything for the moment, Freya spared a glance at Albus and then kicked him in the shin.
Albus winced at the attack, "What?" He asked tiredly.
"Climb into the tree," Freya said.
Albus looked at her with a confused expression. "You want me to do what?" He asked, not understanding why he needed to do that.
Freya opened her mouth to answer that question but was interrupted when another howl echoed through the night. This sounded closer than before and it made Freya tense further. The grip on her wand tightened considerably.
Without another word, Albus jumped up and dove for a nearby tree. This tree was the closest to Freya and had a branch he could sit on comfortably. Albus made sure to pick the tree that faced opposite of where the howl came from – just in case. He climbed up the tree with ease and he sat on the second lowest branch so he could still see what was going on, but he was hidden at the same time. Freya backed her way over to the tree, not taking her eyes off the forest. Her wand was raised and she was ready for an attack. Freya was going to hoist herself into the tree but she stopped when she heard a low growl and a crunch of the leaves nearby. Turning her head to the side, Freya saw it.
The Werewolf stood a few feet away. It looked to be a mixture of human and wolf with a shorter snout, more human-like eyes and a tufted tail. Its dark eyes were staring at Freya with hunger as saliva dribbled from his mouth. It stood on its two back legs, looking disfigured and horrifyingly pale. However, Freya noticed something in its mouth – their golden key.
Freya's grip on her wand tightened. They needed that key to get out of there. It seemed as though she was going to have to beat the Werewolf to get the key.
"Oh my god…" Albus whispered in fear. He had seen the Werewolf and was now fearing for his teammate.
This set the Werewolf off as it charged at them. His gaze appeared to be trained on Albus and not on Freya – its biggest mistake.
"Confringo!" Freya had her wand pointed at the beast.
The Werewolf was pushed back as the explosion went off. It knocked the Werewolf back into a tree and the beast let out a cry in pain. However, the beast made a quick recovery – quicker than most creatures or beings and began charging at Freya. It growled loudly as it raised its claws to attack Freya – its eyes now trained on her.
However, Freya didn't move.
"NO!" Albus screamed in horror.
Freya waited until the beast was just inches away from her. "Bombarda Maxima!" Freya pointed her wand at the beast again and a white light appeared at the end of her wand. The massive explosion echoed loudly as the Werewolf was sent flying – this time crashing and destroying the tree it was pushed into. Freya watched silently. She had waited at the last moment to get the best result. The closer the Werewolf was then the better the chance it couldn't avoid her attack. She had fought a Werewolf before and she had killed one too under her father's instruction. However, it had never been during a full moon because her father didn't want to risk her getting infected and risk her position as James' Guardian. A Werewolf was hard to duel because they were unpredictable and only the strongest of spells would work against them. Usually, it took more than one person to beat a Werewolf because they were resistant to certain spells.
The Werewolf got up again, this time limping but it was still coming at them. It was much slower, but the hunger in its eyes spoke volume.
Gritting her teeth, she knew she had no other choice. "Albus, close your eyes." She ordered him. She didn't him to see what was going to happen, even though he would forget about it after this trial.
Albus looked down at her confused. "What?"
"Now!" Freya shouted out.
Frowning, Albus did as she asked. He closed his eyes and waited, but it only served to make him more anxious.
Taking a deep breath, Freya raised her wand. She was going to use the Killing Curse on the Werewolf and she didn't want Albus to see this. It was the only way at this point because this Werewolf wasn't giving up either. Freya hated to admit it, but she was starting to run low on magic at this point too. She had been using her magic non-stop and she had used a very advanced spell when she summoned her Patronus against the Dementors. Freya needed to recharge but she needed to take down the Werewolf first.
The Werewolf growled loudly and it charged again, ready to attack.
Just as Freya opened her mouth to utter the Killing Curse, she was cut off when she heard a loud squawk. In a flash, a Hippogriff appeared from the trees and charged at the Werewolf and tackled it away from Freya and Albus. Freya's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the Hippogriff in shock. The Hippogriff looked very familiar but she was struggling to place where she had seen this exact Hippogriff. That's when Freya noticed the beasts brilliantly orange eyes. In an instant, Freya recognised the Hippogriff as the same one from Hagrid's class she had interacted with months ago.
"No way," Freya whispered lowly, staring intently at the Hippogriff. She had never heard of a Hippogriff defending humans from a Werewolf before. Usually, the two beasts avoided one another and didn't interact at all.
The female Hippogriff looked away from Freya for a moment before screeching at the Werewolf, warning it off. Werewolf growled back in response but didn't move to attack again and instead fled back into the forest.
"What happened? Did you die?" Albus asked suddenly, his eyes stilled closed. He had heard everything but he was much too scared to open his eyes.
Freya rolled her eyes, "It's safe to come down." She said, her eyes still trained on the Hippogriff. The Hippogriff had gone back to staring at her and Freya met her gaze fearlessly.
Slowly, Albus opened his eyes and he sighed in relief when he didn't see the Werewolf. Slowly, he climbed down and was shocked to see the Hippogriff. "It's Hera, but what's she doing so far from Hagrid?" He asked curiously, going to stand beside Freya.
Freya said nothing. She was surprised to find out the Hippogriff's name was Hera but she thought that it suited the beast quite well. Freya had noticed that she was very elegant and graceful on her feet. Looking around, Freya spotted the golden key on the ground where the Werewolf dropped it when Hera had tackled it out of its mouth. Carefully, Freya picked up the key, using the hoodie sleeve to pick up the key. She had some cuts on her hands and she didn't want to risk getting Werewolf salvia in the wounds and getting infected.
"Let's head to the gate," Freya said, looking over to Albus.
Albus nodded his head.
Hera squawked loudly, getting both of their attention. Freya watched Hera for a moment and saw that the beast seemed to be restless. Freya tried to walk around Hera, but she got in their way and wouldn't let them past her. Freya attempted this a few times but was again unsuccessful which made her sigh in irritation.
"I think she wants to help us," Albus said with uncertainty.
Freya frowned and looked at Hera again. She had her wings raised and she was looking straight at them. If Freya didn't know any better, she would say that Hera was in a threatening pose but that wasn't the case.
"She wants us to ride her," Freya said, making the connection. She didn't know why, but Hera seemed pretty intent on helping them and she wasn't going to turn Hera away.
Albus looked at Freya and then at Hera before nodding his head in agreement.
Freya got closer to Hera, who bowed her body and allowed Freya to climb onto her back. Freya struggled at first but found a comfortable enough position. Once she was stable, she held her arm out for Albus who took it gratefully. Albus sat behind Freya and clung onto her shoulders to steady himself. Freya flinched at the contact but said nothing. Once Hera was satisfied that they were seated, her wings clapped as she ran forward and within seconds they were in the air. Freya tightened her grip on Hera's feathers, not wanting to fall off the beast. It seemed as though Albus had calmed down now that he was in the air, just like his brother as his grip loosened. Carefully, Freya looked at the view of the forest. It was incredible, from this view the forest looked beautiful but deadly. Freya felt herself relax and she actually began to enjoy the ride, more than she had with a broom.
It took minutes to get to the main gate, but by foot, it probably would have taken hours. Freya didn't realise how far she and Albus had strayed away from the main gate. As they were getting closer, Freya spotted two people – Roman and Ivan. However, it didn't seem as though the Durmstrang boys had seen them yet.
Freya pulled Hera's feathers lightly. "Go back a bit, land us a little away, Hera," Freya ordered the animal sternly.
Hera lightly squawked in protest but did as the young Guardian asked.
"Why not land directly there?" Albus asked, raising his voice slightly so he could be heard.
Freya frowned. "If they see us then they could accuse us of cheating. We're not meant to receive any help." Freya said, turning her head to look at Albus. That was one of the many rules of the Triwizard Tournament and if they were caught then there would be consequences. They were just lucky no one had seen them yet.
Albus nodded his head, understanding what she was saying.
Freya scanned the ground for a moment. "Land us over there, Hera," Freya commanded, pointing to a spot that was just about a ten-minute walk away from the main gate.
Hera squawked but did as asked. Once they were close, Hera began flying towards and landed harshly, not used to having passengers on her back. Freya winced that the impact, Hera's wings digging into her legs and Albus' grip on her shoulder got harsher with the impact. Once safe on the ground, Freya jumped off, happier now that she was on solid ground again. Albus jumped off too, but Freya has to steady him before he fell on his face. Freya looked up to Hera and nodded her head in acknowledgement. This was her way of saying thank you.
Hera squawked before flying off, back to Hagrid's hut.
"We can walk the rest," Freya said simply before turning to walk in the direction of the gate with Albus on her heels.
They walked in silence, neither one saying anything. Albus was sparing glances at Freya constantly, he wanted to ask her so many things but he found he couldn't do it. As much as he felt safe with her, he also felt intimidated by her. However, Freya was happy with the silence because it meant she could keep an ear out for any incoming threats. She had taken out her wand again and her eyes were carefully scanning the area around her.
Freya stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a figure up ahead. She stretched out her arm and stopped Albus from going any further. Albus stopped and looked at her with a confused expression. When he saw she wasn't going to answer him, Albus turned his head to look at what she was looking at.
"Isaak?" Albus said, his voice louder than he had intended.
Up ahead, sitting on a log was the male Beauxbatons' Shield. His back was hunched over but he didn't appear to be moving. He also appeared to be holding something tightly in his arms, but neither Freya nor Albus could seem from their angle.
Cautiously, Freya began walking forward, a twig snapping under her feet as she does. Looking down, she saw she had stepped on a huge pile of twigs. Freya thought this to be unusual but she brushed this off and continued walking. She only stopped when she was a few feet away from Isaak and she saw who Isaak was holding.
Isaak was holding Alicia's dead body. Freya immediately knew that Alicia was dead. Freya had seen enough dead bodies to be able to identify one on sight. Alicia was too pale to be alive and she appeared too limp.
"Is everything okay?" Albus asked, walking forward, but he too stopped when he saw Alicia.
"What happened?" Freya asked.
It seemed as though Isaak had only noticed them now. He turned his head, a dead and hollow look in his eyes. The bags under his eyes were prominent and his eyes were bloodshot. He had dried tear stains running down his face and his eyes looked watery and heavily glazed. Isaak stared at them, but it seemed as though he hadn't heard them.
"Isaak, what happened?" Freya asked more sternly.
Isaak whimpered and looked down at his sister. "S-she…" Isaak couldn't finish his sentence as he burst into more tears, sobbing loudly. He hid his face away in his sister's hair as the sobs racked his body.
Freya rolled her eyes and began looking around the area. She began to think of things that could have killed Alicia. It wouldn't have been the cold as she had seen Alicia and Isaak place the warmth charm on themselves before the challenge even started. Freya was quite confident that Alicia would have reapplied that charm too, much like she and Albus had done because they didn't want to risk hypothermia. As Freya looked around, she noticed a set of footprints in some of the remaining snow that clung to the earth. Freya looked at the footprint carefully and noticed that it was rather large, meaning that it had to be a male's footprint – a human male more than likely.
"Oh my god." Albus gasped loudly.
Freya instantly whirled around, her wand raised in case there was an attack, but there wasn't. Freya lowered her wand when she didn't see a threat and walked over to where Albus was. He was standing in front of Isaak and was staring down at Alicia's body in shock. Freya wouldn't have thought anything of it, but then something caught her eye.
On Alicia's exposed neck was a large and ugly bruising. It covered her entire neck and the bruising looked deep and nasty. The bruising itself resembled two hand marks which stood out heavily against Alicia's pale complexion.
"How did she… die?" Albus asked hesitantly.
Isaak choked on a sob but managed to answer. "I-I don't know… I-I found her like this." The guilt had been eating him away for hours. He should have answered her Patronus straight away. He should have run back the moment he saw that familiar swan then maybe things would have ended differently. Maybe he could have saved her and then he wouldn't be feeling this guilt and despair. He wouldn't be holding her dead body and she would be sitting beside him and they would be laughing with each other.
Freya slowly reached down and touched the back of Alicia's neck. She instantly felt bone protruding from the skin. "Her neck was snapped," Freya said, her voice low.
Albus looked at her with wide eyes. "W-what?"
Isaak looked up at her too, his eyes wide and full of tears.
"There was someone here with her when she died. There is a footprint in the snow, possibly male with how large it is and it definitely human. Her neck was snapped, which takes force to do, especially in the place that it was done." Freya said, taking her hand away from Alicia's neck. She stood back up and began looking around, trying to find any more clues.
"B-but who could do such a thing?" Albus asked, completely bewildered.
Isaak was silent for a moment, but then his head shot up. "Roman. It had to be Roman!" He exclaimed, his tone becoming angrier as he spoke.
"You don't know that for sure." Freya cut in dryly.
Isaak turned to look at her, fury in his eyes. "I know he did it. He threatened her!" He yelled, his voice getting louder.
"That doesn't mean for certain he did it." Freya bit back. She wasn't denying that Roman had the capacity to do so, and Isaak was right because Roman had threatened Alicia. However, in Freya's eyes, it would be stupid for Roman to carry out the threat when he had done so in front of witnesses. Surely, he couldn't have been that stupid.
Isaak snarled at her and stood up, practically throwing Alicia off him as he did to. He took threatening steps towards the Gryffindor but he stopped when Freya had her wand pointed her him.
"I really wouldn't try that," Freya warned him severely, her eyes narrowed on his posture. She was looking for any movement to indicate that he was going to spring. If anyone else had done this to her, Freya would have cursed them immediately, but she was giving Isaak some leeway as his sister had just been killed.
Isaak stared at her, hatred in his eyes.
Albus watched the two with his wide eyes, unsure of what to do. He began looking around too, hoping to find something. However, he couldn't find anything new. Albus didn't know what he was looking for either so after a few seconds he gave up.
"I'll prove it, watch me," Isaak exclaimed before running off into the forest.
Freya sighed and rolled her eyes at his attitude. She knew that this wasn't going to end well at all. Isaak was going to accuse someone of killing his sister and Freya doubted that Ivan or Roman would take that well.
"We should follow after him, make sure he doesn't get hurt," Albus said as he began jogging after Isaak. He was concerned about him and he was hoping he didn't do anything rash.
Freya snorted as she too began to jog after Isaak. "Or do something stupid."
Albus said nothing, but he did smile slightly.
Without saying anything else, both Freya and Albus continued to follow Isaak. He was a few feet away from them as he slowed down to a jog. Freya watched him with a close eye. After his sister dying, Freya was certain that he was emotionally exhausted and she had a feeling he was going to drop to the ground at any moment if he didn't calm down. Within a few minutes, they all made it to the main gate of the forest. Roman and Ivan were stood near the gate, with Ivan holding onto their key. Ivan was standing opposite Roman, keeping him in his line of sight. Whereas, Roman was facing away from Ivan as though he didn't care about his existence at all.
The moment Isaak saw Roman, he flipped. "I'll kill you, you bastard!" Isaak yelled as he charged at Roman, his wand out.
Roman looked up and his eyes lit up, "Looks like you've decided to grow some balls after all." Roman said with a large smirk on his face.
Isaak's eyes were alight with rage. "Do you think this is funny?!" Isaak yelled at him.
Roman laughed and nodded his head.
Freya and Albus walked onto the scene. Albus looked concerned and Freya appeared indifferent. Albus had wanted to run over to Isaak, but Freya had grabbed his shoulder and she wasn't letting go anytime soon. She wasn't going to let Albus get in the middle of this, especially when it didn't involve him at all.
Looking between the two of them, Ivan frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked, appearing slightly concerned.
"I'll tell you what happened!" Isaak yelled, "Your psychotic teammate murdered my sister!" His voice was getting louder with every word as the rage took over him.
Ivan shot Roman a look, but Roman refused to look back at him and just smirked.
"Do you have any proof?" Ivan asked calmly.
Freya arched a brow at this. With his tone, Freya recognised that Ivan wasn't defending Roman at all. In fact, Ivan seemed really curious of whether there was any evidence which she found odd. Usually, that wouldn't be people's first reaction to finding out someone had just been killed. Honestly, Freya had a strong inkling that Roman did kill Alicia, his magical signature had been faintly clinging in the air when they arrived. It had been faint and hard to notice unless someone was looking for it, and Freya had been. The method of killing gave it away that it had been a brutal murder. But the question was, why Roman had killed Alicia.
"Her neck was snapped and there was a handprint," Albus said, speaking up for the first time.
Everyone turned to look at Albus, which only made Freya tighten her grip on her wand. She was watching Roman with piqued interest now.
"That doesn't mean it was him." Ivan defended.
"He threatened her! He threatened her before this challenge even started! You were there!" Isaak yelled out, pointing his wand at Roman.
Roman glared at him, "Do it, I dare you." He hissed lowly, his eyes wide in excitement. Yet, he still hadn't drawn his wand.
Isaak grit his teeth, his grip on his wand tightening. He opened his mouth to cast a spell, but he was interrupted when someone else cut in.
"It was me."
Everyone turned to look at Ivan. He was standing straight now and his wand was still in hand. "I did it, I killed Alicia," Ivan said calmly. However, he refused to look at anyone in the eyes and he didn't want to look at Roman especially.
Freya stared at him with a narrowed gaze.
Roman was looking at Ivan in silent fury and his fists were clenched.
"You… you bastard!" Isaak yelled out in fury, turning his body to face Ivan now. Under all his anger and resentment, he felt embarrassed. He had completely accused the wrong person of killing his sister. But he had been certain that it had been Roman – Roman was definitely the type to pull something like that, but Ivan was unexpected.
However, before anything more could be done, a loud ringing noise sounded throughout the forest. Freya looked around and saw the sun just rising as daybreak broke. The third challenge was now over and that was their warning.
Isaak's eyes widened, "Alicia…" Without saying any more, Isaak ran back into the forest to look for his sister. There was no way he was leaving her until someone came and got her. He didn't know what the forest would do to his sister if he left her there. He refused to leave without her.
The remaining competitors all looked at one another, no one making a move or sound.
Freya waited. She was waiting for Roman and Ivan to leave first and then she and Albus would leave. She wouldn't turn her back to them and she wasn't going to give them the opportunity to attack her or Albus either. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before Ivan and Roman began walking over to the closed gate. Ivan placed their key into the gate and turned it, opening the gate for them. The moment they both passed through the gate, the metal gates automatically closed, not letting anyone else out. Freya looked at the gate with a glare. It seemed as though the gate was enchanted to only let the people who had a key through. That meant that Isaak was going to be trapped in the forest until someone went and got him and Alicia.
"Let's go," Freya said lowly as she began walking forward.
Albus nodded his head and also began to walk forward.
They reached the gate and Freya took out the key. She then carefully placed the key into the hole and turned left. Immediately, the gates swung open and they both walked out of the forest. Once they were out of the forest, Freya saw the audience that was gathered in the area. As soon as people saw them, there was loud cheering as they were happy to see that the Hogwarts competitors were still in the game.
Lance was the first person Freya saw and he was smiling from ear to ear. "And the Hogwarts' Champion and Shield are successful!" He announced loudly, his voice projected to the audience due to a spell.
Harry sighed in relief when he saw his son.
Vladimir walked over to Ivan and Roman and patted them both on the shoulder. Ivan gave no outward reaction but Roman seemed as though he detested the contact.
McGonagall walked over to them and nodded at them in acknowledgement. She didn't say it, but she was relieved to see both Albus and Freya come back. She knew that this challenge wasn't going to be easy and she had heavily protested against this challenge only to be shot down by Lance at every turn.
Renée frowned when she didn't see Isaak or Alicia. She waited a few more moments, but they still didn't appear. "I wonder where Alicia and Isaak are," Renée said slowly, her soft accent coming through. She hadn't wanted Alicia or Isaak to come last in this challenge but it would appear as though she was going to be disappointed.
Albus stilled where was, looking guilty.
Harry noticed this and sent him a curious expression. "What's wrong?" He asked in concern. He had instantly known that something wasn't right when he looked at Albus, he appeared too nervous and flighty. It pained him to know that his son had to experience the horror of the Triwizard Tournament.
Albus spared a glance to Freya but she ignored him. "Alicia… was killed." He said softly, but it seemed loud enough for everyone to hear.
There was a gasp in the audience, all coming from the student at Beauxbatons.
Renée tensed and her eyes widened.
Vladimir immediately looked at his own students with a suspicious glare. Roman and Ivan gave nothing away though, acting completely indifferent.
Lance frowned, "How unfortunate." He said, but it sounded forced and fake to certain individuals.
Freya glanced in his direction. She knew that he didn't care, he didn't care that Alicia had died. Lance would have cared if Albus had been hurt or killed, but that was because in his eyes, Albus and all the other war hero's children needed it. Everyone else was considered collateral damage.
"You said she was killed," Renée said, walking towards Albus. However, before she could get any further, McGonagall stood in front of him. Harry had also strode over and stood in front of Albus, protectively.
"What killed her?!" Renée exclaimed, rage appearing in her eyes.
Albus gulped and he looked in the direction of Roman and Ivan.
Renée saw this and flipped. "Vladimir!" She yelled out, glaring in the direction of the Headmaster of Durmstrang.
"My boys did nothing." Vladimir immediately defended.
"I want them disqualified!" Renée demanded, pointing her finger in Roman and Ivan's direction. She was now turning to look at both Harry and Lance.
Lance stepped forward, "Renée, your students knew the dangers of the Triwizard Tournament before they entered. They knew this and still entered." He said, his voice soothing but his words were not. It appeared as though he was brushing off the matter and this upset Renée further.
"Yes, but they weren't expecting to be killed by a fellow competitor!" Renée exclaimed back with a narrowed gaze. She stared at Roman and Ivan with a narrowed look, she wasn't sure who has done it, but she knew it had to one of them.
Lance ignored her and continued speaking. "It is unfortunate that Alicia has passed. However, we must continue. Due to Alicia's death, Isaak will now also be disqualified." He said, his voice booming around the silent area.
Harry turned to face him, "What?"
"This is ridiculous!" Renée shouted in anger.
McGonagall turned to face Lance, "Explain, and now." She demanded with a glare.
"A Champion can survive without their Shield, but a Shield cannot last without their Champion. The Champion is the only one bound my contract of the Goblet, not the Shield. Therefore, once the Champion is gone, the Shield is useless." Lance explained calmly. It was as though he had been expecting this reaction.
McGonagall thinned her lips. "This wasn't explained to me."
"Or me," Harry said with an unhappy expression.
Lance smiles pleasantly. "I apologise, but this was the idea I put forth to Kingsley and he accepted." He said, not paying attention to the scathing looks he was getting from Renée and a third of the audience for his careless attitude.
Harry and McGonagall share a look.
Lance continued on, "Due to both Durmstrang and Hogwarts passing this challenge with flying colours, they shall both receive full points each. Ten points per person. This means that our current leader is the Durmstrang boys!" He announced loudly, causing the audience to cheer loudly. However, the students from Beauxbatons looked severely unhappy and refused to clap.
Freya inwardly sighed. That meant that Durmstrang now had eight two points and Hogwarts had seventy-two points. However, there was still one last challenge to go and that one was going to be the decider of who the winner was going to be.
"The last challenge will take place in May and we will see who the winners will be!" Lance announced and ended it by cancelling the spell that projected his voice.
Renée stormed over to the gate in anger, fully intending to get her students back. She passed Lance and sent him a scathing look before turning her head away from him, snubbing him. McGonagall sent her a sympathetic look which Renée did accept, but she completely ignored Vladimir. He was running after her, trying to explain that neither one of his students did it, but his acting was terrible so it just seemed to make the situation worse.
HARRY POTTER
Once they were free, Freya immediately walked away from Albus and began walking over to her fellow Guardians. They were all standing there, dressed in thick coats and appeared warm. Freya was lucky she had cast the warmth charm on herself and Albus otherwise she would have been freezing. As she got closer, Cordelia sighed in relief and she seemed to be holding something in her hands, a mug that had steam coming out the top of it.
"Good to see you alive," Cordelia said with a smile. She then passed Freya a cup of coffee, knowing that she was going to need it. Freya needed her daily dose of coffee in the morning otherwise she would be more grumpy than usual. Cordelia also thought she would nice and bring her one after this ordeal.
Freya wordlessly took the drink and took one massive gulp. It burned her throat but in a delicious and satisfying away that made her want to sigh in relief. She had been missing this when she was in the forest and now she felt content. Tonight had really tested her and now she felt like she could relax a bit now that she was out of the forest.
"Was everything okay?" Rebecca asked with a cautious look. She was really curious to know what had happened in the forest, but at the same time, she didn't because it would only stress her out.
"If you count fighting off Dementors, a Werewolf and dealing with a killer competitor okay then yes. Everything was okay." Freya answered back dryly, taking another long sip from her hot beverage. She didn't believe Ivan when he admitted to killing Alicia – there is no way he could have done it. Ivan didn't seem as though he was the type. It would also explain why Roman looked too angry when Ivan claimed he had done it. She hadn't missed that reaction, in fact, she had been expecting it.
Rebecca gasped loudly, but it sounded like a wheeze. Everything that Freya had just listed was what Rebecca had been fearing. It was Guardian's worse nightmare to even go against one those options, let alone all three in one night.
Connor's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" His voice was loud and shrill as he couldn't contain his shock.
"You're not joking are you?" Cordelia asked with a narrowed gaze.
Freya looked at her with a blank expression. "I'm not joking." She answered back plainly. She didn't understand why they thought she was lying.
"Thank you for defending him," Rebecca whispered lowly as she looked at the Gryffindor. If anything, her admiration for Freya had skyrocketed and she was really tempted to hug Freya, but she knew that Freya didn't like to be hugged. Rebecca knew that if she had been there then she doubted she would have lasted as long. Werewolves absolutely terrified her and the thought that Freya had gone against one sent shivers down her spine in fright.
Cordelia frowned and looked at Freya in concern. "You didn't get bit, did you?" She asked, hesitation in her tone. She knew that it had been a full moon that night and they could all hear the howls. There was a high chance of someone getting a bit that night and Werewolves actively seek out humans to bite, especially on a full moon.
Freya shook her head, "No." That's something she had been really cautious about. That's why she didn't touch the key with her bare hands as it had been in the Werewolf's mouth
Connor sighed in relief, "I'm just glad you weren't bitten."
Freya nodded her head silently in agreement. She saw movement out of the corner of her eyes and turned her head left. She saw Noah glaring at Connor as if he had seriously offended him. Noah's fists were clenched and his nostrils were flaring. This made Freya suspicious, she had never seen Noah display such emotion – he was always calm and collective. However, Freya noticed that he looked dishevelled and tired.
"Yes, no one wants to get bit by one of them," Freya answered back, purposely making her tone scornful. She made sure to make it though she wasn't looking at him, he was still in her line of view. She was waiting to see what Noah's reaction would be, knowing that he was listening into their conversation.
Noah sneered and muttered something under his breath. He stormed off, his knuckles white in colour as he clenched harder.
Freya arched a brow at this but said nothing about the matter. She turned back to the others and acted as though nothing happened.
HARRY POTTER
Another chapter done!
I was really tempted to have Freya get bitten by a Werewolf but I decided against it in the end.
Leave a review and tell me what you guys thought!