Chapter Thirty Seven
Disclaimer: 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.
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
The next morning
The sun was just rising at around seven thirty in the morning and most of everyone was gathered at the entrance of Hogwarts. There was quite a number of students still in the Great Hall, eating their breakfast and there were students still in bed, not bothered by the events that were taking place that day. However, for all the people that were there, they were waiting for the fourth and final challenge of the Triwizard Tournament to begin. The students were divided into three groups: Durmstrangs, Beauxbatons and the Hogwarts students. The Beauxbatons were sending dirty looks in the direction of Roman and Ivan and neither of them paid attention to this. Renée – who was stood with her students – was sending deadly glares in the direction of Vladimir and he was glaring at her too, not appreciating the allegations made against his students. Freya was stood away from people with only Rebecca beside her. Cordelia and Ryan were still in the Great Hall having breakfast and they were watching over their charges. Fred was more than likely still eating and so was Scorpius.
"…and remember, when he flies, he doesn't notice anything else." Rebecca rambled on nervously. She was worried about the last challenge because of the warning from the clue that Lance gave. She had a really bad feeling about this last challenge but she didn't know if it was because she was nervous for Albus.
Freya nodded her head, listening to all the things that Rebecca was telling her. She wasn't making the same mistake as last time and was getting all the information that she needed. "I'll keep everything in mind."
"How are you feeling?" Rebecca asked, looking at the older Guardian. Rebecca almost felt ashamed that she hadn't asked Freya this before as she had been so worried for Albus. She had always assumed that Freya could handle anything without batting an eyelash. Rebecca's opinion of Freya had only risen after the third challenge when Freya protected Albus from Dementors and a Werewolf. Rebecca wasn't sure how she would do if she was in the same situation as Freya.
"I'm fine," Freya answered simply, taking the chance to look around the surrounding. The entrance to Hogwarts was busy and there were quite a few people making their way from the Great Hall, now finished with breakfast. Freya easily found James in the crowd and saw that he too was looking around. James caught Freya's eye and he smiled, sighing in relief. Freya had to fight off a grin forming on her face and she found it slightly more difficult to control her facial expressions. James winked at Freya, seeing how much of a hard time that Freya was having schooling her expression.
Just then, Lance and Harry walked out onto the front of Hogwarts. Harry walked over to where the other Headmasters of the different schools were gathered – bar Renée – and began talking to them. However, Lance was stood at the edge, his icy blue eyes scanning the area. His arms were behind his back and were locked at the wrists, his posture stiff as a board. His eyes landed on Freya and they stayed there, his gaze boring into her.
"I think he wants to speak with you," Rebecca said nervously, biting her lip. Lance never usually called people over in person, he either had other people do it or used a magical note. But Rebecca could see the silent message in his eyes and that he wanted to speak with Freya.
Freya said nothing and just nodded her head, appearing calm. However, on the inside, Freya could feel her anxiety skyrocket. The way that Lance was holding himself and his expression just screamed that something wasn't right and Lance was known to be unpredictable. She didn't like the look in his eyes and for a moment, Freya nearly hesitated but she reined in her nerve and walked over to Lance with her head held high.
James watched as Freya walked over to Lance with a frown. James looked at Lance and he felt his heart skip a beat – Lance's expression held silent anger and it appeared to be directed at Freya. This did not settle right with James and a warning was going off in his head that he needed to get Freya away from Lance. He looked around, looking for his father and he found him talking with McGonagall. Glancing back over to Freya and Lance, James jogged over to his father.
"Dad," James said, appearing next to his dad, interrupting Harry's conversation with McGonagall.
"Good morning to you too, Mr Potter," McGonagall said with a slightly amused expression.
Harry sent McGonagall an apologetic look, "Is something wrong, James?" He asked, looking down at his son.
Back with Freya, she had stopped walking when she was in front of Lance but she didn't say anything. She was waiting for him to speak first – as any perfect Guardian would. Freya knew she wouldn't be waiting long for Lance to say something and she was quickly proven right.
"I sent you a magical note last night," Lance said snottily. His mouth was upturned in a form of a grimace.
Freya hid her reaction from Lance, but inwardly she was confused. She hadn't received any magical note from Lance otherwise she would have answered it. She had never ignored one of Lance's magical notes, and he had sent her many. "I am sorry, but I did not receive a note." She answered back with a blank expression.
Lance glared at her, his fists clenched, "Excuse me?"
"I did not receive a note, sir," Freya repeated once more.
Lance's expression morphed to a thunderous one and his knuckles turned white. He opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted when a third person joined the conversation.
"Is there a problem here?" Harry asked, walking closer. He was now stood behind Freya and was staring at Lance with an arched brow.
James was by his side, looking at Lance with distrust. James briefly glanced at Freya, checking to see if she was okay and he was relieved when Freya appeared to be fine. Freya didn't spare James a glance, she couldn't risk it in Lance's presence.
Looking at Harry, Lance's anger immediately disappeared and he smiled widely, his posture instantly relaxing. "No! Of course not! I was just wishing her luck in the next trial." He said waving his hand off in a dismissive manner, playing off the situation.
Freya said nothing and gave nothing away.
"Isn't the competition starting soon?" James asked while attempting to look innocent but inwardly he was smirking.
Lance's eye twitched when he looked at James but he soon schooled his expression. "And you, young man, would be right. Go on Freya and join the other competitors." He said with a wide smile. However, there was a warning in his eyes – they would speak later, away from prying eyes.
Freya nodded her head, "Of course." She turned around and walked past Harry and James. As she did, she winked at James in thanks. He had managed to get her out of a conversation that she had a bad feeling about.
James grinned back but otherwise appeared to ignore it. He knew that he couldn't let Lance onto anything, but he couldn't help the little slip-ups earlier because of how worried he was for Freya.
Lance cleared his throat, "Well, we best get into position," He said before walking away from both Harry and James.
Harry watched Lance leave and after a few seconds, he looked down to James. "You're right, something wasn't right there." He said but only after Lance was a safe distance away so he didn't overhear what he said.
"See, I told you," James said with a smirk. On the inside, James felt a sense of relief. When he had seen Freya walk over to Lance, his heart fell into his stomach and he felt nervous. James didn't like the way that Lance had been looking at Freya. He knew that the only person who could diffuse the situation would be his father due to Lance's obsession. All James had done was point out how weird it was for Lance to speak with one of the competitors with an angry expression and Harry had been very quick to agree, hence why Harry came over to investigate.
Back with Freya, she was walking over to the other Champions and Shields. However, before she could get any closer, her name was called.
"Freya!"
Turning around, Freya saw that Ryan and Cordelia were running towards her. They stopped when they were in front of her and they took a moment to gain their breath back.
"Is something the matter?" Freya asked with an arched brow.
Ryan looked up, his eyes wide in fear. "Do you know?" He asked, still panting from the lack of breath. The exercise was never his friend and he absolutely hated it.
Freya frowned, "Know what?"
Cordelia stood taller, gaining her breath back quicker than Ryan, "It is Katrina. She's dead." She said with a heartbroken expression. When she had heard the news, Cordelia couldn't believe what she had heard. For a moment, she actually hoped that Lance was lying, but she suspected that he wasn't.
Freya's eyes widened as she felt all the air leave her lungs. "What?" She asked, feeling breathless all of a sudden. It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach and had winded her. For a moment, Freya thought that she had heard wrong at first but the surprised and panicked expressions on their faces confirmed her fears.
"Lance sent an announcement last night. He said that Katrina had relations with her charge and was pregnant with Frank's child and not Logan's child." Ryan explained with a concerned expression.
"Is he right?" Cordelia asked. If anyone would know the truth about Katrina then it would definitely be Freya due to how close they were.
Closing her eyes, Freya took a deep breath. The shock had worn off and now she was feeling angry – angry that her friend was dead. Freya had warned Katrina to get out before Lance found out and she had been caught out. A wave of resentment for Lance hit Freya like the Hogwarts Express and Freya felt her magic stirring inside her in fury. Feeling someone looking at her, Freya turned her head and saw James staring at her, a concerned expression on his face. Just seeing James made her feel instantly calm and she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
"What he said is correct. She faked her pregnancy with Logan's child to conceal the fact that she was pregnant with Frank's child." Freya explained as she was still trying to calm herself down. She couldn't lose control now, not in front of so many people.
Cordelia's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Holy shit…"
Ryan gasped violently. Katrina was one of the people who he didn't expect to break one of the rules so blatantly. Katrina had been protected by Freya for years so Ryan had assumed that Katrina would always be safe as long as Freya was around.
"Did you tell Lance?" Ryan asked delicately.
Freya glared at Ryan with a thunderous expression, "No, I didn't." She hissed lowly, feeling offended that he would even suspect her of ratting on her friend. Bitterly, she thought about her other title of 'Lance's Pet', a name that she hated more than ever.
"Then how did he find out?" Cordelia asked with a frown.
"He probably went to see her. She was never great at lying," Freya said after a moment of silence. This was why she wanted Katrina to get out while she could. Freya knew that Lance would find out the truth because Katrina was a terrible liar. Freya knew that if Lance asked Katrina a direct question that she would crumble – Katrina had always been like that.
Ryan was about to speak, but he was interrupted when Harry used the projection charm on his voice, "We are now starting the last trial," Harry announced, his voice carrying around the whole of the area. He was stood near Lance, in front of all the other student.
Saying nothing, Freya walked away from Cordelia and Ryan to join the others. Freya walked over to Albus and McGonagall who stood near Ivan, Roman and Vladimir. Albus' eyes were scanning the area nervously, looking at Roman with an unsettled expression.
Harry looked down at his watch and then looked over to Lance and nodded his head, indicating that they should start the last trial.
Lance nodded his head, getting the signal. "Good morning students, we will now start with the last trial. This is the last trial and will be the most difficult," Lance said, his voice booming aloud so everyone could hear him, "Each of you will be given a Portkey and it will transport you to a remote place. Each Shield and Champion will be separated, each one being dropped off at a different place." Lance explained as he looked at each contender, his gaze lingering on Freya with a cold glint.
Harry took a step forward, "The aim is to find your Champion or Shield and find a key. That key will act as a navigator and will guide you to the Cup and without it you will struggle." He explained, his own gaze sweeping over the students around him, waiting to see if there were any confused expressions.
Lance continued, "Once you have found the Triwizard Tournament Cup, grab the cup and it will transport you back here and you will be the winner."
"There will be a twelve-hour time limit." Harry said, looking down at his watch once more, "After the twelve hours, you will all be forcefully pulled back here. If no one has the Cup at the end, you all will fight for it." Harry hoped that it wouldn't come down to the alternative idea. Harry didn't know who had come up with the challenges but he didn't like them in the slightest, but he was being biased.
Lance waved his wand and four Portkey's appeared in front of each Champion and Shield. Freya looked down at her Portkey and saw that it was a shield with the Hogwarts emblem on the front, coloured in gold. Albus had a shield Portkey with the same emblem and it was gold. Ivan and Roman had a shield Portkey but their colour shields were bronze. "As Durmstrang is leading with eighty-two points with Hogwarts coming in second with seventy two points. As a result Durmstrang will have a ten minute head start in the final challenge. After the ten minutes, the Hogwarts' Champion and Shield will then grab their Portkey." Lance said as he looked at Ivan and Roman and the latter seemed pleased with this.
Freya nodded her head, understanding this information. Those ten minutes could give them the advantage but only if they were used wisely.
"On our mark, you will grab the Portkey and will be transported where the last trial will take place. Once you have arrived, the Portkey will disappear and the fourth challenge will begin immediately." Lance explained as he lowered his wand.
Harry looked around, "Does everyone understand?"
Albus gulped but nodded his head, his nerves were getting the better of him. Freya nodded her head, understanding the rules. Ivan and Roman too nodded, Roman, looking smug and confident.
Seeing that they all understood it, Harry nodded his own head. "On my mark, grab the Portkey. If you try to grab it before my mark, you will be instantly disqualified. One, two, three… start!" Harry exclaimed at the last world.
Roman and Ivan grabbed their Portkey and were gone with a blink of an eye.
With them gone, it left a tense atmosphere as everyone waited for ten minutes to pass. Freya stood in silence, looking at the ground. Her thoughts wandered to Katrina and the news she had found out just moments ago. Someone who Freya held very dear to her was dead but it wasn't the first time Freya had lost someone close to her. Freya had lost many people in her life. Her parents were completely brainwashed by Lance, her sister was murdered because she fell in love and now her best friend was dead. Freya clenched her jaw in anger. She wanted to make Lance pay for what he has done as without him, she could have led a normal life. She could be with James in public and not have to worry that she was going to be killed. Freya raised her head and glared at Lance, not being able to hold off her resentment for the man anymore. Freya hated Lance and she was definitely going to bring him down.
Freya was snapped out of her thoughts when Harry gave the signal that ten minutes had passed. On Harry's mark, Freya grabbed her Portkey with no hesitation and was pulled away in a flash with Albus following behind, slightly slower than Freya had been.
HARRY POTTER
Freya landed on her feet but felt a sense of nausea. She immediately dropped the Portkey and the moment the shield touched the ground, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Freya had her wand out in an instant as her eyes scanned the surrounding area. She needed to find Albus and fast because she didn't like the thought of leaving him alone with Roman about. Freya's gaze travelled upwards and looked around. She had been transported into a jungle terrain. There was a lot of smaller mountains circling a very large and menacing looking mountain. The largest mountain was hundreds of feet high, the very tip of the mountain being shrouded by the clouds. In between the smaller mountains and the largest mountain, there was a jungle terrain and many trees, which was where Freya currently was.
For a moment, Freya debated at how she was going to find Albus in such a dense forest area. She was tempted to give a signal but she realised that she would be attracting some attention to herself and she didn't know if it would be good or bad attention. However, she quickly made her mind up. "Vermillious," Freya pointed her wand up to the sky and a red light shot out into the sky, showing up just above the tall trees. After a few seconds, the red light disappeared.
She waited for a moment, looking around the dark trees to see if anyone was approaching. Freya listened carefully for any sounds but all she heard was the wind and the sound of crawling from some bugs.
"Albus!" Freya yelled out, looking around.
However, there was no response. Freya sighed deeply and gave up with yelling and sending a signal. Albus was more than likely sent far away from Freya because there was no way Lance or Harry would make it easy for them. Freya looked around again and saw no one. She then looked up to the large mountain and made a decision to head towards that and maybe along the way, she would find Albus. Wand in hand, Freya began walking forward into the dense forest. She looked around the forest, moving out the way to avoid the vines and any roots that could possibly trip her up. Freya raised her hand to her head and wiped the sweat off her forehead, the humidity was terrible. Putting her wand in her pocket, Freya removed the red hoodie and wrapped it around her waist. Now feeling cooler, Freya grabbed her wand and began moving forward.
Freya had been walking for around ten minutes before she stopped dead in her tracks. For the past ten minutes, she had been hearing scuttling. Someone or something was following her and Freya didn't appreciate it. Freya couldn't sense any magical signature nearby so she ruled out that someone was tailing her.
Looking around, Freya turned to her right and saw a shadow dart out of her sight. Freya turned to her left and another shadow darted away. Frowning, Freya turned around and looked into the trees. She narrowed her eyes and the grip on her wand tightened. "Incendio." Freya pointed her wand and a jet of fire shot out from her wand and it hit the tress. The sound of hissing echoed through the jungle as there was more scuttling away from the fire.
"Incendio." Freya shot out more fire from her wand, hitting the shadows again. She was either forcing them out of hiding or make them go away.
More hissing was heard as the scuttling got louder. However, this time, the shadow crawled down from the tree and onto the clearing that Freya stood in. It was an Acromantula. This Acromantula sported eight, black eyes and was covered in thick black hair, with a leg span of ten feet on each side. The Acromantula's pincers clicked together as venom began to secrete from its fangs in excitement.
Freya grimaced, she hated Acromantulas with a passion.
"Food… food…" The Acromantula hissed lowly.
"I am no one's meal." Freya glared at the overgrown spider and raised her wand, "Diffindo!" Freya had her wand pointed at the spider's legs to disarm it. She knew that Acromantulas were dangerous creatures and minor spells wouldn't work on it. However, if she used the cutting charm in the right place, it could work.
The Acromantula let out a cry of pain as its two front legs were cut off at the joints. It fell forward slightly but its other six legs kept it upright.
Seeing something move from her peripheral vision, Freya turned her head and saw another Acromantula jump at her from the right. Freya whirled around and pointed her wand, "Depulso!" The spider was banished away from her and sent flying into a tree, landing harshly.
Feeling more movement, Freya whirled around to her left and saw another Acromantula jumping in her direction. "Confringo!" An explosion echoed in the clearing as that particular Acromantula was blasted to bits.
Whirling around again, Freya immediately noticed that she was surrounded. There were hundreds of Acromantulas surrounding her, all their eyes pinned on her and their fangs snapping and clicking in excitement at their next meal. Freya began racking her brain. She needed a spell that would have large scale devastating effect – and a quick one. If she attacked all these Acromantula on her own then she would exhaust her magical reserves very quickly and that would leave her vulnerable to the other competitors and she needed to find Albus. Freya had promised James that Albus was going to be fine and she was going to make damn sure that Albus made it out alive – but Freya needed to get out of this situation first. She needed to use the most powerful spell in her arsenal.
Taking in a deep breath, Freya turned around to look at the head Acromantula. Freya pointed her wand and whispered softly, "Fiendfyre." A burst of powerful flames burst from Freya's wand, so powerful that Freya had to tighten the grip on her wand so it didn't go flying out of her hand. The enchanted fire soon became a vortex of fire as it consumed the clearing in its flames. Freya flicked her wrist and the fire disconnected from her wand and then the flames became its own being. The uncontrollable flames turned into a dragon, the fire roaring into the air. Freya watched carefully as all the Acromantula within a forty-mile radius was burnt to a crisp – and that included the jungle around her. When the flame was free, Freya had dived for safety a few miles away because she knew that this spell would kill its own caster due to it being so uncontrollable. Freya watched with a passive expression as all the Acromantulas cried out in pain and agony as they were consumed by the flames and when the fire dragon moved on, there was nothing left as the fire had completely incinerated their bodies. Once Freya saw that there was no other Acromantula around, she took another deep breath and focused on the flames themselves, trying to will the flames to extinguish.
Rupert had taught her to use the Fiendfyre curse last year. The curse was advanced dark magic, as the flames are extremely difficult to control once they are unleashed, and it is one of the few known substances capable of destroying Horcruxes. Her father had been cautious in teaching Freya this curse, even so, that he took her to a remote place in an icy valley – far away from their mansion. Fiendfyre was an immensely powerful fire that couldn't be extinguished by normal or enchanted water. It was also very difficult for the caster to control and this was why only a handful of people could use this spell successfully. Inexperienced casters could easily conjure Fiendfyre, but they have no control over the flames once they are unleashed, which would make a Fiendfyre an exceptionally deadly backfire.
However, Freya wasn't an inexperienced caster. She had been taught the charm to stop it – something many people hadn't learned.
The flames roared in fury when it realised there weren't any more victims to burn. The fire dragon turned its head and noticed Freya. It roared loudly and began charging over to Freya with the intention to kill.
Freya glared at the flames and gripped her wand tightly. "Be gone!" She yelled at the fire dragon before casting the charm. With a flick of her wrist, the fire dragon stopped in its tracks and it began to disappear into thin air until there was nothing left.
Freya sighed in relief but grimaced when she looked around the clearing. It was completely scorched. All the nearby trees were burnt to a crisp and so was the ground. The clearing still radiated immense heat that had been there moments ago and the smell of burnt leaves and grass lingered in the air. Looking at herself, Freya noticed that the edges of the red hoodie were burnt and she had some light burns on her exposed arms but there wasn't much damage overall which was a relief. Freya waited for a few moments to see if any more Acromantulas would come and attack her now but she found nothing moved. Freya assumed that the fire probably destroyed their entire colony.
Satisfied, Freya turned around and began walking back towards the mountain. Just as she turned around, she noticed something flying in the air. Freya looked up and saw that it was Albus on his broom and he too appeared to be heading towards the large mountain.
"Albus!" Freya screamed at him, hoping he would hear.
However, Albus never turned to look, his attention solely on the mountain in front of him. He was too high up to hear Freya and he was too absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear anything.
Freya sighed in frustration. Rebecca had warned her beforehand that when Albus focuses on something, he didn't pay attention to anything around him. That was why Rebecca had to save Albus from so many Bludgers in Quidditch due to the fact the Seeker doesn't notice anything other than the Golden Snitch.
Having him in her sights, Freya began running after Albus. She made sure not to trip over on any exposed roots and her wand was in hand just in case anything else decided to attack her. Freya ran for a few moments before Albus started to go out of sight due to his broom being very fast. Freya dodged branched and leaves so that they didn't hit her face or obscure her vision of Albus in any way. However, within minutes she had lost sight of him but she continued running. Freya needed to get to the mountain and find Albus as soon as possible before any of the other contestants did.
Spotting a lake up ahead, Freya slowed down her running to a jog and then eventually stopped when she arrived at the side of the lake. It was a wide lake and there didn't appear to be any way to cross it. Freya looked around and saw a few Plimpies. Plimpies were a small, round and magical fish with two legs ending in webbed feet. It lives in deep lakes and feeds on water snails. The Plimpy wasn't dangerous but they do nibble on the feet and clothing of unsuspecting swimmers. For this reason, Freya ignored them because she knew that they weren't dangerous and wouldn't cause her any harm. Looking into the water, Freya debated swimming across the lake to the other side. Freya looked at the other side of the lake and saw a clear path leading straight to the mountain.
As Freya was thinking, she began to hear a lot of splashing and soon someone cried out, sounding scared and panicked.
"Get off me!"
Freya head whipped to her right and saw Ivan. Ivan was halfway on the shore and halfway in the water. Around his torso, there appeared to be sickly green tentacles from a Grindylow wrapped around him, pulling him back into the water. Ivan appeared to be reaching for his wand, which was on shore and was just out of reach of him as the Grindylow was pulled him back into the water. The Grindylow was a sickly green colour, with green teeth and small pointy horns on its head. It has long, strong fingers which it uses to strangle its prey.
For a moment, Freya debated about helping Ivan. He was her competitor and he appeared to be on Roman's side most of the time. But then James entered her mind. If he was in the same situation, he would have helped Ivan without a second thought. Sighing deeply, Freya made up her mind and rushed over to Ivan and the Grindylow. Reaching Ivan and the Grindylow, Freya pointed her wand at the creature, "Relashio." Instantly, the Grindylow let go of Ivan and let out a screech before disappearing back into the water. It was a jinx that forced the target to release its grip on whatever it is holding. It worked on both living and inanimate targets, so long as it was holding something. It was a spell Freya had learned many years ago by her father.
With the Grindylow gone, Freya reached over to Ivan, "Take my hand," She said, taking note of his exhausted expression. Freya also noted that he was soaked, meaning that the Grindylow had more than likely dragged him under successfully and he had fought off the creature with his raw strength and desperation not to die.
Ivan was breathing heavily as he looked up to Freya. He stared at her for a moment before reaching out his hand and he allowed Freya to pull out of the lake, marvelling at her strength to pull him out. He was more than double her body weight yet she helped him out the water as though it was nothing.
Once he was safe, Ivan flopped on the ground and was now looking up at the sky, "Thank you," He muttered tiredly. He had tried to cross the lake by swimming it and he had been ambushed by the Grindylow and now he regretted that decision. He didn't know where he would have been if Freya hadn't intervened.
Freya glanced back at the water, "I suggest moving away further," She said, watching the water carefully. She took a few steps away from the water, seeing what was coming up.
Ivan frowned but followed her lead, shuffling up the shore until he was a few feet away. Just as he was a safe distance, the same Grindylow broke through the water and began hissing at Ivan, swiping its claws as though it was trying to reach him. Ivan jumped back in surprise, not expecting the Grindylow to make another appearance. He scrambled back further away from the Grindylow, making sure to grab his wand so he could defend himself.
Freya rolled her eyes, "Depulso." She said, pointing the wand at the water creature. The Grindylow screeched as it was pushed away back into the water against its will, but this time it didn't resurface.
Ivan looked up at Freya, "You saved me, why?" He asked with a confused expression. If it had been Roman, Ivan had no doubt that he would have left him to die a watery death. Roman had told him many times that he would kill Ivan if he got in his way. Ivan wasn't even sure what he would do if he was in the same situation. After all, they were all competing against each other.
Frowning, Freya looked at the mountain to see if she could spot Albus but saw nothing. "I made a promise to myself that I would be better – than I would do better. Besides, I prefer you over Roman any day." Freya said, looking down at Ivan. After getting together with James, she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't go back to being the Ice Queen that everyone dubbed her and she wouldn't shy away from doing what was right.
"Regardless, I owe you my life. What can I do to repay you?" Ivan asked, standing up and bowing to Freya in gratitude.
Freya considered his words carefully. "Tell me more about Roman." She asked after some thought. The Guardians hadn't been able to find out much about him and it was infuriating. Roman kept to himself and he didn't appear to have any friends in Durmstrang. Even Vladimir appeared to keep Roman at arm's length and didn't seem surprised when one of his students had been accused of murdering Alicia.
Ivan closed his mouth and appeared nervous. His eyes darted around the clearing and he swallowed thickly, "What would you like to know?"
"Who is his next target?" Freya asked immediately. She needed to know if Albus was next on Roman's hit list so she could protect him.
Ivan sighed deeply in defeat, "He will be going after the Potter child. He really doesn't want Hogwarts to win, especially not a Potter."
"Why not a Potter?" Freya asked with a frown.
Ivan motioned for Freya to sit down as he knew it was going to be a long story. Freya hesitated for a moment but did so anyway. They sat down in front of one another crossed legged. Now comfy, Ivan began talking, "Roman grew up in a very dark household. His parents were very big supporters of Voldemort so he doesn't like the Potters because, in his eyes, they destroyed his hero. That's why, in the beginning, Albus was always his main target. But then Alicia angered him and he decided to make her his target." Ivan explained with a sigh in his tone. The only reason Roman hadn't killed anyone before the third match was because there was always too many witnesses. The first two trials had an audience but the third trial didn't. If Roman had killed Albus outside the game then there would have been an investigation, but if Roman killed Albus in the games then no one would suspect murder.
Freya nodded her in understanding. This wasn't the first time she had heard of someone disliking the Potters because Harry defeated Voldemort. However, the Guardians had managed to silence a lot of people before it could go too far.
"It appears you two don't even like each other, so why did you cover for him?" Freya asked.
"Professor Vladimir asked me to watch over him. No one is Durmstrang wanted him to enter the Tournament in the first place," Ivan admitted slowly. When Roman's name had been announced, they had cheered because they had to, not because they wanted to. Most people from Durmstrang were just happy that it wasn't them.
"Why?" Freya pressed further for answers.
Ivan pushed his lips together as though he was trying to find the right words. "Roman is…unstable, to say the least. This isn't the first person he has killed but it has been the first outside of Durmstrang walls. Vladimir has always covered for him because Roman's father is a major funder for our school and Roman's father endorses Roman's behaviour." Ivan knew that there was no way that he would be allowed to get away with the things that Roman did, even if his dad was also a funder for the school.
"And so he is allowed to get away with everything he wants and there are no consequences," Freya finished with a sigh of annoyance. Freya absolutely detested people like that and it just made her hate Roman even more.
Ivan nodded his head, agreeing with her. "But other than that, that's all I really know about Roman. He doesn't like the other people in the school and he keeps to himself. He hates most people and isn't afraid to say it. Teachers are afraid of him and so are all of the younger students." All teachers avoided Roman like the plague and they never called him out in class. There were also rumours in the school that Roman had actually killed a teacher when they tried to call him out on his behaviour. That teacher was never seen again and Vladimir had banned all mention of that teacher. It was a wonder why Roman hadn't been kicked out yet.
"What's he like in a duel?" Freya asked, moving on since Ivan didn't know much else.
"He's unpredictable and angry," Ivan said after a moment, considering his words. "He focuses on an offensive attack first and he will resort to physical violence if needed. He is not afraid to use the unforgivable curses either."
Freya arched a brow at this news. She was surprised that Roman had got away with that behaviour so far long. It just further proved Roman's arrogance. Having heard enough, Freya stood up from her sitting position. "Thank you, that's been helpful," Now that she knew a bit more about Roman and his attitude, she had an idea of how to deal with him. If it came down to it, she would kill Roman if he tied to harm Albus in any way.
Ivan frowned as he watched Freya for a moment. "Wait, you're not thinking about going against him, are you?" He too decided to get up from the floor, feeling much better after nearly being drowned by a Grindylow.
"If he tries to harm Albus, then yes," Freya answered back simply.
"But he's brutal!" Ivan exclaimed. He couldn't believe that someone was willingly going against Roman even after knowing how unstable he was.
"And so am I," Freya answered back dryly.
Ivan looked ready to protest, but Freya cut him off. "I already know that he killed Alicia and I know I can deal with him," She answered him with a blank expression. Freya was used to dealing with people who were power hungry and spoilt. If she could put up with Lance then she could certainly deal with Roman.
"But I was the one who killed Alicia," Ivan said after a few moments of silence. He was covering for Roman so that he didn't get in trouble. Vladimir had told him specifically to look after Roman and make sure that he didn't get into any trouble. If anyone from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons complained about Roman, then his parents would be the first ones to redress the situation and everyone would forget about the incident.
Freya stared at him with an arched brow, "No you didn't. Roman killed her. Alicia and he fought and it ended up in a physical altercation where Roman strangled her to death. I saw the bruise marks and I felt his magic in the air. He also made the threat to Alicia that she would regret talking back to him. Roman killed Alicia, not you." Freya finished, staring at Ivan in the eyes so that the message would sink in. It wasn't a hard situation to deduce since Roman hadn't even been bothered to cover up his tracks.
Falling silent, Ivan studied Freya for a moment. In the beginning, he had been very wary of her but he had quickly dismissed her. Ivan could feel Freya's magic and now he didn't understand why he had dismissed her so quickly in the competition. It was like he had completely forgotten about her altogether which was unusual for him. Ivan had a great memory but he hadn't even questioned when he got forgot about her.
"Anyway, I need to find Albus," Freya said, turning around to face the lake. There didn't appear to be any way around it so she would need to pass through it. However, before Freya could even mutter a spell, Ivan cleared his throat, gaining his attention. Freya turned around to face him and looked at him expectantly, "Yes?"
Ivan swallowed thickly, "How would you feel about forming an alliance with one another?" He suggested. He knew that if it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to deal with Roman on his own, but if he had some people on his side then he would be on better footing against Roman.
Freya turned to him and frowned, "You would be willing to go against Roman, even after everything you've told me?" She asked, feeling confused. She thought that after everything he told her, that Ivan would try and avoid Roman but instead he was seeking out an alliance.
Ivan nodded his head, "I would."
Freya stared at him for a moment and thought about it. It would be useful to have an alliance and to have someone else to fight beside her if Roman tried to attack Albus. However, there was no point in forming an alliance due to the fact that Ivan wouldn't even remember this conversation after they parted away. The magic in her pendant would activate and Ivan wouldn't even remember telling her about Roman or saving him from a Grindylow. Also, Freya felt confident that she could deal with Roman on her own if it came down to it.
"No, I can handle him on my own," Freya said, turning around to face the lake. Freya pointed her wand at the lake. "Glacius." An icy mist appeared at the end of her wand and the temperature around them dropped dramatically to the point Freya and Ivan's breath could be seen. The lake in front of them began to freeze, the sound of crackling echoed in the air. Once the entire lake was completed covered in ice, the mist stopped and Freya lowered her wand. Freya walked over to the iced-over the lake and tested it, stepping on the ice and found it to be sturdy.
Turning around, Freya looked over to Ivan, "You coming?" She asked before walking over the lake with ease. Freya made sure to step carefully and not put too much weight on her feet just in case. However, she was certain that the ice was pretty thick that it could support Ivan's weight. She would help Ivan to cross the lake but after that, he was on his own.
Ivan followed soon after Freya, also being careful of where he stepped. Feeling eyes on him, Ivan looked down and saw he Grindylow grinning at him, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth as its face was pressed up against the ice. He flinched back and then he quickened his pace so that he could get to the other side, not daring to look down at the ice again.