Chapter Thirty Nine
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
Albus stared at Freya with wide and confused eyes. He had heard her speak but it hadn't completely reached him yet, "We're doing what now?" Albus asked, blinking slowly.
Rolling her eyes, Freya began to fiddle with a piece of the Celestial Crystal, moving it about in her hand. "I said, we're going to get rid of this Guardian Mark on the back of my neck." As she finished speaking, Freya began to think of the many ways she could go about this. There were a few methods she had in mind and others she wasn't so sure about. However, none of the options was pleasant ones and would involve pain – a lot of pain.
"B-but how are we going to do that? It's tattooed into your skin." Albus asked, feeling confused. When he got a good look at the mark, he saw the ink and he didn't know how to remove a tattoo – a magical tattoo as well.
"The mark is only skin deep. If we remove the layers of skin then it will be fine," Freya said dismissively. She remembered what Lydia had said about the Guardian Mark only being skin deep and it could be cut out. Freya trusted her sister's word and so she didn't question it.
Albus' eyes widened, "No! Absolutely not!" He yelled, standing up. He couldn't believe what she had just suggested and it made him question her sanity slightly.
Freya looked at Albus with a blank expression.
"I am not letting you do this! It's dangerous. The skin on the back of the neck is too thin and it's too close to the spine," He argued his point, hoping that Freya would see the logic behind his words and wouldn't go through with her idea.
Freya wordlessly stood up and walked over to Albus. Albus looked at her with a frown and found himself stepping backwards. Freya stared at him directly in the eyes, never breaking contact and Albus found this nerve-wracking that she wasn't saying anything, she was just looking at him with a void expression. Quickly, Albus found himself backed into the wall with nowhere to run or hide from her intense gaze. Freya only stopped when she was inches away from him and then she glared at him and that's when he could feel her anger.
"Listen here, Potter," Freya hissed lowly under her breath. "This wretched mark has been the bane of my existence for years. With this mark, I have been enslaved, tortured and seen countless deaths. I am getting this mark off, with or without you." Freya's stormy grey eyes were practically glowing in the cave as the anger rolled off her in waves. Her magic rumbled under the skin, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
Albus' breath hitched in his throat. Albus felt scared, and he had never felt scared in her presence before so this was new to him. Albus didn't know Freya, but he knew that she wasn't joking when she said she would do it without him. Albus also noticed the silent threat she had hidden in her words and it scared him. Slowly, Albus nodded his head, "I-I'll help…" He whispered lowly.
Watching him for a moment, Freya nodded her head. She knew that her words had sunk in with him. She had been fully serious, she didn't care if he was James' brother at that point. She didn't care that he was Harry Potter's son either because she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way. If he didn't want to join in then that was fine, but if he tried to stop her then she could knock him unconscious and get rid of the mark herself. Freya backed off and stood a few feet away from Albus, giving him the room that he needed to recover from his shock.
Now that Albus could breathe, he relaxed. After a few seconds of silence, Albus spoke up, "So, what did you have in mind?"
"None that you'll like," Freya answered back honestly, "We could either cut the tattoo off me or burn it off," Those were her two best options at this point. She needed to remove the physical tattoo from her being and Lydia had proved that it did work by cutting it off. Now that the mark's defences were down, it could be done.
"You're right, I don't like them," Albus said with a sigh in his tone. He knew that it didn't matter what he liked and didn't like, this was about Freya and he would have to deal with it. Mentally, Albus began to wonder how James dealt with Freya.
Freya nodded her head, already knowing he wouldn't like either option.
"How would this work then?" Albus visibly gulped, almost scared to find out the answer.
Freya thought to herself for a moment before answering, "We could either use the Diffindo spell or the Incendio spell," In her mind, those were the two best spells to use for this. Other spells could be used, but they were far too dangerous, even for her liking.
Albus immediately shook his head, "The Diffindo spell is too risky. You wouldn't be able to perform that on your own and you would need me to do it, and I am too scared to mess up," This spell was taught to second years and when used correctly could be harmless. However, it was very easy to mess up and it could go badly, especially around the neck area. It was a good duelling spell, but it was also dangerous if used incorrectly.
"Then that leaves the Incendio spell," Freya said, mentally discarding the cutting charm from her plan. Albus had been right when he said that she would need someone else to use the charm on her and she didn't trust Albus enough to let that happen.
"But even that is dangerous," Albus said with a sigh in his tone.
Rolling her eyes, Freya looked around the cave and found a few twigs. Freya walked over to them and gathered them in a pile while Albus began to think of their other options. Once she was happy, Freya pointed her wand at the small pile of twigs, "Incendio,"
Albus' eyes widened when he saw this, "What are you doing?!"
Freya turned back and looked at him, "If we burn the mark off, it will be cleaner. By cutting it off, there will be blood and it will need to be closed quickly so I don't run the risk of blood loss. Having it burned off cauterises the wound," She answered with an arched brow, challenging him to say anything.
Albus and Freya stared at one another, not saying a word. The only sound in the cave was the twigs burning under the small fire Freya had produced.
"Fine," Albus agreed but very reluctantly. He knew he wouldn't deal well with blood and he knew that he would panic. Albus had fainted at the sight of blood before and he didn't want a repeat when someone's life was going to be in his hands.
Freya nodded her head, satisfied that Albus had given in.
"But how are we going burn it off?" Albus asked, looking at the fire with a curious expression.
Looking down at her boots, Freya reached down and pulled out a throwing knife. The knife was small, around the same size as her hand. The knife was silver with a black handle. The metal was enchanted so that she wouldn't miss her target and also had a Geminio spell on it that she could activate at any point so she never ran out of knives. They were weightless and had her name engraved on the metal. Freya had another one in her other boot, hidden in case she needed it. They had been a gift from her father, a rare and appreciated gift he had presented to her when she had officially become James' Guardian at age eleven. Rupert then taught her how to use them, warning her that not all Wizards played fair and neither should she. If there was ever a point she would be without her wand, she could use the knives to attack until she got her wand back.
"Use this," Freya said, handing Albus her knife. She held the bladed part, making sure not to cut herself, with the handle facing Albus.
Albus' face paled when he saw the knife, "W-why do you have a knife?" He asked nervously, staring intently at the knife.
Freya shrugged her shoulders, too lazy to explain.
Taking in a deep breath, Albus shakily took the knife in his hand and was shocked at how weightless it was. He looked at the knife closely, "Freya Williams? That's your last name?" He asked, looking up at her with a curious expression.
"And?" Freya arched a brow at him.
Albus shook his head, "No, but I have heard of your last name before. I think Scorpius mentioned it," He said, thinking back. Albus vaguely remembered him and Scorpius looking at his distance relatives and the name Williams had come up.
"That's because we're distance cousins, somewhere down the line," Freya said with a sigh in her tone. Her thoughts trailed back to Lucius and how her mother and father saw him in Azkaban around the Christmas period. Lucius had recently died in Azkaban but the Daily Prophet hadn't detailed how he had died exactly and had said he was found dead in his cell, a very common occurrence in Azkaban. Freya had a suspicion that Lance had a hand in his death because Lucius kept refusing Lance's offers.
Albus seemed amazed by this, "Wow," He muttered lowly, he couldn't believe it at first. But when he looked at Freya closer, he could see some similar features. Both Freya and Scorpius had aristocrat features, such as the high cheekbones, sharp jaws and mesmerising eyes. There was an air around Freya that just screamed that she belonged to a long line of Purebloods, much like Scorpius.
Freya rolled her eyes, "It's not like it is shocking. Most Purebloods are related to some degree," To keep the blood pure, Purebloods didn't like having relations with Muggleborns and Half-Bloods and only made relations with other Purebloods. The Williams family were related to many Pureblood families, such as the Black family, Malfoys and even the Longbottom family.
Albus nodded his head, agreeing with what she said.
"Now, back to the matter of hand. Take the knife, and place the knife over the fire," Freya instructed carefully, keeping her instructions clear. She didn't want Albus getting confused at any point and if he wanted to ask any questions, he could ask them.
Without saying anything, Albus walked over to the small fire. By now, the fire had nearly burned all the twigs so they needed to work fast before they had to gather more. Albus held the knife over the fire and watched as the metal part of the knife started to glow red from the heat.
Freya watched this carefully, "Once it's hot enough, I need you to press the metal onto the mark."
Albus looked up at her, his eyes wide, "What?!" He could feel his heart rate spike uncomfortably high in anxiety and his hands began to shake.
Watching this, Freya frowned, "Albus, if this is too much for you then tell me. I can do this on my own," Freya could see how anxious he was and she wanted to give him an out. Freya didn't want him to feel as though she was pressuring him. She had to remind herself that Albus wasn't raised like her or the other Guardians. If she had asked one of the Guardians, they would have done it without hesitation, but Albus was different. For a moment, Freya thought she had gone too far.
Albus shook his head, "It's not. I can do this," He said, looking at Freya with a nervous smile.
However, Freya didn't believe him and she narrowed her stormy grey eyes, "Put down the knife," Freya ordered as she didn't believe him at all. It was obvious to her that he was putting up a front.
"I can do it!" Albus argued back, glaring at Freya with determined eyes. He didn't like it when people underestimated him, it was one of his pet peeves.
Freya shook her head, "Will you be able to listen to me scream in pain? Will you be able to keep the knife there while it burns into my flesh to make sure the mark is gone?" She asked with a blank expression, testing his reaction.
Albus visibly gulped before calming himself down. "Yes," He looked Freya in the eyes to show how serious he was.
Freya sighed, "Fine, but no one can say I never tried," Now, Rebecca couldn't maul her for her charge being in this situation because Freya had given Albus a chance to back out but he didn't take it. Rebecca had the view that Albus was pure and innocent but Freya disagreed with her view.
Nodding his head, Albus looked down at the knife and saw it was glowing bright red, "I think it's ready," He said, looking to Freya.
Looking at the knife, Freya agreed with him. "Bring it over and press on the back of my neck. Make sure you cover the whole mark so we don't need to do this more than once," She said, turning around and pulling her hair up further. Using another hair tie on her wrist, she pulled her ponytail into a bun so none of her hair got in the way. To get comfortable, Freya used the cushioning charm on the ground and laid there, so that her neck was fully exposed and Albus would have full access. She also unwrapped the hoodie from her waist, intending to use it to bit down on and scream into. Once she was comfortable, Freya moved the necklace down so it didn't get in the way.
Seeing that she was ready, Albus walked over to Freya, taking in deep breaths. He could do this. By doing this, he was helping Freya get out of a crazy group and she would gain her freedom. Albus kneeled down beside her with the glowing hot knife in his hand. Albus nearly flinched from the heat but he tried to ignore it.
"Last chance, Albus," Freya said, turning her head to look at him.
"I can do this, I swear," Albus said with a determined look.
Slowly, Freya nodded her head and turned back around. "Keep it pressed down for ten seconds. That's all it will take with how hot the knife is." As she spoke, Freya began mentally preparing herself for the pain. Freya knew she was going to have to fight her instincts to attack or defend herself because this needed to happen.
Albus nodded his head. He could do this for ten seconds as it didn't seem that long.
Freya let out a long sigh, "Okay, start now." She said, turning her face into the hoodie.
Sucking in a breath, Albus lifted the knife and leaned over. Carefully, he hovered the knife over Freya's neck to make sure he would get all the Guardian Mark in one go.
It took everything inside Freya not to flinch from the heat that was radiating from the knife.
Satisfied with the placement, Albus brought the knife down so it touched Freya's flesh.
Freya screamed into the hoodie, her knuckles turning white how hard she was gripping the material. As soon as the knife had touched her, a white-hot burning sensation hit her. It took everything inside herself not to hunch her shoulders forward to protect her neck. Freya had nearly jumped away but she fought against that, knowing that this needed to be done. Freya screamed again as the pain seemed to get worse. However, Freya found that this pain wasn't nearly as bad as when the Guardian Mark was activated, but that didn't take away from the pain itself.
Albus grit his teeth, trying his best to block out Freya's screams of pain. Her screams were muffled because of the hoodie, but he could still hear it. When he had first heard them, he nearly flinched but he didn't because he knew that it would move the knife. Albus felt terrible, he felt so bad because he knew he was one the one causing her pain. That's when it hit him, the smell of burning flesh. Albus retched loudly, feeling the bile rise in his throat, the smell had knocked him sick and he forgot to count.
Counting in her head, Freya mentally managed to get to ten and waited for Albus to lift the knife away from her neck. But it didn't happen. Through the pain, Freya could hear Albus retching and instantly knew that he was distracted. Freya knew that she needed to act fast otherwise the knife would burn through the healthy tissue in her neck. Reaching her left arm out, Freya grabbed onto Albus' wrist and pushed him away with as much force as she could.
Albus' eyes widened when he felt himself be pushed away. Albus stumbled and landed on his behind, dropping the knife at his feet in the process. When he looked at the knife, his eyes widened in realisation, "I am so sorry, Freya!" He jumped up to his feet and rushed over to her. He hadn't stopped at ten seconds as she had instructed.
Freya gritted her teeth as she made it to her knees. The burn on her neck was still there, "Its fine," She hissed out lowly in pain. She needed something to cool down the burning on the back of her neck but she was far too focused on the pain.
Panicking, Albus pulled put his wand, "Aguamenti!" A jet of water shot out of his wand and he aimed it at her neck.
Freya hissed when she felt cool water touch her neck unexpectedly, but it felt nice. Instantly, she felt herself relax, not caring that Albus had soaked her head and some of her back. She was too focused on the cool feeling. "Thank you," Freya said, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.
Albus sighed in relief and leaned back, happy that she was no longer in pain.
HARRY POTTER
An hour and a half had passed now Freya and Albus were making their way up the mountain. They were well-rested and had managed to find some berries that were safe to eat. Freya had used a water spell to give themselves something to keep hydrated with as Albus seemed to be struggling with walking and hiking for such a long distance. The terrain wasn't very forgiving and it definitely wasn't a smooth hike for anyone. Freya was still in pain from burning the Guardian Mark off her neck but it wasn't as bad as before. Albus had checked it for her and he said that it still looked bright red and she knew that it would scar but the Guardian Mark was gone. Albus had cleaned the wound for her and Freya was making sure to apply water as often as possible to the wound so it didn't dry out and hurt even more.
"Freya, are we sure we should be heading up towards the mountain?" Albus asked slightly out of breathing. He had been trying really hard to keep up with Freya but she had been walking too fast for his shorter legs to keep up with.
Freya stopped dead in her tracks at his words. She didn't actually know why she had been heading up the large mountain in the middle of the arena, she just had for some reason. It seemed the most obvious thing to do because of how in your face the larger mountain was. As Freya thought about it, her thoughts strayed to hours before when Harry and Lance explained the rules of the match. Freya's eyes widened when she realised something she had missed before. "Albus, you little genius," Freya said with a smirk as she reached for the key that was in her pocket.
Albus blinked slowly, not understanding her words, "How am I a genius?" He asked with his head tilted to the side slightly.
With the golden key in hand, Freya explained. "At the beginning, your dad explained how this key will act as our navigator to the finish line and that without the key we'd struggle." Freya looked over to Albus and watched as her words sunk in with the younger Slytherin.
Albus' eyes widened as he clicked onto what Freya was saying. "So it's like a compass!"
Not knowing what a compass was, Freya absentmindedly nodded her head. "Sure, let's go with that." She said, looking at the golden key with a critical eye. She was wondering how this piece of metal would work as their navigator to the finish line. It just seemed like a plain old key.
"Can I have a look?" Albus asked.
Nodding her head, Freya reached her arm out to pass over the key to him. Albus reached out and touched the key at the end. As both their hands touched the key, a blue light engulfed the key and both Freya and Albus had to shield their eyes from the light. Once the light died down, Freya looked back to see that there was no key in her or Albus' hand. In fact, the key had turned into a little will-o'-the-wisp of blue light that was floating in the air.
"I-is that our compass?" Albus looked to Freya feeling very confused.
Freya frowned as she thought. "Your dad said that we needed to find one another, I think this is why. The key activated when we both touched the key, meaning that we needed each other to get to the finish line," That would explain why the key reacted when both of them touched the key at the same time. Freya had handled the key for some time and it had never once reacted before. Albus had handled the key before too and again, nothing happened until now.
The wisp hummed in response as if it was agreeing with Freya.
"It's kind of cute," Albus said with a small smile.
The wisp let out a louder humming noise, one that sounded happy. The wisp flew around Albus, circling him before going back to where it was before. Freya watched this as a small smile appeared on her own face.
"It is cute," Freya agreed, nodding her head.
The will-o'-the-wisp turned a pink colour as though it was blushing as it let out a louder humming noise. After a few seconds, it turned back to its original blue colour and began floating around Albus and Freya.
"Can you show us the way, please?" Albus asked politely, not wanting to offend the wisp.
The wisp hummed and began moving. It floated away from the larger mountain but then it stopped as though it was waiting for Albus and Freya to catch up. Freya and Albus looked at one another before walking after the wisp. Now, with Freya and Albus following it, the wisp began moving again, directing them away from the large mountain in the middle and rather to the other end of the arena where the smaller mountains were.
Freya sent a side glance to Albus, "Looks like you were right,"
Albus grinned, feel really proud of himself.
As they followed the wisp, Freya began looking around. She was keeping an eye out for any magical creatures. Freya saw some creatures on their walk, like Gnomes and a group of Bowtruckle but they were otherwise harmless. She also made sure to keep away from the plants such as Venomous Tentacula. One other thing Freya was keeping an eye out for was Roman, she hadn't seen him at all since the start of the last trial and that didn't settle right with her. Briefly, Freya looked back at the larger mountain and wondered if that's where Roman was. She knew that Roman wouldn't co-operate with Ivan so the likelihood of Ivan and Roman finding out that the key turned into a will-o'-the-wisp was very low.
Albus gasped, gaining Freya's attention.
Freya's head snapped around and saw what had made Albus gasp and stop in his tracks. Looking ahead, she spotted Ivan sitting at the base of a tree, looking extremely pale and blood pouring from his wound. Ivan appeared to be awake but looked very weak and his breathing was shallow as he sat in a pool of blood. A few feet away from him was his wand, just out of Ivan's reach.
"Ivan!" Albus called out, running over to the Durmstrang student without a second thought.
Freya took out her wand as she scanned the area as she followed after Albus cautiously. She made sure to stay close to him as she doesn't want to risk getting separated from him. Freya followed after Albus quickly and kneeled down next to Ivan.
"What happened to you?" Albus asked, his eyes wide in horror.
Weakly, Ivan turned his head, "R-Roman…" He whispered softly before coughing violently, making more blood appear on his chin.
Albus looked to Freya, "Is there anything we can do?" He asked desperately.
Freya looked down at the wound on Ivan's right side. There was a lot of blood in the way so she couldn't see how bad the wound was. Pointing her wand, Freya muttered, "Tergeo." Instantly, the blood surrounding the wound disappeared and it allowed Freya to assess the damage. The wound on his side was deep and Freya was certain that she could see some bone.
Ivan flinched in pain as he let out a groan of pain.
"How is he?" Albus asked nervously.
"He needs proper medical attention. I can only do so much," Freya answered while shaking her head. Pointing her wand again, she muttered lowly, "Ferula," Bandages shot out from her wand and wrapped itself around Ivan's wound, compressing it. Freya knew some healing spells because there were times where she needed to attend to herself medically. However, Ivan needed a fully trained medic to look him over and administer a Blood-Replenishing Potion with how much blood he had lost.
Ivan sighed in relief, feeling the pain ebb away. The spell had soothed the wound and it made him feel slightly better than before. "T-thank you…" He whispered lowly, his body relaxing.
"Ivan, what happened?" Freya asked him.
"Roman attacked me," Ivan answered, his voice hoarse and weak, "H-he said that he d-didn't want me in the way…" Ivan winced when he shifted slightly and he regretted it majorly. Roman had been absolutely brutal in his attack. Roman had snuck up on Ivan and caught him off guard. When Ivan began attacking back, Roman played dirty by using one of the Unforgivable Curses on him: the Crucio curse. What had been worse was that Roman would heal some of his wounds but then inflict even more damage than before. It was only when Roman was satisfied with how much damage he had inflicted on Ivan that he left. Roman had left Ivan there to die, stealing the key Ivan had managed to find. Ivan had tried to reach for his wand but had failed and had accidentally pushed it away and he didn't have the strength to reach any further for his wand.
Albus frowned, he couldn't understand why Roman had attacked Ivan as he didn't see the logic behind it.
Freya was about to say something but then she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Freya stood up and turned around just in time to see Roman walk into the clearing and he had a grin on his face that put her on edge, "Albus, take Ivan and go," Freya ordered, her grip on her wand tightening.
"Did you like my little present?" Roman asked, staring at Albus with a smug expression. There was blood on his clothing and on his face, only adding to how deranged he looked.
Albus stared at Roman, horror in his green eyes.
"Albus!" Freya exclaimed, gaining the Potter's attention, "Take Ivan and go." She said, keeping her eyes trained on Roman – who was staring at Albus intently. Roman hadn't even glanced in her direction and she had a feeling it was due to the charm in her pendant working.
Looking up at her, Albus frowned, "But what about you?" He asked, feeling uncertain. He knew that Ivan needed help otherwise he wouldn't make it but he didn't want to leave Freya alone with Roman.
"I'll be fine. I am going to deal with him, once and for all," Freya said, glaring at Roman.
Gulping, Albus chose not to question Freya, fearing the answer. Slowly, Albus stood up and put his arm around Ivan, supporting him as they stood up. Ivan lets out a groan in pain but tried his best to assist Albus so he didn't have to do all the work. Albus threw Ivan's arm over his shoulder as he stood side by side with Ivan. Albus and Ivan began following the wisp, away from Freya and Roman.
Seeing his prey leave, Roman wiped out his wand, "Confringo!" A blast shot out of Roman's wand, aiming for Albus and Ivan.
"Protego." Freya stood in the way of his attack and had her wand aimed. An invisible shield covered Freya and protected Albus and Ivan at the same time. The spell bounced off Freya's shield and hit a nearby tree, knocking down the defenceless tree.
Roman glared at Freya, paying attention to her for the first time.
Albus took this chance and left with Ivan. The wisp guided the way and out of the clearing. Albus was very careful with Ivan, making sure not to further aggravate Ivan's wounds. Albus spared Freya one last glance before leaving, mentally assuring himself that Freya could handle himself.
"Get out of my way," Roman growled lowly, the grip on his wand tightening.
"You'll have to get through me first," Freya answered back with a blank expression. There was no way she was letting Roman get past her.
Roman grinned wickedly, "That could be arranged." He raised his wand and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot out from his wand and was headed straight for Freya.
Freya dived out the way, not at all surprised. Roman had killed before and he was ready to do it again. Seeing the Killing Curse be used didn't faze her anymore, Lance had used it so many times that she didn't even blink when Roman had cast the spell. However, now that she saw Roman's intent to kill her, she would return the favour, "Avada Kedavra." Freya pointed her wand at Roman.
Roman eyes widened as he jumped out the way to avoid the attack. "You used one of the Unforgivable Curses?" He questioned with a frown. Has hadn't duelled with anyone who had the intention to cause him to harm before as it was always the other way around. No one dared to cause him harm before so this was new to him and he didn't like it. Roman didn't like to when his prey fought back.
Freya didn't answer him, she just attacked further with the intent to maim and kill.
HARRY POTTER
Albus and Ivan had found the Triwizard Cup and had arrived back at the Hogwarts Entrance, the cup in Albus' hand. They both landed harshly as Albus wasn't able to support Ivan's weight a moment longer. They both dropped to the ground, Ivan groaning in pain as the fall had aggravated his wounds and it made him cough violently. Once Albus looked around and saw he was back on Hogwarts' grounds, he sighed in relief and relaxed onto the ground. He let go of the cup, not caring about it.
When the audience saw Albus and Ivan appear, both Durmstrang and Hogwarts cheered. But they were all confused, who had won?
"Albus!" Harry shouted as he ran over to his son with Vladimir right on his tail. Harry felt his heart come out of his chest when he saw Albus land on the floor, memories flooding back to him about when Harry had brought Cedric's dead body back. However, on closer inspection, Harry saw that Albus and Ivan were breathing and it made him relax.
Vladimir kneeled down next to Ivan and saw the blood leaking from the wound, "We need a medic!" Vladimir yelled out, looking around in mild panic. He felt a sense of panic because Roman wasn't there and he knew that Roman's father wasn't going to be happy, but be also knew that Ivan's father was going to be seething.
Madame Pomfrey rushed over to Ivan and Vladimir, very concerned when she saw the wounds.
Harry looked at Albus, "What happened, Al?" He asked, heavily concerned about his son and what he had to endure for the last challenge. Lance had not shared what the last trail entailed as he said he wanted it to be a surprise and it had made Harry anxious the entire time.
Albus turned his head and saw Ivan getting the attention he needed. Ivan was now being carried away by Madame Pomfrey to the Infirmary. "Roman, he attacked Ivan and tried to attack me," Albus explained in a rush.
Harry frowned, "One of yours?" He asked, looking at Vladimir now with a glare. He was not pleased to hear that one of their students had tried to harm his child.
Vladimir didn't meet Harry's eyes, "It is a competition, what do you expect?" He asked in a huff, walking away from Harry and Albus without a second glance backwards. He went back and stood with his other students waiting for Roman to come back.
Clenching his jaw, Harry said nothing more as he stood up, gently pulling Albus up with him. "We'll get you checked out," He said gently, examining Albus for any visible wounds but he only saw a few scrapes it made him sigh in relief. Guiding Albus over to the stands so he could heal his wounds, Harry passed Lance.
"But Mr Potter, we aren't supposed to show any favour," Lance questioned looking genuinely confused.
Harry glared at him, having enough of Lance at this point. "He is my son," Harry growled lowly, his magic bubbling violently under his skin. The frustration of knowing Lance was up to some was seriously contributing to his anger.
Wisely, Lance chose not to say anything and just stared at the entrance as if he was waiting for something.
Wordlessly, Harry brought Albus to a secluded area away from prying eyes. "I'll go get a healer," He said, hugging his son tightly before leaving quickly.
Now alone, Albus leaned against the wall and his thoughts trailed to Freya. He wondered how he was doing against Roman. He did regret leaving her, but he had no choice. However, Albus didn't get to think long as he was soon interrupted.
"Albus! Are you okay?" James asked, rushing over to his brother.
Albus nodded his head, "I'm fine. Freya protected me." He answered nonchalantly. At that moment he had forgotten how people wouldn't even remember Freya because of everything that was going on.
James froze where he was as he stared at Albus in shock, "You remember her?" He questioned, his voice weak.
"She also told me everything," Albus answered, feeling a little shocked that his brother was acting like this. In all the time Albus had known James, he had never seen James react so strongly. James looked like he had been punched in the jut.
"Is she okay?" James asked suddenly, feeling his anxiety levels skyrocket.
Albus glanced back at the front where he and Ivan had been transported back. "I don't know. She was fighting Roman the last I saw her." He admitted lowly, the guilt consuming him. Albus has left Freya with a dangerous Wizard, one that had killed before.
James tensed further before relaxing, "She'll be fine," He said, a small grin spreading on his face.
"How do you know that?" Albus demanded, looking sceptical.
"Freya is strong. She won't be taken down so easily," James answered back confidently. He knew that Freya could do anything that she set her mind too. She was far stronger than he could ever be and he had accepted that.
Albus frowned and then nodded his head.
"But, how did she tell you?" James asked looking curious. The only reason Freya had been able to tell him everything was because they had started the process of binding souls and had used very old and ancient magic. James knew that if Freya tried to tell anyone else then she would be in a lot of pain and that did worry him.
Albus leaned back, "We found these crystals that negated the mark on her neck, but I can't remember the name of them." Albus answered, trying to think what Freya had called them but he was coming up blank.
James' eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Freya had managed to find the Celestial Crystals that Lydia had mentioned in her diary. James had wanted to say something but then he remembered the Unbreakable Vow he made with Freya, he wasn't allowed to tell anyone about this otherwise risk his own life.
Before Albus or James could say anything else, Lance got their attention. Turning to look at him, they saw him clapping, gaining everyone's attention. James saw that his dad was standing by Lance albeit looking very unhappy.
"Thank you for your patience. But before we decide the winner, we have decided to wait until the next person appears. If Roman appears then Durmstrang is the winner, but if Hogwarts' Shield appears then Hogwarts will be the winners. If neither arrive by the next hour then we decide from there," Lance announced with a fake smile on his face.
Murmurs erupted from the crowd, some not happy with the result. Vladimir and some students from Beauxbatons were not happy and were verbally expressing their dislike for this decision. However, Lance and Harry appeared to ignore all this. Harry and Lance appeared to be in a conversation, but Harry seemed impatient while Lance seemed quite happy.
James looked at the entrance, hoping that Freya would appear soon.
HARRY POTTER
Roman let out a battle cry as he charged at Freya once more. They had been duelling for the past twenty minutes and neither one of them were willing to give in. Roman was a good dueller, very aggressive and he never let his opponent rest, whereas Freya was just as strong and more agile them him. Roman had been throwing the Killing curse around very frequently but he had never made contact with Freya as she always managed to jump out of the way and respond to his attack with a furious offensive spell. However, even Freya had to admit that she was feeling tired. She had used quite a bit of magic and the burn on the back of her neck was hurting again. This last trial was beginning to push her but she couldn't stop now.
Roman tackled Freya, having been disarmed a few minutes prior and he decided a physical attack would work best. Due to her tiredness, Freya had reacted a moment too late and Roman had managed to tackle her to the ground. Now, Freya lay underneath Roman, his body pinning her to the ground. Grinning madly, Roman spoke. "You're going to regret going against me." Without another thought, Roman raised his hands, ready to strangle Freya just like he had done to Alicia. He had wanted to do this to Albus but he had got away.
Glaring at Roman. Freya reached into her Dragon Hide boots and pulled out one of her throwing knives. With no hesitation, Freya stabbed Roman in the side, exactly where Roman had sliced Ivan and left him for dead.
Roman let out a low gasp of pain as his eyes widened. Slowly, Roman looked down and saw a knife sticking out his side as blood poured from the wound. Roman looked back at Freya, feeling anger consume him at the nerve she had. However, when he turned back to face her, he felt a wand point at his chest.
"Depulso!" Freya exclaimed as the spell sent Roman flying away from Freya with a lot of force. Now that he was off her, Freya jumped to her feet and watched Roman carefully, her grip on her wand tightening. Freya couldn't help but feel angry at herself, she had allowed Roman to get that close to her, something that wasn't going to happen again.
Roman landed on his back a few metres away from Freya. He slowly got up, his side burning in pain. He glared at Freya, "You bitch." He growled lowly, the anger he felt for her consuming him.
"Thank you," Freya smirked before her eyes noticed something. Freya looked at Roman's clenched fist and noticed a gold chain hanging limply that looked very familiar. Freya reached around her neck and found that her pendant was missing. For a moment, Freya felt a sense of panic at the fact Roman had managed to rip the pendant off her being. It just showed how close Roman had got to strangling her and Freya did not like that.
"Oh look, I took your jewellery," Roman said mockingly. He held the jewellery close to him and waved it about as if he was trying to goad her.
Freya rolled her eyes, "Good, it was annoying anyway," Now that she had processed what happened, she found that she didn't care anymore. That piece of jewellery had been a nuisance to her and had interfered so much in her life. Freya was glad to not have the gold on her anymore.
Roman frowned, not expecting this reaction.
With him distracted, Freya quickly pointed her wand. "Incarcerous," Rope shot out of Freya's wand and wrapped itself around Roman. Roman yelled in protest, but Freya twisted her wrist and tightened the rope around him, binding him even tighter.
Roman quickly lost his balance and fell to the ground. He struggled in his binds but he found that it was just making the rope wrap around him tighter. Roman stopped struggling and glared at Freya with hate and rage in his eyes, "Let me go, you bitch! You'll regret this!" He yelled at her, his face turning red in rage.
"The only thing I regret is not killing you sooner," Freya said pointing her wand at Roman with a blank expression. Freya regretted not going after Roman after the third trial when he had killed Alicia. She could have easily snuck into the Hufflepuff common room and ended it all but she had made the decision not to interfere. Freya could have even sent Rebecca after him – she knew how much Rebecca hated Roman so Freya knew she wouldn't have minded that task.
Instantly, Roman stopped dead in his place, "You're going to kill me?" He questioned, fear dancing his eyes.
"That's the plan," Freya said bluntly.
"You can't kill me!" Roman protested loudly, "My father will have your head!" He grinned as if he had won the battle. It appeared as though he didn't understand his position at the moment and thought he could gain the upper hand.
Freya arched a brow at him. "Quite frankly, I don't give a shit who your father is. You try and kill me and I will kill you," She hissed lowly, her stormy grey eyes glaring at him. He had been an annoyance to her and the other Guardians. Others had expressed their dislike for the Durmstrang boy and Freya was inclined to agree with them.
Roman's eyes widened.
"Accio wand." Freya pointed her wand near Roman. Roman's wand shot up from the ground and was propelled into Freya's open hand. Now that his wand was in her hand, Freya brought her other hand to Roman's wand and snapped it in half. Freya then threw the broken wand at Roman with a void expression even though she felt smug. Snapping his wand in front of him had brought her a sense of satisfaction and it made her ego purr.
"No!" Roman cried out as he began to struggle once more. He looked at his wand in horror and anguish.
Satisfied with his reaction, Freya pointed her wand at him. "Avada Kedavra." A green jet of light shot out from Freya's wand as it hit Roman in the chest. Freya watched as Roman's head fell limp to the ground and as all movement stopped. Freya watched him for a few moments before walking closer to him. Freya walked over to his outstretched hand, the one that held her pendant. She grabbed it from his limp hand and pocketed it. While she was at it, she also grabbed her knife that she had stabbed him with and placed it back into her boot. It had a no-stick charm on the metal so there was no blood whatsoever.
Standing back up, Freya pointed her wand at a nearby tree. "Diffindo." The tree which she pointed at was cut into pieces, falling to the ground with a loud crash. Happy, Freya put her wand away. When her father was teaching her to use the Unforgivable Curses, he had advised her to get rid of any evidence. Rupert had instructed her to conceal what she had done by using another spell so if her wand was ever checked, they would never know that she had used the Unforgivable Curses. For a more effective result, it would be better to use a duelling spell to make it more believable.
Freya began walking in the direction that Albus and Ivan went off too.
HARRY POTTER
Freya found that there was another two Portkeys, one for her and the other for Roman. Freya arrived back on the ground of Hogwarts and found that everyone was looking at her. Freya landed on her feet, feeling a little dizzy from using the Portkey but she just felt a sense of relief to be back in Hogwarts. The moment she landed on the ground, everyone around her began to cheer – the people of Hogwarts shouting in happiness that they had won the Triwizard Tournament.
"And Hogwarts are the winners!" Harry announced with a small smile.
Vladimir glared and huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Most students from Durmstrang were not happy, all following in the actions of their Headmaster. Renée clapped slowly, smirking in the direction of Vladimir, smug that they had not won. McGonagall was smiling, proud that her students had won the tournament and were glad it was all over.
Cordelia, Ryan and Rebecca ran over to her, "You won!" Cordelia cheered, throwing her arms around Freya and hugged her.
Freya tensed slightly, but she found the hug wasn't as bad as it used to be.
Realising what she had done, Cordelia pulled herself off Freya, her cheeks flushed red, "I-I am so sorry!" She cried out in horror. Cordelia couldn't believe what she had just done. She knew how much Freya despised being touched by people.
"I'm glad your back," Ryan said, smiling at Freya in relief. He had been worried when he didn't see Freya come back with Albus.
"Thank you so much, you really did protect Albus," Rebecca said with admiration in her eyes.
Freya nodded her head and smirked, "Well don't ever ask me to do it again." She said with humour in her tone. Freya felt happy that it was all over and she could go back to having some peace. All Freya wanted at that moment was to lay down and sleep for a week.
Cordelia, Rebecca and Ryan all stared at her in shock, did she just crack a joke?
Freya looked around and spotted James, he was in the Gryffindor crowd and was celebrating Albus' win. Fred had thrown Albus up and people were carrying him, throwing him up in the air. James turned around and smiled at Freya with a huge smile. Freya nearly smiled back but she held herself back and just nodded her head at him. Turning back to the other Guardians, Freya reached into her pocket and took out a handful of Celestial Crystals, "Take these," Freya said, handing one each to them and dumped the rest with Cordelia. She knew she needed to act fast as she saw Lance start to walk over to them.
Rebecca looked at the crystals in awe, "What are these?" She asked, looking at Freya with wide and curious eyes. She had never seen anything like these before.
"They're Celestial Crystals. Research it and hand it out to other Guardians who you trust," Freya instructed quickly before motioning them to hide their crystals.
Cordelia, Ryan and Rebecca did as she asked without question. They all made a mental note to do as Freya suggested.
Just then, Lance appeared beside them. "Leave," Lance said, looking at Cordelia, Rebecca and Ryan as he said this. His jaw was clenched and he appeared irritated. He usually wasn't this blunt when in public as he wanted to keep up appearances, but that was different today.
Without another word, Ryan, Cordelia and Rebecca left, their gaze trained on the ground.
"First, I would like to congratulate you on winning the Triwizard Tournament and protecting Albus Potter," Lance said now they were alone, his hands behind his back.
Freya nodded her head, "Thank you,"
Lance continued to speak, his face void of any emotion. "You have always been loyal to me and my best Guardian."
Freya nodded her head again, not knowing where he was going with this.
"And that's why it pains me to ask," Lance said closing his eyes for a moment as though he was in actual pain. But then he opened them again, his blue eyes piercing. "Where is your pendant?"
Freya's eyes widened. Her pendant had been ripped off by Roman in their duel and she hadn't put it back on. Lance would have received a signal that Freya took off her pendant the moment Roman tore it off her neck. It was still in her pocket but she had forgotten to put it back on with everything that had happened. "It was pulled off in a duel, sir," Freya answered him honestly.
Lance's lips thinned, "And your relations with James Potter?" He asked, a sneer in his tone.
Freya's heart nearly stopped. It felt like all the blood in her body had turned to ice. There was no way that he had figured out what she was doing with James as they had been extremely careful. There was no way for him to suspect her of anything.
Lance stared at her, his fists turning white with how hard he was clenching them. "Freya Williams, you're under arrest for breaking the rules of being a Guardian." Lance waved his wand and a pair of magic draining cuffs appeared in his hand. Lance stepped behind Freya and put the cuffs on her, intending to take her away to a place with no prying eyes.
Freya bit the inside of her mouth as she felt the cuffs stop her magic. Freya found it very tempting to reach into her boot and stab Lance there and then but she resisted. Instead, Freya looked around and spotted James.
James turned around just in time to see what was going on. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the cuffs go on Freya. He looked her in the eyes, worry evident as he didn't know what was going on but he knew it wasn't good because of how angry Lance looked.
Freya stared at James and knew it was now or never. If she didn't do something, then Lance would take her away and she would be killed and then replaced. Summoning her courage, she and mouthed to James, 'I give you permission.'
HARRY POTTER
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