A/N: Hello, people!
I don't own Harry Potter,
I have no beta.
ENJOY!
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON. I FOLLOW BACK.
Δ = Arachnetongue is the language of all arachnids(that includes scorpions and solifugae apparently).
-This chapter is effin huge! And I mean the entire chapter is about the Fiifh Task. It somehow became a lot larger than I thought it would be. I don't know what happened. I felt that putting anything else in would be too much, but I slipped a lot of stuff in here, between and during matches.
-Times are changing and hopefully people are changing with them.
-The Hermione and Harry thing is finally addressed! A lot of people felt that their friendship wasn't strong enough to be best friends, and there was a reason. From this chapter onward, they will get better. Need character growth after all.
-We're getting closer to Task Six, which a lot of people are excited for because, Nagini! This also brings us closer to Task Seven, which I think is my fav.
It was the first of April, which was when then Fifth Task would be taking place.
Harry was as prepared as he could be. He'd special ordered dragon-hide battle robes. Normally, Harry would have been perfectly fine with just some trousers and a pull-over, but unfortunately, he was playing to win, which meant that he could not get hurt much.
Dragon-hide was especially magic resistant, so anything short of the worst cutting curses or explosive curses, would not have an affect on him.
Still, the robes had cost enough money and he had been assured that the hide came from a dragon that had died in a fight with another dragon, while she was guarding her nest. Harry would never be able to purchase clothing that was made from an animal or creature that was slain for sport or humor.
Five hundred Galleons even and they better be worth it. A Ukrainian Ironbelly was supposed to have the toughest hide among the dragon species. The metallic sheen on the silver scales made it resemble armour more than cloth that had been finely crafted from dragon scales and a underbelly.
It was deceptively smooth in texture, but when he tried to stab it with a dagger that Sirius had given him, the sound of metal meeting metal broke through the room.
Fire and water-proof. Impervious to particular levels of magic. Resistant to dangerous substances, like acid. Charmed to keep the cool even as the person wearing them is battling. Anti-Summoning charms added for good measure, because he had learned from past mistakes.
Harry had not wasted any expenses. In terms of defence, he was prepared.
As for offense, the only people he truly worried about facing, were Hermione and that LeFay woman. LeFay was a wild card who was well known for her prowess in Dark Arts. While Harry was good with them, he didn't have her decades of knowledge.
Hermione was almost on par with him in terms of dueling, so when facing someone who had nearly beat him in the past, and who knew his fighting style, of course he would be wary.
As for the rest of the competitors, he wasn't all too worried. So long was he didn't have to face Hermione or LeFay, he was golden.
Voldemort gazed out at the large platform that he had laboured tirelessly to create. For this Task, the dueling would be taking place in the center of the Black Lake, and if that wasn't bad enough, the platform floated.
Meaning that it would be moving constantly throughout the duels, and that should too much weight be added to a side, then it could capsize.
Also, Voldemort wasn't going to fix any damage done to the platform, meaning that should it be destroyed or broken apart, the competitors would simply have to make do on their own.
It was a devious thing, but he was the Dark Lord and devious was a part of his very being.
Large stands had been erected from the stone beneath the lake, giving a stadium effect, despite being surrounded by water.
Looking out at the large line of contestants, he spotted Harry Potter easily, and took note of how the boy was eyeing the LeFay Heiress with obvious worry.
Well, as far as Voldemort was concerned, they would not be facing each other first. Yet. If they ended up battling it out later, then there was nothing he could do about it.
Also, the teen looked good in his robes. His very form-fitting robes.
"Welcome to the Fifth Task!" he announced, using the Sonorous Charm to project his voice.
The competitors stood at attention, waiting to be informed of their duties.
"As you all know, you'll be dueling for a spot in the semi-final Task. There are only five positions available, so I implore you to work diligently to ensure yourself a spot in the top five.
Passing will be determined on different demands each round. There are three Rounds altogether."
Waving a wand, the magical scoreboard for each round, appeared several yards above the dueling platform, floating and rotating slowly so that all may see it.
Round One: Speed
Round Two: Agility
Round Three: Ability
"You will be given five minutes for the Round One matches. If neither opponent is down by the time the duel ends, both will be disqualified. If anyone falls into the water, they will be disqualified. If anyone tries to kill their opponent," Voldemort paused in order to glare in Reginald's direction, "they will be disqualified."
The competitors didn't seem as shocked now. After springing so many surprises on them through the entire tournament, they were getting used to him switching things around, or adding strange rules.
"In Round Two, you may not remain in the same place. You must always be moving. If you stop for anything, you will be disqualified. Fall into the water and you will be disqualified. Try to kill your opponent, and you'll be disqualified."
That seemed to make them angry. He almost cackled with devilish glee. He was horrible, it was bloody brilliant! And that wasn't even all he had planned for.
"Finally, Round Three allows for as much time as the duelers need, but they must showcase their abilities in this particular Round. And they cannot fall into the water, lest they be disqualified. Nor can they kill their opponent for the same reason previously stated."
Granger bounced where she stood, looking ready to take down anyone who got in her way. No one else seemed to be as excited, though LeFay was smirking, obviously feeling confident in her skills. And to be honest, in terms of power, she was one of the ones to watch out for. Moriah Zabini was another who seemed confident.
Though surely Harry would be more inventive than either of them were.
Voldemort waved his wand once more, erecting an expanded blackboard that listed the duels and the order of how they would be fought.
It took all of three seconds before a horrified, "WHAT?!" rent the air.
"I apologise," Voldemort purred, though he wasn't sorry in the least. "I forgot to mention that because one of the competitors is currently missing, there is an uneven number of duelers, so I decided to just rearrange the matches. But that should be nothing concerning for you. After all, life does sometimes throw a hard one at us and we must switch our plans in the heat of the moment."
Yes, Voldemort had completely rearranged the matches, though he had planned to do it before the Hufflepuff broke the law.
The new list was as follows:
1. Harry Potter vs George Weasley
2. Draco Malfoy vs Hermione Granger
3. Vitra LeFay vs Morgan Piercon
4. Amadea Flint vs Marcus Belby
5. Moriah Zabini vs Penelope Mendle
6. Reginald No-Name vs Aria McGee
7. Horace Avery vs Marianna Pillyfackle
8. Roger Davies vs Claire Beaumont
9. Waldo Macnair vs Wilhelmina Morgan
10. Chang Cho vs Inez Hemingway
11. Millicent Skeeter vs Antoinette Hopkins
12. Charity Burbage vs Garnelle Tuft
13. Perenelle Pavlo vs Svetomir Gorgovitch
14. Cassiopea Rookwood vs Vashti Smythe
15. Septima Vector vs Oliver Wood
16. Ifrah Pince vs Assefa Mohamed
17. Roland Hooch vs Inam Rourke
18. Karasawa Matsuri vs Luke Brandon
19. Evander Harris vs Dirk Cresswell vs Terry Boot
Voldemort waved his wand, and the walkway the competitors were standing on, suddenly divided into thirty-nine sections.
Harry Potter and George Weasley were levitated onto the stone platform, an equal distance apart.
"When I shoot red sparks into the air, it is a signal to start. When I use green, it is a signal to stop. Tempus will be working to keep your time, and remember, you need to win and you need to do it quickly. And if you destroy the platform, no one here will repair it for you."
A cheer erupted from the gathered spectators. Voldemort allowed them their moment of excitement, before beginning the Round.
How would Harry fare against his friend?
The Consort Tournament
Task Five: Dueling
ROUND ONE:
Match 1: Harry Potter vs George Weasley
Harry and George waited. Harry's stance light and unaffected. George wasn't the same. While older and more experienced, he was not a better dueler than Harry was.
He would have to be crafty somehow.
The red sparks flashed and Harry's wand lifted, quicker than a whip. George threw up a hasty shield charm, but nothing happened.
When the charm fell after a moment of nothing happening, something hard hit him in the chest and he was knocked off the platform and directly into the water.
A Knockback Jinx. Harry had beaten him with a Knockback Jinx. That was so unfair!
"Winner: Harry Potter!"
"Sorry, mate!"
Time: 4:37/5:00
Match 2: Draco Malfoy vs Hermione Granger
Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger hadn't ever spent enough time around each other to really build up an opinion of the other.
From what Draco knew, Granger had an inferiority complex, which was what lead her to being a library hound. She felt compelled to prove that Muggleborns were just as capable as Purebloods were. And judging by how she held the top position in their year in almost every subject except Defence, he had to agree.
Although there were Purebloods who were weak and foolish, just like there were Muggleborns and Halfbloods. Draco was personally of the opinion that people were stupid and weak because their parents didn't give them the proper attention while they were growing up.
From what he had heard, Granger's parents were supportive of her from the very beginning. Granger was supposed to attend a prestigious Muggle school, but her accidental magic had alerted the Ministry and Draco's own mother was sent to introduce the family to magic.
Seven year old Hermione Granger was thenceforth enrolled into Magus, the recently created magical primary school of Great Britain and Ireland. Ever since their years in primary, Granger had been at the very top of everything, and her parents had come to every gathering they could.
Draco was shocked to learn from his mother, whom had spoken with Granger's parents - and she had to as she was Headmistress - that Muggles had actually gone and bought books for themselves, to educate themselves on the Wizarding World. And that his mother was actually able to have an intelligent discussion with the two, who put in great effort to understand a world they weren't truly a part of.
Draco hadn't really any opinion of anything until then. Other than being jealous that there were other children who were smarter than him, he hadn't really considered anything beyond the magical section of the country.
But then he was opened up to considering more than just Magical Britain. More than his small circle of friends and family.
Granger was terrifying. She was obsessed with books, and Dark Magic, and was not interested in doing things girls usually preferred to do.
Draco had been beaten by her three times and had only beaten her twice, meaning he was either going to get another beating, or somehow manage to even the playing field between them.
The red sparks flew and Draco had to pull up his strongest shield because Granger was starting off with a Dark Curse!
It was supposed to work like the Body-Bind, but with pain. Draco did not like pain. Draco did not want pain.
Wherever Granger had been learning her Dark Arts, had certainly improved her resistance to the addictive qualities. And may the person who taught her to use torture curses off the mark, rot in hell!
He dove to the side and tried a Cruciatus, that bounced off her clothing. Merlin, he didn't want to know what kind of spells she had done in order to virtually protect herself from pain. Either she wasn't affected at all, or she'd done a ritual. He kind of hoped it was the latter.
Being so used to pain that she shook off a minor Cruciatus, was even more terrifying than magically enhanced clothing or extremities.
Damn her trainer!
And she was casting silently too!
He stepped back, avoiding an expulsor that he did not want to be anywhere near.
Twirling his wand, he summoned a serpent that slithered across the distance between them. As Granger focused on the creature that could wrap itself around her and crush her bones, Draco decided to mimic Potter's victory.
But Granger disappeared!
She Apparated! Almost silently!
He hadn't even considered that!
Throwing up a shield, he looked around, wondering just where she would appear.
A low pop at his left had him flinching back. Without giving it much thought, he too Apparated, but to Granger's other side.
And without even a blink, she repeated the action, once again appearing at his left.
Cursing, Draco Apparated again and found himself suddenly freezing. A few seconds of consideration allowed him to realise that she had backed him up so to speak and then forced him to Apparate himself into the water.
Damn.
Not fair!
Looking up at the brunette who was smirking down at him, he could see the obvious dilation in her eyes, the hazel nearly being eclipsed. Her thick hair sparked here and there and was slowly rising to defy gravity.
And unconsciously, Draco murmured, "Wow."
She was gorgeous.
"Winner: Hermione Granger!" the Dark Lord's voice rang out, breaking off Draco's thoughts and making him flush at the realisation that he'd just been staring at Granger like she was the second Merlin.
Not cool.
Time: 3:45/5:00
Match 3: Vitra LeFay vs Morgan Piercon
Vitra didn't even blink when the Dark Lord began her match. She had already planned her attack strategy, which was to overwhelm her opponent as quickly as possible.
Not even bothering with her wand, the woman lifted an elegant hand, and curled her fingers inward. Immediately, the young man who was her opponent, was brought to his knees under a crushing weight.
Basically, she was manipulating the element of air, forcing him to his knees with the unsuspecting attack. The air swirled around him in a tornado of whipping wind, cutting off the flow of oxygen and making it even harder to breathe.
A few seconds of grasping at his throat, saw Morgan Piercon fainting.
That was quick.
"Winner: Vitra LeFay!"
Time: 4:42/5:00
The crowd, which had formerly been cheering for the prior match, had remained silent throughout this one, watching in horror.
Vitra did not withhold her smirk. It was always so fun to terrify the people.
Match 4: Amadea Flint vs Marcus Belby
Within seconds, Amadea had completely knocked Belby out without so much as an apology. He had to be taken to the Medical Tent at the edge of the lake.
"Winner: Amadea Flint!"
Time: 4:55/5:00
Match 5: Moriah Zabini vs Penelope Mendle
Harry leaned into Hermione and asked, "Isn't that Blaise's mum?"
The witch nodded. "The Black Widow."
Harry snorted. "If she thinks she'll be able to kill Voldemort like all of her former husbands, she's got a harsh lesson coming to her."
Hermione sent him a dark look, eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Nothing," the witch mumbled, turning to watch the match.
Ms. Zabini had just Imperiused her opponent to go for a swim.
She was declared the winner immediately.
Time: 4:23/5:00
Match 6: Reginald No-Name vs Aria McGee
Harry couldn't help but snort when Reginald formerly-known-as-DuBois glared heavily at the Dark Lord when his name was announced. Voldemort smirked the entire time, and Harry was so close to laughing aloud.
Whatever he had done to make his family disown him, had to have been bad.
Reginald knocked McGee unconscious in a non too pleasant manner. His bad mood affecting his magic and nearly ripping the woman's leg off in the process.
"I hope I get to fight him," said Hermione darkly.
Harry shivered. There had been a significant change in Hermione and her controlling her addiction had not made the change a pleasant one.
Time: 3:47/5:00
Voldemort smirked at the times and victories. The remaining contestants would now have to be arranged once more, but he was going to do it by best time.
Harry Potter 4:37
Hermione Granger 3:45
Vitra LeFay 4:42
Amadea Flint 4:55
Moriah Zabini 4:23
Reginald No-Name 3:47
Marianna Pillyfackle 2:21
Claire Beaumont 4:31
Waldo Macnair 4:02
Inez Hemingway 4:17
Charity Burbage 3:12
Svetomir Gorgovitch 1:13
Vashti Smythe 4:10
Septima Vector 2:15
Assefa Mohamed 4:50
Inam Rourke 4:31
Karasawa Matsuri 3:21
Terry Boot 3:02
He would put those with similar times, against each other. Because he was the Dark Lord and could do as he pleased.
"The Second Round will begin momentarily!" he announced, waving his wand so the new matches could be added to the new scoreboard.
1. Harry Potter vs Vitra Lefay
2. Hermione Granger va Reginald No-Name
3. Amadea Flint va Assefa Mohamed
4. Moriah Zabini vs Inez Hemingway
5. Marianna Pillyfackle vs Septima Vector
6. Claire Beaumont vs Inam Rourke
7. Waldo Macnair vs Vashti Smythe
8. Charity Burbage vs Karasawa Matsuri
9. Svetomir Gorgovitch vs Terry Boot
"The remaining ten will advance to the final round. May fortune favour you all."
The Consort Tournament
Task Five: Dueling
ROUND TWO:
Match 1: Harry Potter vs Vitra Lefay
Harry was not happy. The one that he hadn't wanted to fight, was the one he got, while Hermione got to have the one she wanted? Where was the fairness in this?
At least she could deal with No-Name in return for him trying to torture her in the second task. At least something good came out of it.
This task would be difficult. They had to constantly be in motion, meaning they couldn't stand in the same place, or try to hide. And since they were out in the open, how were they going to go about their duel without falling into the water of overturning the platform?
His heart sank when LeFay removed one of her earrings and enlarged it, revealing a broomstick.
They hadn't even made it to the platform yet and she was already ahead of him in terms of planning.
He didn't have a broom, and if he tried summoning a school one, he'd probably summon all of them by accident.
He couldn't fly solo yet. That wasn't something he planned on mastering until he was out of school.
That meant that he would need an aid of his own, if he didn't want to be a sitting duck for LeFay to assault.
Lifting his wand to his throat, he cast the Sonorous Charm and then called out, τLuxra!τ
She was one of the adults of the Thestral herd, and also one of the few who allowed him to get near, let alone ride. She was Nox's mother. And once again, his naming capabilities really weren't all that great.
Ignoring the odd looks he received from the spectators and LeFay herself, Harry hopped onto the platform and waited for Voldemort to begin the match.
A few seconds later, the red sparks appeared and Harry didn't even need to start running for he had to dodge LeFay's suddenly barrage of attacks.
Suddenly, he was thankful for those summer classes in Karate. No, he didn't have more than a first-degree Brown Belt, but it had totally prepared him. Even Aurors weren't put through physical fitness. Karate had taught him better self-control and had helped him become limber. That was why he was so agile and nimble in duels. And why he rarely panicked.
In the distance, he could see Luxra's dark form flying toward the platform. A few hundred yards at most.
Harry returned fire without preamble, sending a Patronus toward the witch.
The Phoenix erupted from the tip of his wand and gave a loud screech, flying right into LeFay's broom and nearly knocking the woman off. She hadn't bothered to move, assuming that it was just a distraction. If only people bothered to study the depths of spell-work before learning them, they would know the full capabilities of the spells they used.
Harry was still running, rounding the one corner of the platform that wobbled slightly under his weight.
Luxra swooped down with a mighty cry, and Harry leaped off the platform and onto her back.
The crowd screamed in shock, most of them unable to see just what his plan was. But that was fine, for he now he and his opponent were on even ground, so to speak.
"Smart," LeFay said once she righted herself, her dark hair having come out of her bun.
"I know," the teen smirked, sending a Knockback Jinx her way.
She swerved to dodge it, and lashed out at him with a Bone-Breaker.
Luxra ascended into the clouds, LeFay following them closely. She was using a Lightning Bolt, which was the most recent, state of the art racing broom available. Despite it being in its own class, Luxra was still the better flyer.
The Thestral curved up and then arched around until they were directly behind LeFay and her broom.
Harry sent out an obvious curse he had learned from Rigel, who had learned in from Draco, who had learned it from Snape.
She dropped into a steep dive to avoid it, and Luxra followed.
Harry, unable to help himself, cast another spell, except this one wasn't meant to cause pain or hurt in any way. But it would immobilise her.
Cavea Emendo.
It wouldn't kill her… immediately. If not at all.
The rib cage was meant to protect the body's most vital organs, and vanishing it suddenly would drastically shift everything in her torso. And he did mean everything.
The organs would be vulnerable, her breasts would cave in, and most likely, her spine - having lost its main support base - would either collapse or contort into a shape far too difficult to fix with only one Medi-Witch and her Apprentice.
It was a pretty dangerous thing to do, but Harry wanted to get this over with, and as she was a well known Dark Arts practitioner, he didn't want to even imagine just what she was capable of. Not now or ever!
He could hear the moment the spell hit, because LeFay suddenly flattened against her broom and then fell over the front.
With a curse, Harry summoned the broom and cast, "Arresto Momentum!"
LeFay's descent slowed down considerably, but not enough to prevent her from getting hurt.
τFaster, Luxra!τ
τOf course!τ
Luxra's wings flattened against her body and their speed increased, LeFay's body coming closer and closer. Harry cast the same charm to slow her down enough for him to petrify her.
The stiffness of her body would prevent the organs or remaining bones from breaking or being jostled too much.
Harry was a creative thinker and sometimes a little devious, but he didn't want to kill the woman.
Carefully, he latched onto her shirt and hauled her stiff form over his lap.
Luxra took that as the okay to land then, coming to a sudden halt in the center of the platform.
τThank you,τ Harry murmured, levitating LeFay's body so that he could use his free hand to pat the Thestral's nose.
She snuffled and shook her head. τMy pleasure. But you must bring the herd some red meat in return, Speaker.τ
τWill do.τ
"Winner: Harry Potter!"
Voldemort appeared before him in a plume of dark smoke, looking over LeFay's frozen form.
"What did you do?" he asked, his voice echoing across the water.
"I vanished her rib cage," he said, voice also echoing.
The cheering that had started because of his victory, died down instantly.
To think about it, it was kind of disgusting to consider.
"Impressive," Voldemort smirked. "And in eleven minutes as well. Congratulations."
Harry levitated LeFay across the water and into the Medical Tent that had been set up on the edge of the lake. Madam Pomfrey looked displeased, and he knew that by doing such a thing and making more work for her, he had just made more work for himself later on.
And he didn't want to do whatever her evil mind came up with! He was too innocent for that! Far too sweet to subject to such horrors!
Time: 11:21
It was going to be the bed pans again. He just knew it!
Match 2: Hermioen Granger vs Reginald No-Name
Hermione's grin was best described as demented. She had wanted to get the moron back for targeting her best friend and then thinking that he could go after her and other people.
This was the perfect opportunity to do so, without getting herself into legal trouble.
Hermione did not step off of her floating platform, and instead took control of it with her own magic. Reaching down, she placed a hand on the wood and slowly, more wood began to grow until it was covering her feet and locking her in place.
It would be just like snowboarding when she went on holiday with her parents.
No-Name hadn't seemed to think of anything yet. He was just moving back and forth, as if that would save him.
The red sparks flew and Hermione's improvised board launched her toward her opponent.
Reginald ducked and sent a Stunner in her direction.
Gripping the edge of the board, Hermione tilted herself to the side, effectively rolling several times. In retaliation, she blasted the main platform with a Reductor.
The stone cracked in the center, the smaller cracks spreading across to the edges. With a smirk, she threw more curses of similar nature, at the vulnerable crack and with a groan, the platform fell apart.
No-Name almost fell into the water, but Hermione was faster, levitating him with one hand and disarming him with her wand.
Bellatrix's instruction had helped her hone certain skills. Like levitation. Bellatrix was a fan of meditation under duress. Keeping your focus and calm while being tortured or annoyed. Hermione was getting better and better at it, and as such, her magic was the most tamed it had ever been.
And Hermione was not done with her opponent just yet.
He was an enemy. He had planned on killing Harry. He tried to hurt her. That meant that it was perfectly okay to hurt him in return.
She tossed his claimed wand into the lake and deposited No-Name on one of the larger pieces of platform. Her board moving slowly to close the distance between them.
The man must have had a brain in there somewhere, because he immediately tried to jump into the water, but a well placed shield had him bouncing off and slamming into the stone.
Lifting her hand, she made sure that he was several feet above the stone, before slamming him down.
All the while, her board rotated around him slowly, her way of rubbing her incoming victory in his face. A sort of taunt, letting him know that there was no escape for him.
And as the Dark Lord wasn't ending the match yet, she was free to do whatever she wanted, so long as he didn't die.
No-Name had taken her brief lapse as a chance for escape, and he transformed into an Abraxan and flew off into the sky.
Gritting her teeth in annoyance, the witch gave chase. Her board wasn't as powerful as his wings, but she still had a wand and it was incredibly difficult to cast magic while in one's Animagus form, that was a definite fact.
Without mercy, Hermione's wand lashed out in a wide slashing motion, with only a small flash of light to let her know that the curse actually worked.
The pristine white of the Abraxan's right wing, was suddenly marred with red. Sectumsempra was very much like a sword in movement and she had nearly severed the wing from the body, which meant she had almost taken away No-Name's arm.
With the limb now hanging limp, the beast began to fall, unable to hold itself up.
A sound traveled across the water then, letting her know that the match was now considered over. "Winner: Hermione Granger!"
The witch ceased her pursuit of her opponent. Unlike Harry, she wasn't kind enough to save her opponent from dying and caving their own body in.
Despite being very singular in his desires, there was still a bit of mercy somewhere in there. While people weren't his thing, he still wouldn't leave someone to suffer unless he really didn't like them and even then it would take a lot for him to seek revenge.
Someone would fetch No-Name.
Time: 13:30
"Did little Hermione Granger do what I think she just did?" Remus murmured to Lily.
Lily was staring in open-mouthed shock.
She couldn't help it! The children that she had seen grow up were changing! Harry was showing his true colours all the time. And now Hermione was changing too!
"How did she get such good control over Dark Magic though?" was Sirius' question. "She had to have a tutor to be able to accomplish that. Especially if her Imperius from the Second Task was almost too much for her to handle."
A good point.
Lily watched as someone fished the former-DuBois out of the lake. Hermione had just left him to drown, and had even taken his wand and cast it aside.
Times were changing. People were changing. Everything was changing around them.
And what would happen if they didn't change as well?
"Mione, you ruined the entire platform!"
Harry huffed when all his friend did was shrug. "Mione, how are the rest of the matches going happen if there is nowhere for them to take place?"
"I guess some people are just going to fail then."
Harry groaned and began to think of how he was going to do this. He didn't want to have to fly the whole time, nor did he want to be up in the air at all.
Of course the best action was to make a new platform, but as Voldemort had previously stated, he wasn't going to be repairing anything, so if the platform was ruined, they'd have to make do. The best would be to either summon a large enough piece of rock, or possible freeze the lake over.
Harry knew several freezing charms and curses, but they came more along the lines of sending spears of ice at his opponent, or freezing them in ice.
So he might have to stick with Runes, which was annoying because he had hoped to avoid having to use them at all.
Runes took time and energy much faster than spells did. It was why his go to thing was evasion first and fighting second. Like how he usually let his opponents attack first, so that he could gauge how best to deal with them while expending little effort.
Sitting back, Harry pulled a Rune carver form his bag and began to very carefully carve the necessary Runes into his arm. As it was a connecting Runic Ritual, the object he would be using, would need to be connected to his magical output in order to continue working.
Harry was going to do what his mum had done to the Hufflepuff.
He silently summoned a stone from the lake and proceeded to carve the opposite Runes into the surface. As Lily Potter had created several of the Runes he was using, he didn't have to worry about others stealing them, because they wouldn't know the uses or effects if they tried.
Using a Rune that you knew nothing about, was the first way to get yourself killed. If anyone even tried to use them, when they didn't even know how to properly activate them, they'd blow up. It was a safe-guard Lily had put in to protect her life's work.
Harry ignored Hermione's calculating gaze and simply kept on.
Even as matches came and went, and victors were decided, he kept pouring his magic into the stone, until it turned a bright shade of blue, the Runes carved into the surface glowing white. It was ready to be used.
"There is no winner to the final match!" Voldemort announced.
The two friends looked out toward the water. It seemed that Terry Boot had lost alongside his opponent.
That meant that Harry's final match was closer.
He would win for certain so long as Hermione wasn't his opponent.
Voldemort gazed at the list of people who had passed. This made everything interesting. Especially since he hadn't specified just what the final Round would be.
He wasn't shocked that Harry had made it, though how he'd done it had sort of... unnerved him. And it rose many questions. Like why in the bloody hell could Harry Potter see Thestrals? What had happened for him to have seen a death and then internalised it long enough to comprehend it and see Thestrals?
And he had been so familiar with the creature too! Why was he on such a comfortable level with a creature that was viewed as an omen of death?
Besides that, he had been pleasantly surprised.
He had high hopes for Harry. Now that Vitra LeFay was out of the way, the only person he truly had to watch out for was Zabini. Everyone else would be nothing for the boy to handle.
Stepped forward, he waited for the attention to turn to him and for the chatting to die away.
"The Third Round will begin momentarily. This round is a little special, however."
And slowly, the faces of the ten remaining competitors, morphed into horror. Because he'd never suddenly added something during the middle of the other tasks. Merlin, did he love being an arse!
"This round will not consist of one on one battles, but instead, a battle royale. Your objective is not victory, but points. This is the only round we are scoring you on. You must demonstrate your magical ability while fighting to give yourself more time, to demonstrate your magical ability. We will be keeping points based on your performance."
Voldemort waved a hand to his Inner Circle Knights, who were seated behind him. "They will be scoring you out of ten points each. One hundred is the best score when the multiple points are then added together. The top five scores will move on to the Sixth Task."
The faces seemed to clear up a bit, but he wasn't having that.
"Of course if you foolishly get caught in a spell or trap, you will lose points."
And so died the complacency of the competitors!
He loved his job!
Their individual platforms shifted, and each stepped forward. Granger floated, simply because she had never relinquished hers.
When they were all a proper distance away from one another, Voldemort lifted his wand to the sky and set off the red sparks.
The third round began with Harry Potter dropped a Rune covered stone into the water, and slowly, his arm began to glow, the Runes drawn there, standing out against his flesh.
And when the lake began to freeze over, Voldemort knew that the final round would be interesting.
The Consort Tournament
Task Five: Dueling
ROUND THREE:
The final round had started, yet none of the competitors had moved besides Harry.
Harry eyed each and every one of them carefully. He'd expected to fight only one person, but now he had to rework his strategy. He'd just performed a powerful piece of magic, and could go several minutes before having to do so again.
Wands were drawn, and Harry made his decision immediately, changing forms and flying off before anyone could target him.
The smart thing to do, was wait until there weren't so many people left, and then rejoin the battle.
Harry was of the belief that working smart and not hard, was the best way to go, and as he flew around the stands and situated himself atop his mother's handbag, he knew he'd chosen well.
They wouldn't dare shoot anything toward the civilians and spectators because it might cause problems. Legal problems. So Harry was safe for the time being.
His mother's hand reached out to scratch the top of his ebony head. As a bird, his entire body was black, with a few brown spots on the wings, but the telling feature were his eyes, which were a startling green that glowed in the dark.
Harry didn't really know what breed of owl he was, since magicals didn't seem to care enough about animals beyond their uses. In fact, he would go so far as to say that he was of his own kind.
The battle was fierce, with Hermione taking on three at once and managing to defend her back as well. He felt bad for not helping her, but if she wasn't in the rest of the competition, he wouldn't have to worry about her. Besides, there was only one person, of the remaining seven competitors still able to fight, who might not like Muggleborns, and she hadn't made a moved toward Hermione at all.
Hermione had been receiving training lately. It showed in her movements and how she handled herself. Harry also recognised some of her maneuvers, and could rightly assume that Bellatrix Lestrange had given her some pointers, or had taken her on as an Apprentice.
No one grew in such a short amount of time unless their mentor was spectacular.
Hermione had just taken down one person with a very complicated Transfiguration spell that turned the person into something one tenth their size. She then sent the person-turned-cup flying into the water.
Already, several assistants were working to fish the cup out of the water before anything worse could happen to it.
Meanwhile, Harry sat by, getting a good rubbing while everyone else worked hard.
Sometimes it paid to be lazy.
Hermione was very unhappy. She didn't understand Harry at times. He said he didn't want to be in the tournament, but then entered. He gave next to no effort in any of the tasks, yet the Dark Lord seemed to find and follow him a lot.
It seemed that everything was a mass of contradictions. If he was really against the tournament, why didn't he let himself be disqualified?
And it still wasn't as if it he had done much, though what little bits he had shown from the beginning had certainly gotten him in good with others.
Harry was very blase about his own magical ability and didn't seem to think much of what he could do.
The problem was that Harry grew up with two Aurors, a Werewolf, and Runes Mistress, and their friends who were all of similar professions. Harry was used to seeing certain things on a near day to day basis, so the fact that he could do them probably didn't seem so amazing.
To everyone else, they were astronomical for Merlin's sake!
He'd used Runes to somehow freeze at least one hundred feet of the lake! There was enough power within his body to do something of that magnitude! It wasn't something to brush off. Especially since the pillar of ice was not moving, meaning it had to have frozen from the seabed, to the surface.
Harry had fled for the moment, but had started off with something big that would no doubt earn him many points.
And Hermione couldn't tell if he was trying to outdo everyone, or trying to fail.
He wasn't the kind to be easily predicted. She honestly didn't know.
But when he came back, she was totally kicking his arse!
"Potter fled!" Avery hissed.
Bellatrix cackled. "He didn't flee you moron, he's waiting for them to tire themselves out!"
"I concur," added Severus. "Potter is the type to work smart. He doesn't like confrontation if he can help it, and waiting for his opponents to do the work for him, is perfect in this instant."
"But if this were another situation, would this mentality benefit him?" Lucius Malfoy countered, eyes narrowed on the owl seated on his mother's handbag.
"This isn't another situation though," Severus pointed out. "A strategy for one situation will not work for another. We would have to place him in different scenarios in order to get a full understanding of just what he would do at different times."
Voldemort nodded. "Simulating an attempted kidnapping or hostage situation would have probably been a lot better, but I didn't want to spend more funds on this than was necessary."
Severus muffled a low snort. Their Lord had been the one to fund the entire venture and obviously he was a very frugal man. He was willing to spend time creating a tournament, but not the money.
Even Dark Lord's could be cheap.
"Ms. Granger is doing well," the Dark lord remarked. "Three on one is a difficult match for anyone of younger age."
Severus added two strokes to his points for the girl. Yes, he would know all about that. Granger was more put together than he had been though, and she had friends to keep her afloat. Multiple enemies at once was very difficult, even for experienced magicals to face.
There was something to be respected. But if Granger could handle Bellatrix for even a little while, then the three dunderheads she was facing should give her nothing to worry about.
"Zabini seems to have taken Potter's actions as an example. She too is waiting," Severus noted, crossing out a stroke for her.
Potter's plan was ingenious. Transfigure himself and hide among the spectators to protect himself. Zabini was just standing there, doing nothing. Her plan wasn't original, because someone had done it first, taking away the surprise.
"It's coming to a head!" Bellatrix breathed as Granger disarmed and blasted one of her opponents into the water, leaving the last for her to face, plus Zabini and Potter.
The rest of the Knights all leaned forward in anticipation.
Harry took wing immediately, diving toward the water at a speed formerly unknown to him.
Rarely did wizards gain control over an element. Harry was best aligned with water, due to his flexibility in both body, mind, spirit, and magic. He was not super skilled and certainly couldn't create large fixtures or tsunamis. That would take ages.
But he could manipulate large amounts to a point, and that was enough to him. So logn as he didn't try to shape it or anything.
His left wing just tipped into the water, and the liquid parted around the feathers. He angled his small body upward, and as if gravity was no longer in control, the water followed.
A flap of the wings brought him closer toward the icy pillar in the center of the stands, and mere feet off the surface, he angled his bottom end toward the ice and reversed his Transfiguration right there.
Arms flowing over his head from where they had been spread out as his wings, Harry forced the gathered water down. The entire stream of water slammed into Rourke - Hermione's final opponent - and sent the man careening across the ice and into the water without an ounce of mercy, just as Harry's feet landed perfectly.
And now it was just he, Mione, and Zabini.
Hermione had her wand up, facing him, and he pulled his own out, ready to handle her if need be. Zabini acted then, sending a silent curse Hermione's way.
Harry didn't know the effects of it, and summoned his best friend immediately, catching her sailing body in the process.
She glared at him. "I could have handled it!"
"You don't know what that does!" he countered.
"Of course I do. It was supposed to forced my entire body to twist into an unnatural shape that would most likely cause permanent bone damage."
Harry shoved both of them out of the way of another curse that wasn't verbalised.
"Did Bellatrix teach you that?" he asked, breathing a little rough as he sent a Blasting Hex toward their opponent.
"How did you know about that?" she demanded, mimicking his actions and destroying a good chunk of the ice around the older magical.
"It's obvious, though I had hoped you would tell me yourself."
"Well what about you and the Dark Lord?" she countered. "You always seem to be together!" she accused, looking mutinous.
"He's a twat with an unnatural obsession with me. I can't do anything about it. He always finds me and won't leave!" Harry whinged, because yes, it was annoying.
Before Hermione could give an answer, Zabini changed tactics.
And skin too.
Suddenly, the woman's body expanded and grew, patches of grey forming all over and grey hairs sprouting everywhere.
Harry was disgusted when her appendages grew longer, and then four more seemed to sprout out of her sides. Right before their eyes, Moriah Zabini became an Acromantula. And suddenly, everything was much worse.
"Black Widow suddenly has a whole new meaning."
"That bitch," Hermione murmured.
Harry took a step behind his friend, because he didn't like spiders all that much. And Hermione could totally handle spiders without a problem.
"Harry, if you don't get out here and fight her with me, I am going to be very cross."
With a frown, the younger brunet stepped out from behind his friend. Hermione getting 'cross' wasn't good for anyone.
"Fire?"
"Fire," she agreed.
Without even the blink of an eye, Hermione let loose a very unpleasant curse that Harry had not expected her to be able to control. But indeed, a flaming tiger had leapted forth from the tip of her wand and was stalking across the ice very slowly.
Harry could cast it as well, but he could only control a smaller version of it, and it was by the tutoring of Sirius that he was able to do it at all.
Yes, Sirius sometimes used Dark Magic, though he tried not to. It was like a secret addiction of his own, that everyone knew about but he liked to pretend that it was a secret.
Lifting his own wand, Harry actually had to verbally cast, "Fiendfyre!"
Alongside Hermione's tiger, came a phoenix.
The crowd gave the expected screams of amazement or fear. Seeing two seventeen years olds manipulating some of the most dangerous Elemental Magic was most likely a shock. And of course the danger of using such curses within such close quarters of other people, would probably terrify the spectators.
The tiger and phoenix surrounded the Acromantula, and the woman-turned-spider was no longer snapping at them with her pincers, but crouching low and wailing in response to the heat.
The fire phoenix's mouth opened and snapped the creature up.
The inhuman shrieking rang throughout the lake, and Harry could unfortunately understand every wailing plea as Moriah Zabini was carried off toward the open water, her body being burnt alive in the most gruesome way possible.
From Arachnetongue, the woman's screams translated to, ΔHelp! Oh Merlin, it hurts! It burns! Make it stop! End this! Kill me now! KILL ME!Δ
He withheld a wince, and felt marginally better when the phoenix dove into the water, being doused upon contact. Hopefully she would get the help she needed, because he didn't have time to feel bad, Hermione's tiger had just turned on him!
Fuck!
And now things got harder.
Voldemort couldn't help but lean forward in worry. The appropriate reaction when faced with Fiendfyre, was to flee. And scream, though it could ruin the fleeing part.
The fact was, Harry was not moving, though he looked absolutely horrified.
The massive fire feline's head lifted up to roar and a paw lashed out to slam down on the brunet with brutal efficiency. And all the while, the Potter Heir had not moved an inch.
The flaming paw came down, and suddenly, Potter's body exploded in a shower of what looked to be mist. In essence, it was more like raindrops had been frozen in the air and were moving about on their own.
The droplets of water separated and soared over the tiger's head, taking form near the other end of the ice platform and returning Harry Potter to his natural state.
As in, he'd just exploded into streams of water that had scattered and then gathered together again. A very unique form of Elemental Manipulation.
Casting a look in Severus' direction, he could see the man adding three strokes to his score for Harry. Bellatrix was right next to him, doing the very same. Not many people at the teen's age even knew what their affinity was or if they even had the ability to connect with an element. So it was refreshing to learn that some were interested in learning the basics at least.
Granger tried to knock her friend into the water by aiming a Blasting Curse as his feet. Potter Apparated on the spot, which in turn, had Granger Apparating in order to avoid whatever it was that he had planned in retaliation.
Potter had landed first and it took less than a second for him to spot his friend. Just as Granger's entire body appeared, Potter was quick to hit her with a silent curse.
It took Voldemort a few seconds to realise just what it was.
Granger had been brought to her knees suddenly and she struggled to push herself to her feet. As if a great weight had been placed on her shoulders. It was a particular spell, that was meant to be used on magical houses to prevent them from falling during earthquakes. Because Merlin forbid magicals build foundations any longer.
Voldemort had never thought to use such a thing on a person before, though he'd also never considered vanishing someone's rib cage either. Harry was just full of surprises.
As Granger struggled to move, Potter turned his attention to the diminishing flames of the tiger. It had shrunken in size very quickly, probably because Granger was unable to keep control over it for too long, so the magical output was dwindling.
Potter summoned a stream of water, normal spell-work for the average fifth year at Hogwarts. But that water morphed into a stream of ice shards that were launched at the tiger in mass amounts.
Steam rose upon contact, the heat from the fire and chill from the ice working together to mask the entire pillar from the gazes of the spectators who had gone silent in awe of the two teens' mastery at such young ages.
They all waited quietly, for something new to happen. Things were getting intense and-
"AH!"
With a wave of the wand, the steam was carried off by a gust of wind, letting Harry finally see his opponent. Or at least, what should have been his opponent. Except Hermione was nowhere to be seen.
He turned on his heel, wand raised and shield charm at the tip of his tongue.
He was shocked when Hermione's head popped out of the water, hair sticking to her head as she floated. She also looked ready to murder someone.
"I slipped," was her only response to his unasked question.
Right. They were standing on ice and neither had moved beyond Apparition.
"The Final Round is finished!" Voldemort announced, cutting through the tense atmosphere around the two duelists. "We will give the judges a few moments to deliberate."
Harry levitated his friend's form the cold water and deposited her by his side. "You okay, Mione?"
She huffed. "Yes. I had hoped that I could do more, but I guess this was okay."
Helping her to her feet, he couldn't help but add, "And you took on three people at once, for almost ten minutes. That has to count for something."
"And you sat on your sweet arse, doing nothing!"
"Why should I have to do extra work when others can do it for me?"
"Because, Harry, we were supposed to demonstrate our magical ability!"
"Actually, he only said 'ability'. Though magic was heavily implied, as well. I demonstrated strategy, so I think I did good."
Yes, he was the loophole master and Hermione hated it. And it was great!
"Sometimes I would like nothing more than to smack you."
Harry broke out the puppy eyes. "But I'm far too cute to smack."
"That makes me want to smack you even more, and twice as hard as originally desired."
Harry stared for a moment. "Would that mend whatever this rift is that appeared between us since the tournament started?"
And Hermione just stared. He'd managed to catch her off guard.
Harry wasn't always the most observant when it came to others, but he had noticed the changes in Hermione ever since the tournament had been announced. She used to be a lot more fun and easygoing. Now all she could think about was the tournament. She hadn't even begun her revising for the N.E.W.T.s!
Usually she hopped on major exam revision in February, but she'd been so overtaken by the tournament and Lestrange, that she just hadn't had the time anymore. No time for Hogsmeade, or sitting for dinner in the Great Hall. It was as if their small group of friends had drifted apart.
And yes, Harry adored Neville, Hannah, and Susan, and Luna of course, but without Mione, it was like they were missing a well-oiled wheel from their wagon.
It had been hard enough when Fred, George, and Lee had graduated, but the to add on the continuous drama from the tournament and their lives, and it seemed like there wasn't much time for them to just get together.
Hermione sputtered. "You've been busy too!" she accused.
"I'm studying for two Masteries, my N.E.W.T.s, this tournament, and I've been helping Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid, so yes, I've had a lot on my platter. But I still find time to spend without our friends on the weekends, or at meals. I could probably do better, but for the moment, I'm doing my best to juggle so much."
"If you have so much, why bother entering?"
"I didn't."
Her jaw dropped, and he nodded vigorously, pointing over to Voldemort, who was speaking with Snape and Lestrange. "That twat saw me use a non-verbal Patronus and entered me. I had warned you about signing your name without reading ahead, and I had to learn the hard way that he added 'special features' to the sign up sheets. Once signed, you can't get out of it, and he apparently has some ability to watch you once you sign it."
Hermione visibly recoiled, looking horrified. "'Watch'? What kind of 'watching'?"
Harry shrugged. "He didn't deem it important enough for me to know. He simply came in while I was whinging to Snape about getting me out of the tournament, and I ended up getting… Well, cheeky would be too tame to describe it, really."
A moment of silence passed, before the witch looked up at him through lowered lashes. "Why didn't you say anything from the beginning? You could have prevented the whole Dueling Club incident and the wrath of the school if you had just said something."
"No one asked," he stated simply. As her annoyed look, he continued, "I'm not one for volunteering personal information, you know. I shouldn't have to justify myself to anyone. It was blatantly obvious that I wasn't in this for real. I was against it from the beginning and then the reaction I had when my name was called. I think my mum knows the truth, though whether Snape told her or not has yet to be proven. It isn't like I've given this my all."
Hermione looked around, eyes landing on the ice. "If you weren't here willingly, why stay?"
"You."
"What?"
"He made mention of how there were some people who still didn't like Muggleborns and they might try something with you and if I was disqualified, I would lose the right to anything tournament related, meaning if something happened, I wouldn't have been able to prevent it."
"Oh, Harry-"
"Then DuBois happened. I'm sorry- No-Name, and I knew that I couldn't give up yet if he was so foolish to try something in the open. But then I was given this lovely idea, as Lord Twat Waffle kept following me everywhere. I should win the tournament and then publicly deny him in front of all of Great Britain. So that's my plan as revenge."
And for several moments, he and his best friend stared at one another.
The brunette sighed and looked away. "I saw how close you both seemed," she admitted. "I was jealous because you had said that you didn't care, but were suddenly in the tournament. And every time the two of you are within close quarters, you look so natural. Like a couple even."
It was Harry's turn to rear back in shock. He and Voldemort looked like a couple?!
"Yo do!" the witch insisted. "You may not realise it, but you smile a lot more, and sometimes you get that cute pout. Seriously, the flirting is almost extreme. And I was jealous over it, so I began to pull away."
She looked down. "And if I had just asked then I could have been the one to help you when MacDougal poisoned you with his poorly made potion! I'm sorry, Harry."
"Mione, even Voldemort couldn't save me from that, so don't beat yourself up over it. And part of this is my fault too. I have anxiety, and I constantly worry over whether I'm being irritating, or not, so I tried to give you space until you were ready. It didn't occur to me that we should just sit down and talk. I prefer it when people give me space, so I forgot that not everyone feels the way I do, and that it might look different from another's perspective.
"Mum is always telling me that I should consider others and their feelings first, before acting. I guess I was too late."
Hermione's answer was cut off by Voldemort, who called for the remaining ten competitors to meet on the ice.
"I would first like to congratulate you all. You all demonstrated just why you deserved to be in the top ten. However, only five will be moving on to the Sixth Task."
Voldemort cast a spell, and the blackboard holding the scores, was wiped clean. It was then replaced with new words. Names and scores, in that order.
Harry Potter 95/100
Hermione Granger 90/100
Moriah Zabini 87/100
Assefa Mohamed 83/100
Karasawa Matsuri 74/100
"You're in first," Hermione remarked.
Harry shrugged for the millionth time. "I'm good at dueling."
"Don't take this as a finality!" she warned. "Just because you intend to win doesn't mean anyone else here doesn't have the same intentions. I'm still going to try my hardest, and when I win, I'll smack him for you."
Harry snorted. "If you win, you mean."
"The Sixth Task will take place on the fifteenth of May, so prepare yourselves! Congratulations to the remaining five competitors."
"Potter can date my baby now!" Bellatrix squealed, arms open wide in celebration.
Severus, having taken noticed of something that apparently no one else had, turned the woman around and pointed in the direction of her son, who was seated in the stands, squashed between twin redheads. Redheads who were smirking brightly as their arms were wrapped around his shoulders. The boy was flushed.
"I don't think Potter is the one to watch out for."
"Weasleys?!"
A/N: Another is done!
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