Chapter 38: The Third Task
Friday 26th May 1995.
"Come on, Harry. She's going to beat you again." Sirius teased, firing off another spell as Harry fell to his knee under the continuous assault.
"You say that like it would motivate him, Padfoot. He'd probably just be too busy being proud of his girlfriend to be upset at all." Remus added, along with a spell of his own.
Harry tried to ignore the back and forth that the two remaining Marauders tended to tally between themselves to stave off the boredom of being the ones on the outside during this process. It was relatively easy to do as he was busy keeping his body from collapsing under the sustained weight of the effort.
His arm was burning intensely, not only from the constant flow of highly charged magic surging through it, but from being held extended for such a long period. Sweat flowed down his forehead, occasionally getting into his eyes and causing him to blink it away. Every muscle in his body was yelling out in pain from the effort required to keep this up.
He felt something new approaching the very edge of his magic and realized that the range of that ability had shortened considerably during the exercise.
"Black. Lupin. What are you doing?" Came the voice of Professor McGonagall from somewhere behind his godfather.
"Training," Sirius replied simply, firing off another stunner at the field Harry was projecting outwards.
"Training? Training what?" The professor asked again and Harry could hear her footsteps in the grass as she walked closer. "Mister Potter?"
Her voice seemed oddly confused at first, but Harry soon heard a wave of fiery anger in it instead.
"Stop. Stop this now. Look at the boy."
"He's fine Minerva," Remus replied, firing his own stunner at the shield Harry was still struggling to maintain.
"Fine?! Look at him. He's about to pass out." He heard her coming closer and finally felt the need to waste some of his remaining energy on speaking up.
"Don't worry, professor." He groaned out painfully. "I'm alright. I'm nearly there."
He glanced up at the girl seated just outside the range of his shield whose brown eyes sparkled at his comment. She nodded knowingly and shook the stopwatch in her hand, ensuring he could not see the hands on the front side. "Almost." She said plainly.
"Almost where, Miss Granger? What is going on here?" The professor demanded.
"Training," Sirius said simply once more.
"Explain now."
"It's stamina training, Minerva," Remus explained, at last, not stopping his carefully spaced assault on the shield. "Harry conjures the most powerful shield he can and we take turns attacking it. Stunners only, so that when it collapses, no actual harm befalls the one inside. And we see how long they can maintain it."
"Are you mad?" Professor McGonagall asked in disbelief. "Sustained magical draw like that is tremendously dangerous. What if he is unable to compete next month?"
Harry heard the concern in the professor's voice and he appreciated it, but he was determined to finally beat the Family's record. He was so close now, he could feel it. But he could also feel his energy waning. He would not be able to keep this up much longer.
"It is alright, professor. We've been doing this for years now." Hermione noted from in front of him. "And Harry is a bit of a glutton for punishment."
Harry's vision was blurring, but he could clearly picture the smug smile on his girlfriend's face at that comment and he focused himself inwards more, allowing those around him to drift away as he willed his body to last. She'd been holding that little trick over him for some time now and he needed to prove he could do just as well.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow this on school property. There are other students watching. If they try this, they could severely injure themselves." Professor McGonagall said and Harry could feel her raise her wand.
"No." He said firmly, flicking his wand in the direction of her voice, sending a disarming spell out through the field he was holding up, feeling the field lessen in strength around him as a result. "Don't interfere."
"Minerva. Please step back." He heard Nym's mother say, having apparently returned from the urgent task that had called her away from her own stint attacking the shield an hour earlier.
"Andi. Surely you don't encourage this?" The Professor pleaded.
"Min, I've been watching over Harry's health for the past five years. In that time he's taken this challenge nine times. He is always fine afterwards. Tired for a day or two, certainly, but he'll be back up and running in about a week tops."
"But…"
"Do you really believe I would allow those two to bring either of these children to harm? Nymphadora has taken the test three times herself. And I'm sure you've seen the benefits in her spellwork." Andromeda explained.
Harry heard movement to his side where the two women were talking, but he could no longer spare the energy needed to properly track the movement. Every one of his senses was retreating inwards under the sustained pressure and some were beginning to fail outright. But he could still see the brown eyes watching him and that was enough to keep his strength from failing entirely.
"Look at him. I have to stop this." Professor McGonagall said once more, now sounding as though she was a hundred yards away instead of a few feet.
"No." Harry sputtered. "I've got this. I am so close."
He heard Hermione sigh from in front of him before she spoke. "This test has a Family record of two hundred and seventeen minutes. Harry has been determined to beat it for a long time now. And my Harry can sure be stubborn when he puts his mind to it." She finished with a smirk.
Hearing her call him her Harry buoyed him slightly and allowed Harry to push past the wall he was dragging himself against for some time now. But he knew he wasn't going to be able to maintain this much longer. His body was drained, too tired to even protest anymore. And dark spots were beginning to form in his vision. His determination was the only thing in him that remained strong.
And yet, it would not be enough. He felt the crack form in his magic, on the side facing his godfather as it always did. Moments later, he felt Remus's spell tear through the wobbling fabric of his shield and he collapsed to the ground. Still awake, but utterly drained, Remus's spell having obviously gone wide.
He could hear voices around him, but none of them made any sense to his exhausted mind. He barely noticed soft arms pulling him up from the grass and tucking him against a chest that he knew should be familiar to him. Strong fingers swept through his hair and the blackness retreated ever so slowly. It seemed unconsciousness would not take him today.
"Congratulations, Harry." Hermione's voice came, softly breaking past the miasma of senselessness he was floating in. "You did it."
He could hear a tinge of mirth in her voice and he realized she must be talking about the record. "I… did it?" Harry tried to say but heard only slurred nonsense come out of his mouth.
Hermione gave a tinkling laugh in response and the sound sent a charge of energy into his body. It was that which allowed him to notice she was feeding him some of her own magic in a clear attempt to bring him back around. "Yes, Harry. You are the new Family record holder."
He gave her what he was sure was a dopey grin, his body still refusing to properly respond to his thoughts before he simply allowed himself to drift. The feeling of the arms about him and the magic slowly feeding into him from all sides were the only things he was truly aware of.
"Move. Move, let me have a look at him." A new voice said and Harry felt a new magic rush against his body. It didn't feel anywhere near as nice as Hermione's did, but he was far too tired to resist. "Are you all mad? He's completely exhausted. It will take him weeks to recover from this."
"He'll be fine, Madame Pomfrey," Hermione explained from somewhere above him. "The worst we've ever had was my own attempt when I was eleven."
"Eleven?! You've been doing this for years?!" The woman asked with incredulity, and Harry felt himself smile at the fact his brain could even recognize such a word in its current state.
"Yes. All that happened was I passed out and didn't wake up until the next day. And I was back to fully fit in less than three weeks." Hermione explained matter-of-factly, and Harry was thrown back into the memory of that evening. He was terrified that the effort had killed her, and it was only the fact he could feel his magic flowing into her, and her extremely weak magic pressing back against it that kept him from going completely mad with grief.
"I think," Ted said, having apparently arrived sometime since Harry had lost the ability to clearly see, "that we will have to accept this record as the limit. I don't want to see either of them try and beat it again. Minerva and Poppy are right. This is dangerous."
"I'm ok with that if you are," Hermione whispered into his ear and Harry gave another goofy smile in reply.
"Move your hand girl. Let me give him this." The nurse said, now much closer.
Harry felt something press against his lower lip and Hermione held him firmly as some fluid came out of the object and into his mouth. Harry felt it building up against the back of his mouth, unable to swallow and he was about to cough when Hermione's magic wound about his throat and relaxed the muscles, allowing the fluid passage into his body.
He still coughed slightly, but he did not spurt all of the potion back out again. A few moments passed before he felt a surge of heat within and his ears burned for a moment. When the feeling passed he felt slightly better, able to see clearer shapes in the blurriness and the darkness had receded entirely.
"My goodness. Even that did barely anything. He's no magic left in him to work off of. He needs rest for the entire weekend. No magic of any kind."
Harry felt Hermione nodding and he tried to match her movement, with no idea how it actually looked to those gathered about as his weak muscles tried to make the rather complex motion.
He felt someone prise his wand from his weak fingers and he did nothing to try and stop them. He simply lacked the motor skills right now to open his fingers and allow them to take it. Hermione's arm tightened about his body and Harry was ready to fall asleep right then and there. The pepper-up potion the nurse had provided hadn't had enough of his own internal magic to work with to prevent the exhaustion from winning out.
He could hear the others moving about but one conversation held his attention as he felt himself drifting.
"Do you think he realizes?" Remus said softly.
"Not yet. It'll come to him in about a day or two." Ted replied. "Poor thing. All of that for nothing."
"Not for nothing. We know that once he recovers, he'll be more than ready to face whatever might come in that maze, no matter how long it takes. That was the point of doing the test today." Sirius added.
"As long as he fully recovers before the Task."
"He will. Hermione was much worse than this when she set the record." Remus noted. "Poor Harry. He was so distraught. But he'll make the connection once he's awake again and realizes that if she set that record when she was eleven, given all their training since, she'd be able to set a much higher one now."
Harry's eyes popped open and he saw Hermione's only slightly blurry face above him. She was biting her lip and trying not to smile as she looked down at his face. He focused on her eyes and he realised they were right. He could see it in her face that she was humouring him with his 'victory'.
"Sorry." She mouthed, clearly not wanting to alert the adults that he had 'awakened'.
A few conflicting emotions passed through Harry's addled mind, but the main one was that he didn't really care in the end. He loved Hermione more than he cared about setting some record. And he lifted his right hand, heavy as it was and gave her cheek a gentle squeeze. "S'ok." He slurred silently.
He felt her magic grow slightly warmer as it permeated his form and he relaxed once more into the feeling. But he was distracted from his impending slumber by another feeling fast approaching. His senses had begun to stretch outwards again and this feeling was one he had sought out earlier in the day only to find it absent.
He opened his eyes again and saw the white form circling above and he smiled, this one actually properly forming as his mouth muscles began to obey instruction once more. "Hedwig."
Hermione looked up and saw the bird approach, pulling up at the last moment and coming to rest on her free shoulder, perched opposite Harry. And she had a letter clutched in her beak.
"Hello, Hedwig," Hermione said and the adults all fell silent.
"Good girl." Harry slurred, and Hedwig preened at the praise before she dropped the letter onto Harry's unmoving stomach.
"Er, Sirius," Hermione said. "Can you deal with that? I'm sure Harry won't mind you reading it. He's a little busy right now."
Harry felt his head flop slightly as he tried to nod in agreement. "You can tell me what's in it later." He said, still unsure of how much of the sentence made sense even as his faculties slowly returned. Though he could feel someone remove the letter from where it had been deposited.
He instead tucked tighter into Hermione's arms and closed his eyes, feeling Hedwig hop off his girlfriend's shoulder and onto his stomach, snuggling against him as well. He allowed the tired feeling to take over and within moments was fast asleep the current Family champion. Even if Hermione could still outperform him on this particular test, technically he'd still done it.
ϟ
Wednesday, 31st May 1995.
Sirius watched his godson cautiously. The boy ate slowly, but he seemed to have recovered well from the exhaustion of Friday's test. When you watched carefully enough, you could still see a slight shudder in his movements compared to his normal utter surety.
He felt bad for succumbing to Harry's begging, allowing his need to please the boy to override his desire to protect him. Even during the test, he had warred between the pride of seeing Harry shatter his previous best attempt and the terror of something going wrong. A quick glance around the quiet table showed Sirius was not the only one watching Harry closely.
"I think I'm looking forward to next week," Harry said, breaking the odd silence.
"Me too. Tofty sent back approval today, so we know we have permission. And if it goes poorly, we can always try again in a year." Hermione agreed, smiling at Harry as she did.
Sirius could not hide his pride in the achievements the two held together, taking such tests in spite of Harry's permission to skip the exams by want of being a Champion. Thinking on it, he was sure he'd have taken the free pass and been done with it, using the time to kick back and have fun rather than studying when he didn't have to.
But that wasn't what had him hesitating tonight. The other adults around the table all knew what he needed to do, but he still wasn't sure he was ready to talk about such things with Harry.
"So," Hermione said, glancing at each of the adults in turn. "Are you going to spit it out or what?"
Sirius flicked his gaze to her for a moment before his eyes returned to Harry, who was watching him with a cheeky smirk. "Come on, you know how Hermione gets when you withhold information."
"I'm not sure you are ready to hear this," Sirius replied.
"Sirius Black, thinking we might not be ready for something? Now I need to know." Hermione said, though her mother placed a hand on her arm quietly. The girl turned to face her and gave her a curious look. Obviously, the two children were more perceptive than he'd given them credit for and knew they were all dreading something.
Sirius sighed before he spoke. "It's about the letter."
Harry nodded and spooned another mouthful of peas into his mouth. Seemingly unfazed at the revelation.
"It's from Dumbledore."
Harry paused in his chewing for a moment, a quick sideways glance to Hermione the only other reaction before he shrugged and continued chewing. With an exaggerated swallow, he leant back and looked straight into Sirius's eyes. "He was bound to send one eventually, given you kept giving him the runaround."
"Seems he wrote this shortly after your first trip up to Hagrid's," Remus said, laying the parchment on the table.
"Yes. And?"
"And he has a lot of information about Riddle. In fact, he's sure that Riddle is still alive out there somewhere. And that he's getting stronger."
Harry again glanced over to his girlfriend, who gave him a supportive smile in return, though Sirius could see that she was clearly more bothered by the information than Harry was.
"Good for him, I guess. I assume Dumbledore didn't actually spell out the why or hows of why he thinks that Riddle is a problem? Sharing information isn't really his style after all."
Andi looked at the boy before she spoke up for the first time all night. "No, he did not. Only that his connections lead him to believe that whatever form Riddle now takes has managed to return to Britain."
"And that he seems to think the Third Task might be exactly the kind of chance he is looking for to strike at you," Ted added.
Harry gave a soft sigh and sat back in his chair, eyes drifting from one face to the next as he watched the reactions of the entire Family, but Sirius only had eyes for his godson. Harry was taking the news remarkably well. They had worried that he would be terrified, much like he was told the boy had been when Albus had tried to use magic to track him down all those years earlier.
"I always wondered. My memory isn't perfectly sharp, I was only fifteen months old at the time. But even through the pain, it felt like something survived in that room besides me." Harry replied.
Hermione quickly took his hand and Sirius smiled at the unending support the girl provided Harry. He knew that no matter what happened, she would stand by him until the end. And she would give hell to anyone trying to bring it about.
"But either way," Harry continued, now looking over to where the five elves were perched at the end of the table. "I am making this a command. You are all forbidden to interfere in any way." Several of the faces around the table looked like they wanted to speak up, but Harry held up his hand. "Please let me finish. Ignatia was very clear. Anyone deemed to be interfering by the Goblet could be subject to harsh reprisals. I will not have any of you risking that to save me. Until the Tournament is over, I want you all to swear you will not get involved."
The five elves looked amongst themselves before Pops stood on his chair and faced Harry. "I would gladly give my life to save yours, Master Harry. We all would."
"I know that, Pops. And I love each and every one of you far too much to allow you to do so. Swear now that you will not come anywhere near me until called by me and me alone that day. From the moment the Task begins, I am off limits. No matter what. I need to know you will be safe if I am to be ready to deal with whatever the Task might bring. Even more so if there is a risk of outside interference."
The elves stared at Harry and the adults clearly wanted to intervene, but the boy's magic had filled the room and was pressing down on them all. Sirius couldn't even feel the connection to his animal form right now, and he was slightly stunned at how much power Harry was bringing forth so soon after his trial.
"Swear it," Harry repeated, staring straight at the elves.
Pops's shoulders sagged and he nodded. "As you command."
The other four elves echoed the statement and Harry turned to face the adults as well. "All of you too. I'm sure the maze will be protected against easy entry, but I know it won't stop some of you from trying."
"Harry…" Richard said, immediately drawing the boy's gaze. "You can't ask the people who love you to stand by and watch you get hurt."
"If I can't trust them to stay away, I can't enter that maze. I will not risk any of my family being subject to that stupid cup." Harry growled. "I know it's asking a lot, but I have to do it."
"I swear," Remus said, breaking the intense atmosphere, and triggering a series of similar comments from Andi, Ted and the Grangers.
Harry turned to face Sirius and he felt the full weight of the boy's presence upon him. It went against every desire in him to make the promise Harry wanted. He had promised James and Lily that he wouldn't fail their son again, much to their displeasure at his suggestion he was solely at fault for his early life.
"Harry. I promised." He said, meekly.
Harry's eyes did not move and Sirius felt a piece of him break as he hung his head in shame. "Alright. I swear. I won't interfere."
The weight of Harry's magic vanished and Sirius let out a sigh of relief. But immediately followed it with a light sob. A moment later he looked up as he felt arms wrap around him. He could see Harry standing beside him, looking far less daunting than he had moments before.
"I love all of you for caring so much. But I know I can handle the maze, so long as I don't have to worry about your safety while I'm in there."
Sirius leant into the hug for several moments before the pair pulled apart at the same time. He looked into Harry's eyes and saw one last thought burst forth. Harry suddenly turned to glance at the only person at the table who had not agreed to his terms. He opened his mouth but was beaten to it by the person in question.
"No!" Hermione said with a resolute force to her words. "I will not, I cannot make that promise. You don't know how hard it was watching you approach that dragon. I can't do it again."
"Hermione. I need you safe."
"I don't care. I need you. Do not ask me to promise that. I can't do it. If you need me, I will come. That stupid Goblet can take its chances with me." She said, her hair whipping about her head, the girl's magic was so unsettled by the very idea.
Harry let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. You win. But try your best not to." He pleaded softly.
Sirius tried not to laugh. It was amazing that Harry could press every one of them into bowing to his will, but Hermione would never break under the weight of his expectation. She was his equal in everything, had been for as long as Sirius had known the girl. She was fierce and determined. And she loved Harry more than any of them.
"As for Dumbledore," Harry said, returning to his seat and taking Hermione's offered hand once more. "After the task, we'll have to meet with him. This has gone on long enough. I won't live the rest of my life in fear of him. I need to face him for the sake of my own sanity. But for now, my focus has to be the Final Task."
"And if Riddle does try something?" Remus asked.
"Then he will see just what you have all taught me since I put him down the first time."
"Harry," Hermione warned.
"I know it sounds cocky, but I believe in the training you've given me. Especially with Hermione by my side, I don't think he stands a chance."
Sirius sighed. "It's very cocky. But I suppose that is what we get for how we've brought you up."
"Pops brought him up better than that." The elf said from the end of the table. "There is no shame in running away from overwhelming odds."
"I don't plan to encounter him at all, Pops. But I won't lie that a big part of me really wants revenge for mum and dad. Riddle is responsible for a lot of damage. Living in fear that he might come back doesn't sound like how I want to live my life."
Harry sat back in his chair and Sirius observed him quietly. Harry had grown a lot from the tiny tot in the crib playing with the four of them. Even from the wee boy of nine, whom he had met again years later, Harry had become quite a powerful and headstrong young man. He was beyond proud of him.
"Alright then. I will send a letter back to Albus to arrange a meeting for a week after the Task, to give us time to properly celebrate."
"To wash away the sorrow of being beaten by my little cousin you mean," Nym said with a cheeky smile from the far end of the table.
"Shut up, Nym. You've got just as much chance of winning as I do.
"Sure I do, shorty. Sure I do." She said as the Family returned to their meal, most of the weight from earlier was gone, but Sirius still worried about his godson. Though he thought to himself that worrying was what he was supposed to do. It was what James and Lily had entrusted him to do.
ϟ
Saturday, 24th June 1995.
Fireworks burst in the red-tinged evening sky, colouring the rolling hills around the school in washes of colour as they formed unusual shapes and words. Some appeared to be dragons, some merfolk, some resembling the two cups central to the competition.
Nym saw Hermione shaking her head at the sight and she knew the girl was trying not to voice her opinion that it was all incredibly overdone. But this was it, the Ministry's last chance to rescue its reputation after the horrible fallout of the second task. A strong finish and no one would remember the sham that event had been.
Her eye flicked to the other side where Harry was flanked by five elves and she knew that he would never forget, no matter what happened tonight. Nor would he ever forgive those involved in Hermione's kidnapping. So great was his displeasure, he had forced them all to spend the past week sleeping in the Manor. He was not allowing them to involve anyone else in this farce.
As the whole family slowly approached the Champions' entrance to the Pitch, Harry suddenly stopped and Nym turned to face him, the rest of the family slowing and watching as well as the boy took a knee in the middle of the group of elves.
"Gather round please." He said softly and all of the elves soon obeyed, forming a semi-circle in front of him. "I know you all promised already," He said, glancing at the stadium already full of cheering people, "but I need to hear you all say it again. Do not get involved. Do not come to our aid, or cast any magic towards us until the Tournament is officially called closed. I cannot focus on the task if I'm worried one of you might come afoul of that stupid Goblet. So, promise me."
Nym watched silently as each and every elf locked eyes with Harry and nodded. Even those who technically no longer had to obey Harry agreed and he gave a slight sigh of relief.
His eyes flicked up to Hermione and the girl shook her head. "I've told you several times now. I will not sit there and watch you being hurt. So if you want me to stay out of that maze, don't get hurt."
Nym grabbed the other witch and pulled her into a firm side-hug. "That's our Hermione for you." She said with a chuckle, and the adults nodded in agreement, though the two Granger parents looked at one another with concern at the fact they knew they could do nothing to prevent Hermione from following through on her promise.
Harry stood and faced the two before he stepped up and gave Hermione a soft kiss. "I guess I just have to accept that. And try to keep myself safe."
He turned to Nym and she poked out a cheek with a smirk and Harry gave her one in return as he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek as well.
"You be safe too. We're supposed to be competitors. I can't be pulling your arse out of trouble all night."
"I am still three years older than you, Harry. Don't be so cocky." She replied jovially.
Even though she knew he was probably correct. He had bounced back completely from the Stamina test a few weeks earlier and if anything was even stronger than when he had gone into it. Both of them had trained hard for whatever they might face within those hedges.
"Come on you lot, they won't wait all night," Remus said from the front of the group.
Harry looked like he wanted to say something in response, but instead, he simply took Hermione's hand and gave a steadying sigh. "Might as well get it over with."
The group advanced on the gate, once more guarded by a handful of Aurors, but this time none of them spoke or tried to stop their advance. Not even when Harry purposefully strode past them with Hermione still in hand, even though only the Champions were supposed to enter. Nym gave a laugh as she took both her parents by the hand and followed suit, knowing that Sirius and Remus would handle getting the Grangers inside as well.
The entire family came out of the dark tunnel and into the brightly lit staging area leading into the now twelve-foot high hedges and the sound of the crowd was deafening above them. She could see the tiny face looking down from the seating in the towers, likely the expensive seats for the event as they would give the best view down into the maze, but it was the stands down lower full of baying students that most drew her eye.
Almost every Hogwarts student had some form of yellow on their forms, supporting the two members of Hufflepuff house for the event. The main exception appeared to be the Slytherin contingent all decked out in red funnily enough as they supported Krum. On the opposite side to the Krum fans was a wall of blue as those who wanted to support Fleur had come together.
The other two Champions had gathered their own small groups under the supporters draped in their colours and Nym realized why the guards had not said a word as they all entered. Krum was standing with Madi and people she assumed were his parents, though the boy's Headmaster was nowhere to be seen.
Mirroring him across the clearing Fleur was holding her little sister Gabrielle's hand as the tiny girl hopped about excitedly, waving to the cheering crowds who would increase in volume for a moment every time that she did.
When the Champions noticed that they had arrived, Krum and Fleur walked over, the four meeting in the centre by the platform she assumed would be used for the final presentation after the event.
"Wotcher." Nym greeted the others, and Gabi gave her a bright wave in reply.
"'Ello. Best of luck." Fleur replied.
"Indeed, may best Champion vin," Krum said simply.
"Any ideas how this sideshow is meant to go down?" Nym asked, the family remaining mostly quiet behind them as they talked.
"Well, they couldn't really figure out how to score the second task, given several of the judges weren't even present when you lot arrived back at the dock. I say we all pick an opening each and head in together." Harry suggested.
"You vould sacrifice lead?" Krum asked with a confused look.
"Why not. We all know how I got that lead." He said with a slight glance at a blushing Nym. "If anything, I should be penalized."
"Non. Togezzer sounds fair to me." Fleur said with a nod. "I like fair."
Nym nodded her agreement. "I'm all good with fair." She felt a shudder of dread at the idea that her need for fair all those months ago may come to bite her or Harry in the arse tonight, but when it came to dealing with her fellow competitors, it was clearly the way to go.
"Alright then. If we start together, what say we let the points choose who picks first?" Harry suggested.
"Of course, you pick the method that lets you pick first," Hermione said softly, squeezing Harry's hand softly.
"Just throwing out ideas." He defended.
"Da. Go ahead."
Harry and Nym both looked to Fleur who simply nodded her agreement. "Ok then. Any thoughts?" Harry asked, looking at the family.
They looked amongst themselves before Natalie turned and pointed to the second opening from the left. "Use that one." She said in an oddly even tone, despite her smile.
Harry glanced at the faces of his gathered friends and family and when no one disagreed he nodded. "Sure. I'll take opening two. Fleur."
"Four. I'll start over zere." She said, pointing to the final opening, the one under her own crowd of fans. Her sister jumped in excitement and gave the fans another wave, setting a renewed cheer through the group.
Nym smiled at the girl and considered her options. One and three were left, one would put her directly beneath Krum's baying crowd, several of whom she knew did not like her one bit. She could see her less favoured cousin in the crowd shouting Krum's name. She didn't feel like dealing with that before dealing with whatever else came in the maze too.
"Three." She said firmly.
Krum nodded silently, accepting his position at opening one under his own cheering fans. "Da."
The entire group shuddered as a loud voice suddenly filled the air around them and they turned to face the platform upon which the organisers now stood. "Welcome everyone! Tonight we hold the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. For the first time in centuries, all of our Champions have successfully completed the first two trials and thus earned the right to compete in the third task." Bagman shouted, his amplified voice painful so close.
The three groups all backed away from the platform and headed towards the entrance they had chosen, trying to ignore Bagman as he hyped up an already excited crowd of people. Harry, Hermione and Nym came to a halt in the space between their openings and Hermione turned to face them both, speaking only loud enough to be heard over Bagman's waffling in the background.
"Are you both ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Harry replied, giving her cheek another soft kiss.
She smiled at him brightly before she turned to face Nym. "I'll be alright. We've practised as best we can. And there are no crazy dangerous creatures in there. We should be fine."
Hermione nodded before turning to face Harry directly. "I don't care if you don't win. I want you to come back to me safe and whole. I don't need you to be victorious to love you."
Harry smiled at her and the pair leant in, their foreheads touching as they stared into one another's eyes. "I know. I love you, Hermione Granger."
"Don't say it like that. It sounds like a goodbye. You are not allowed to say goodbye right now."
Harry leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you. And I'll be snuggling you tightly tonight after all this nonsense is over. Keep these arms warmed up. I'm going to want a long quiet relaxing snuggle session after. Deal?"
Hermione brightened at the premise. "Deal."
The pair sealed the pact with another kiss before the group was once more disturbed by Bagman.
"Champions. Gather here." He called, his voice no longer amplified. "We must discuss how you will proceed."
"We will all enter together," Nym said. "We've already decided."
"Wait, that's not how this goes." He replied, turning to the others behind him for support, which a few gave half-heartedly.
"Well, that is how we'll be doing it. Unless one of you wants to interfere and risk the Goblet's wrath to stop us doing so." Harry said with a vicious smirk that had Nym trying not to laugh.
"Seems sound to me, Ludo." Madame Bones said, standing slightly apart from the remaining group from the Ministry.
"But…" Bagman looked over the champions, who simply watched him in return, all four with smug looks on their faces just daring him to challenge them. "Whatever. The Triwizard Cup is in the centre of the maze. It has been charmed as a portkey so the first one to grasp it will be returned immediately to the platform here and declared the winner. Making it impossible for you to draw as two people cannot grab a portkey of this type together. Understood?" He said with a smirk, as though they had finally figured out how to force the group to stop working together and be fully antagonistic towards one another.
The four Champions glanced at one another, two of them rolling their eyes at the effort before they nodded in unison.
"Alright. Take you places and we will begin at the sound of the cannon." Bagman said, still looking thrown by the Champions uniting to mess up their final task. "The rest of you need to leave now."
The Champions' various family members quickly hugged their respective charges and best wishes were bandied about before they slowly cleared away, leaving one Champion standing in each opening, waiting to begin the final challenge.
ϟ
Fleur wound her way between the imposing hedges. From the outside, they had seemed a normal maze, but once you stepped inside, all sound vanished and a weight settled over your body coming from the darkness thrown between the impossibly tall barriers on either side. Time lost all meaning and she couldn't tell if she had been in here for an hour or five minutes.
Even trying to recall what turns she had taken left her feeling dizzy and lost. This was by far the worst experience of her life to date, but she was not going to let it deter her from her goal. While she was glad she had met and befriended her fellow Champions she was still determined to lay her hands upon the Cup in the centre of the maze.
She paused as she heard a clicking sound coming from somewhere above her in the maze, her eyes scanned the area she believed that it had come from but found nothing. She cast a few revealing spells but there was no change in the heavy air.
Fleur took a few careful steps backwards and stopped as she heard the cracking sound of plantlife under foot. Glancing down, she noted that there was a ragged hole broken through the base of the hedge, and when she peered inside, she could see normal light and a sliver of cheering sounds reached her.
Something had forced its way through the hedge here and left the plant broken and open. The question was, had that something broken in or out.
The clicking sounded again, far closer this time and Fleur looked back up and froze in horror. The already dark sky above had now been completely blocked from view by the dark carapace of a giant black spider. It was leering down at her, dozens of eyes fixed on her. Acidic-looking venom dripped from its massive fangs.
Fleur shook off the shock of seeing the terrible beast and shoved her wand upwards, casting the most powerful light spell she knew of. The beast howled in pain as the light filled its many unclosing eyes and the giant monster retreated back up the walls, its legs clicking furiously as it backed away.
Fleur took the opportunity and rolled away from the beast, regaining her feet and turning to face the monstrous spider. There weren't supposed to be any creatures within the maze, but she guessed this was the thing that had broken through the hole she had uncovered.
Even greater dread settled in her stomach as over the back of the mighty spider, she saw movement and noted several smaller spiders shifting to the sides and dropping from the carapace. Each was still the size of a small dog, and Fleur knew this wasn't going to be easy.
She kept the light spell going, as it was all that seemed to keep the larger spider at bay, instead focusing her efforts on the smaller ones as they advanced. She searched her mind for spells that would be useful but kept coming up short. She didn't know any simple spells that might do the trick, and the beasts were getting closer.
Resigning herself to the fact she would be forced to kill them, Fleur straightened her back and pulled her arm back. The closest spider lunged forwards expecting an easy kill and instead it exploded violently as the powerful blasting curse struck directly on the advancing jaws. One moment it was there, the next it was everywhere.
The larger spider roared in anger at the death but remained beyond the range of the intense light. Fleur lined up her next shot and fired another powerful explosive curse into the body of one of the smaller beasts. After three of the five smaller spiders were destroyed, the larger one seemed to decide that the pain was secondary. This nuisance needed to die.
It charged forwards, eight legs clacking against one another as it advanced along the hedges on either side, keeping high above Fleur. She saw its intention just in time as several of the legs pulled away from the sides. Fleur spun and flicked a lasso at the hedge at the T-intersection ahead and used it to yank herself forwards, flying several feet onto her stomach as the ground behind her rumbled loudly at the impact she had just avoided.
Thankfully for her, the spider had just crushed the two remaining smaller beasts, but now Fleur was on her back, and the spider was advancing at ground level; its teeth clicking violently as it approached.
Knowing she could not outrun the beast, Fleur took aim at the joint of its foremost leg and fired another blasting curse. it struck true and the beast roared in pain as its front leg fell off. Fleur took the chance as it reared back and rolled to her feet, dashing towards the intersection and rushing around the right fork.
She confirmed the new passage was empty before she turned and prepared for the beast to follow. In her right hand, she energized the explosive curse she would fire, and in her left, she channelled her grandmother's natural magic. A magic she had only used twice in her life before now. She felt the tingling of the flames build in her arm and as she saw the black body of the giant spider break past the edge of the intersection the flames burst to life for the third time.
Surging both arms forwards, Fleur unleashed the two forms of magic. The curse struck another leg joint and a second leg fell free of the monster's body, but the flames struck true. They went into the beast's jaws and exploded. Thick miasma of blood and tissue sprayed out of the now thoroughly broken maw and the beast howled in pain. It stared at Fleur for a moment but she forced a second fireball to form in her left hand and the beast seemed to finally decide this meal was not worth it.
The creature turned, still taking up almost the entire intersection and moved to rush down the first passage once again, but Fleur was not willing to risk it sneaking back up behind her if she became distracted by something else in the maze. She released the fireball and it tore another massive chunk of flesh from the carapace, leaving a smoking crater in the beast's hide. She followed it immediately with the most powerful explosive curse yet, striking true at the hole she had just made in its body.
The spell struck home and the beast howled in pain before the sound became mournful and it dropped to the ground, legs still twitching. The entire exoskeleton was now cracked and dark blood leaked out from every open space. Satisfied the beast would not be following her ever again. Fleur turned and continued her trek through the maze, now far warier of her surroundings than she had been to start with.
ϟ
Viktor jogged down yet another passageway, seeming no different to any other he had journeyed through that night. He had initially tried to keep to a preset pattern, hoping to find his way deeper into the maze, but what appeared to be straight passageways somehow seemed to wend and wind in on themselves in unusual ways. Coupled with his inability to remember more than a handful of the turns he had taken and he was now completely unsure of which way he needed to go.
He was grateful that the issues with the Tournament had kept the creatures out of the maze. He was never very good at dealing with animals, preferring to leave that to others, and he was certain that had he needed to deal with them in these tight and twisting pathways, he would have been held up considerably.
He paused as he heard an unusual sound under foot and he glanced about to see what had changed. It took a moment before his mind put the clues together and he realized that he was looking at the grass on the wall to his left, a think golden mist weaving in amongst the green blades. He leant closer, being sure to avoid breathing any of the mist in and he swept the tip of his wand through the strange substance.
It diverted around the moving object as one would normally expect, and yet Viktor still felt as though something wasn't right. He stepped away from the grassy wall and heard the strange sound again. He looked down and shock finally took over for a moment as he realized that the wall was not covered in grass. He was now somehow standing on the hedge wall.
And having stopped moving, the thick viney branches of the hedge had begun to sneak forwards, extending around his stationary feet, trying to trap him in place.
He flicked his wand and a wave of energy cleared the slow-moving vines away. Taking stock of his odd predicament, Viktor had an idea when he looked to his right and saw naught but open sky. He took four quick wide strides upwards and reached the edge of the hedge, able to peer over its top and see the maze stretching on into the distance.
Steeling himself for the high probability of disappointment, Viktor took one step back before he pushed forwards once more and he jumped out over the peak of the hedge. The moment he passed into free space, gravity righted itself and he felt himself being pulled back towards the ground once more. His quick reflexes allowed him to correct in the air and he landed once more, now standing atop the hedge, looking out over the maze from a far more advantageous position.
"Krum has found a way to top the maze. Incredi..." Bagman's amplified voice came to his ears for a moment as he reached the apex of his jump and Viktor realized he had momentarily popped above whatever enchantment was keeping the sound from penetrating the maze itself. However, he could still not see anything but empty open sky above the maze, so he didn't bother looking, instead focusing his attention on correcting his course.
The central clearing was not hard to see from up here, and he soon had his mind on a path that would allow him to continue above the plant life, winding his way towards the centre. With a satisfied smirk, he ensured that none of the tiny fibres had begun pinning him down again and Viktor took off at a run along the hedge top.
He made good time, taking the right and then left walls as he quickly and carefully made his way inwards, deeper towards the final goal. A glimmer of light shone from within the clearing as he got closer and he found himself transfixed for a moment.
A moment he could ill afford up here as he took his eyes away from his footing and the hedges below split apart. With the speed he had been running, and nothing now underfoot, Viktor tumbled off the hedge and back down several feet into the maze. He managed to cast a cushioning charm below his body before he impacted the ground, but it still hurt when he collided with the grassy surface once more.
He groaned in pain as he stood and looked both ways down his once more restricted path. With a sigh, he turned right, hoping it would still lead him on this quicker path into the middle, a slight limp in his stride from his unfortunate tumble back into the confines of the dark and silent maze.
ϟ
Nym ran quickly around another right, hoping that her method of sticking to the same turns would keep her on track. So far she had managed to find her way into and out of half a dozen dead ends, but none had halted her progress as she kept her wand dragging against the hedges to her right. So far she had needed very little magic to continue pushing onwards, only having to overcome two enchantments that she could not simply run past on her travels.
Sweeping around the next corner she sighed as she found herself at another dead end, but shaking her head, she quickly swept her hand forwards, keeping the tip of her wand skipping over the leafy hedge beside her and found herself once more looking at a dead end.
She paused and looked over her shoulder to find hedges now enclosing her on all sides. Somehow her dead-end had become a cage of plant walls. She was trapped in place. A thick dark mist covered the ground and thick dread welled up inside. She felt the panic settling in as she sensed the mist slowly rising up her legs. How was she going to get out of here? She had already tried attacking the hedges directly, but they were far too dense to blast her way through.
While she had seen the hedges shift a few times since entering, she'd never expected them to be able to completely block them in like this. She began to wonder why she had even bothered to enter herself into this dangerous Tournament. She wasn't remotely equipped for such a task. She was horribly unworthy.
That's what happens when one is impatient, Nymphadora. A voice sounded from the plants around her. Almost as if the foliage were speaking to her.
"What is this?" She said back, a tremble in her voice.
You need to understand your place in the world, Nymphadora. The eerie voice said once more, and she could almost feel a malicious laugh to the sound.
But something in the back of her mind kept her from falling completely into panic. There was something so familiar about those words.
Why do you never listen to me, Nymphadora?
"Mother?" She whispered to herself as the knut dropped and she recalled her mother saying all of those things to her throughout the years. Never with the deeply disturbing lilt the odd voice was delivering them in, but each of them were from moments where her mother had become exasperated with her behaviour. In her youth, she had enjoyed messing with her mother and what seemed to be antiquated beliefs. But as she had gotten older, Nym had begun to understand some of where her mother had been coming from.
Several overlapping voices sounded out in the dark square of foliage she was trapped in and Nym closed her eyes and ignored the sound. Focusing on the true memories instead. Seeing her mother's disappointment but also seeing the love and care beneath. Her mother loved her dearly and she only said these things to help a wayward child find their way in a cruel world.
The cacophony of sound outside began to fade, eventually disappearing entirely. Nym took several more steadying breaths before she opened her eyes, noticing that the dead end had opened once more and she was now staring ahead at a Y-junction. She let out a deep breath and quickly pushed forwards, putting as much distance between herself and the horrible experience she'd just endured.
The moment she exited the small space and its black mist, she felt immensely better, the weight of that experience lifting immediately and Nym smirked as she renewed her efforts to win the Tournament.
ϟ
Harry shivered as the night deepened around him. The already dark spaces between the hedges seemed to close in tighter about him as he jogged through the maze. Even the stars above seemed to be losing their lustre as he turned another corner.
And that was when he froze. In front of him was something he had only read about until now, and from the stories his godfather told, something he had never wanted to meet in person.
It hovered in place, dark ragged cloak dragging over the frosted grass below. Deep rattling breaths sounded from the other side of the dark figure and Harry felt the cold dark tightening around his body. He lifted his wand and cast the spell that Remus had taught him after Sirius had first told him such monsters existed, leading to a solid week of nightmares, but it only formed a wispy shimmering shield in front of him. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the horrible effects of the monster before him, but regretted it immediately as he saw the memory of the first time he'd set foot in the merfolk village burning before him.
Harry's heart rate soared, thudding heavily in his chest as he fought the despair the image brought forth, helplessness building within his body as he felt himself succumbing to the weight of the pain.
"No." He growled softly to himself and he reached out with his magic, quickly finding what he needed in the other direction.
The soft fingers of Hermione's magic entwined with his own and he could feel her concern. He tried to send a calming response back as the last thing he needed right now was for her to decide he was in danger and pop to his side. She began to push warmth through their interweaving magic and Harry used the contact to wash away the horrible vision the beast had conjured in front of him.
It was replaced almost instantly with Harry and Hermione, wrapped in one another's arms in the clearing, lips meeting for the first time as an official couple. The feeling of her magic wound around him both in the memory and in real life and Harry felt the dark cold fall away.
He opened his eyes and stared at the evil creature. It had turned at his words and was now drifting closer to him. But Harry was no longer worried by its presence. He took several deep breaths and pulled his wand back, allowing his feelings for Hermione and his family to swell within him and he smiled as he brought his wand forward once more.
A giant pulsing light erupted from the tip, fuelled by the joyous emotions Harry was currently bathing in and it perched on the ground between him and the Dementor ahead. The enormous feline figure stood as tall as Harry, facing the enemy it growled deeply and scratched at the ground, leaving short scrapes on the surface of the grass-covered ground.
The shimmering Rapa sunk into an attack pose and lunged forwards, tackling the cloaked figure easily to the ground and without hesitation, it began to rip and tear into the monster with tooth and claw. The most horrible screaming Harry had ever heard came from beneath the mighty patronus as it continued to savage the dark creature. The Rapa opened its jaws wide and took the Dementor's entire head into its jaws and with a mighty crunch, crushed it to nothing, rearing back and holding its defeated prey tightly as it shook the limp figure back and forth with a victorious growl.
Harry let out a breath of relief as the horrible feelings that the beast had spawned in its proximity began to fade, pushed away even faster by the presence of his patronus still being fuelled by the connection he was currently sharing with Hermione.
He turned to face where he could feel her sitting and pushed a feeling of deep and abiding thanks and love towards her, smiling when he felt a similar feeling pushed back in return. He turned and noticed his patronus was still savaging the now dead figure of the Dementor and every few moments a wisp of light would escape the dark cloak, disappearing into the night.
As he walked past the bright cat, Harry turned and ran his fingers over the smooth flank of the mighty beast. "Good girl." He said softly and he was sure it smiled in return as he continued forwards, feeling much better now the dark feeling had cleared from the air.
Harry paused again as he turned the corner, though this time for a very different reason. Perched before him in the middle of a large clearing was a glowing silvery blue Cup set upon a marble pillar. The Triwizard Cup that was the goal of this final task was there before him, and there was no one else in sight.
Surprise filled him at the idea he had beaten the others to the centre and a wave of guilt struck him at the idea he was only here thanks to his actions in the first task. One of the others could have chosen this path and been the ones now standing on the verge of victory.
Harry felt a push come towards him from the link he had not detached yet, Hermione clearly sending him a feeling of comfort in response to his unease. He couldn't help but chuckle at her trying to push him to take the Cup. She only wanted this game to end and to know he was safe once more.
He glanced about the clearing, stepping closer to the pillar. He looked down each of the passageways leading into the open space and still he saw none of his fellow competitors. He wondered for a moment if he should wait, but he recalled Bagman's comment from earlier. Even if he did, they would not be able to share the victory. Only the first to touch the Cup would be taken to the stage.
Indecision warred within him and he spun in a circle again, peering into the dark pathways leading back into the maze and he realized he really didn't want to have to walk out of here. He saw his prowling patronus poke its head out from the passageway he had entered through and give a wide, toothy yawn. He sighed and turned back, facing the shimmering Cup and finally made his choice, stretching out his left hand and grasping the handle of the Cup closest to him, feeling the awful hook behind the navel magic of the portkey engage and whisk him away from the maze.