* A/N: Danger… ok, who the hell would create a contest with danger? Only the author! Well anyway, Harry and the gang finds three kids along the way in their second task who informs them that the whole contest is a trap! How will they get out of this task let alone the trap? Well you have two more chapters to find out the second question, but the first question remains to be answered in Chapter 6: Task 2- The Elements Combine! *

Chapter 6: Task 2- The Elements Combine


Further and further the teams had walked down the corridor. All you could hear were the quiet whispers of the people and the drip drop sound that casually occurred often. Finally, all walking had ceased and four doors appeared before their eyes.
"I will need your undivided attention please, for the next task could be dangerous," said Minglewatts with his cold grim voice.
"I beg your pardon?" Seamus exclaimed. "Did I just hear the word 'dangerous'? Ok, that's my cue to get the fuck out of this wannabe gothic place." Just as soon as he turned around and walked, he had been knocked back onto the floor. Seamus had walked into an invisible wall that wasn't there before.
"Unfortunately you won't be leaving," Minglewatts mentioned, "for once you check in, there's no checking out unless you finished the tasks. Moving along, here lies before you four doors leading to paths that never meet at any point. This is an Apparate Free Zone, so you will have to get to the end using your cunning and magical skills."
All heads started to swivel from left to right since everyone was looking at each other. Everyone broke out into chatter, some saying, "oh great," and "this is such bullshit".
"Well, it is time for each team to choose a path," he continued. "Along the way, you will need to find four items. These items are as follows: Basilisk Eyes, a vile of Unicorn Blood, Fairy Wings, and Phoenix Talons. Anything unusual you shall and will ignore." After those words, he gave Harry and the rest of them a spine-chilling look.
Hermione quickly jotted down the items on a piece of parchment. Then they chose to go through a door embroidered with a lightning bolt, a raging fire, an ice crystal, and a drop of water.
"Ok everyone," Ron began to say as they walked down their path. "It's best if we stick together .We don't know what's going to lie ahead of us basically."
After the little pep talk, everyone lighted the ends of their wands. They then put the tips together to form one light to emanate the area around them.
"Did anyone besides me wonder why he mentioned anything about finding something 'unusual'?" Hermione pondered.
"I did," Cho replied. "Maybe he's hiding something. I also realized that he had glared at us when he mentioned it."
"Not to be big headed or anything," said Harry, "but who said he didn't look at us because he knows that Herm, Ron, and myself were known for uncovering secrets? I mean, we did have that reputation ever since our first year at Hogwarts, and we still do."
"Is it just me," Padma said with chattering teeth, "or is it getting a bit cold all of a sudden?"
"Actually, I think the ice emblem on the door might have something to do with the area we're coming to," Seamus pointed out. "Maybe this path has something to do with the elements. At least there's light up ahead. NOX!" They were now in an area filled with icebergs and glaciers.
"Bloody Merlin!" Harry shouted. "Look!" Up ahead, three black children were in separate ice blocks. They looked as if they were in a deep slumber. Their wands were hovering above their isolated blocks. Harry had gone up to one of the ice blocks, which held a kid around thirteen years of age. He had light skin, was skinny, with short hair (low haircut), and circular glasses.
"Ok, this is weird," Harry said, "This kid has a 30-70 resemblance to me!"
"What should we do?" Cho shrieked. "He said not to tamper with anything besides what we're looking for."
"I don't know about you, but surely I wouldn't want to be in an ice cube for who knows how long," Harry said. "I say we should melt them out. Maybe they still have a little string of life in them. Besides, right now Minglewatts can kiss my grits."
"all right. Herm, you take the other cube," Cho ordered, "and I'll take the one with the girl." So they all pointed their wands at their designated blocks.
"LANCANUM INFLAMARE!" They simultaneously shouted. A burst of flames had emitted out of the tip of their wands, and the ice cubes automatically began to melt. As the melting continued, the heat had also penetrated the kids in the process. The boy with the glasses' finger had moved an inch away from his chest. The rest of the children's eyes began to slowly open. The melting had finally stopped, and the hovering wands had been sent to their hands.
"Th…th-thank…you," the other boy said, shivering. He was a quite heavy-set kid also around thirteen and with glasses. His hair was up to his shoulders in braids.
"Holy shit, guys," the skinny boy said, "Harry has a 30-70 resemblance to me!"
"Hey, how did you know my name?" asked Harry.
"Did you forget who you are or are you just stupid?" the girl stammered. She was average weight with her hair in cornrows. She was a little darker than her obvious friends and (A/N: I bet you know what I'm going say about her) also looked about thirteen. "We might have been frozen here for about a year, but everyone knows about Harry Potter."
"Yeah, you're The Boy Who Lived," the skinny kid noted. "Were you frozen too or do you just have a bad memory?"
"Oh, I guess I did forget," he blushed. "Anyway, who are you three?"
"Well, my name's DéShaun Armbrister," the skinny boy stated.
"I'm Michael Culzac," the heavy-set kid chimed.
"And I'm Chennelle Harris," the girl said. "We're very pleased to meet you!"
"Well, since you already know me," Harry started," "these are my friends Hermione, Seamus, Ron, and Padma, and this is my girlfriend Cho."
"Pleased to meet all of you," Chennelle said. "Well, we have some bad news for you."
"You see," DéShaun began, "this 'contest' is a trap."
"A trap?" Harry and the rest of them shouted.
"Yeah," Michael added. "When we entered this 'contest', it was just for a new broomstick. You know, the Lightning Jolt?"
"Anyway," Chennelle interrupted, "it wasn't for couples as the contest is for you, but for teens. So when we reached this part of the contest, we had already concluded that this was a trick."
"So Minglewatts had thrown us into a deep slumber and frozen us," DéShaun finished. " By the way, did we mention that we're fifteen?"
"I knew that faggot was up to something!" Seamus exploded. "I just have one more question. How did you know it was a trap?"
"Well, we can give you a demonstration," Chennelle said as they started to walk. "Someone think of something."
I wonder if we can trust them, Harry thought to himself.
"Of course you can trust us, dumb ass!" DéShaun snapped at Harry. "If you couldn't trust us, why the hell would we waste our time telling you what happened? We would have just killed you and then finished this task."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"Well, that's how we knew it was a trap," Michael said. "Along side our magic, we can read minds."
"I am also a Parselmouth," said DéShaun with pride.
"And I am the Seeker for Gryffindor House," Chennelle chimed. "I also know practically every spell in Wizarding history."
"Wow! So was I when I was in Hogwarts!" Hermione screamed. "Did you read Hogwarts: A History?" As they talked and gabbed about books, Michael and DéShaun were having their own conversation.
"Hey, you think that Hermione chick is cute?" Michael whispered.
"Sort of," DéShaun responded, "but you know I have my mind set on someone else. Besides, she's too old for you."
"Well, maybe I should catch her in a corner anyway," Michael snickered. DéShaun gave him a very hurtful nudge in his arm. Further up ahead, they saw an area with mountains and volcanoes. Blazes of fire brew up from the top as if it were ready to erupt.
"By the way," Harry asked, "did anyone see one of these items?" Harry handed them the list. A few seconds was devoted to silence until…
"Oh yeah!" DéShaun exclaimed. "These must be the Basilisk Eyes. No wonder why we almost fainted when we looked directly at them." He gave them the large round eyeballs, and they proceeded further.
Just then, about fifteen yetis came riding on an avalanche, heading straight towards them.
"Uh-oh," Seamus shuddered. "How're we going to fight them off?"
"We're definitely outnumbered," Ron reassured them.
"Well, we might as well fight back," Chennelle said out of bravery. They ran towards the yetis hoping that they can find a way pass them.
I hope this works, Harry thought. "ACCIO GRYFFINDOR SWORD!" He waited a while as they tried to fend off the yetis, hoping that his plan would work. Just then, he saw a glint of light flashing towards them and a high pitched slashing sound. He knew it was the sword, and as soon as it halted in front of him, he grabbed the handle and quickly did another spell.
"DUPLICANTENIUM!" (A/N: OK, so I had to make a spell up, big deal.) The sword turned into several duplicates, and he did a Banishing Charm sending each one to his friends. They were slashing and cutting away at the yetis, but it didn't seem to work. The yetis were just as strong as their forces.
"This isn't helping us, damn-it!" Michael said with sheer sarcasm. "What do we fucking do now? We're practically surrounded!"
"I remember Hagrid teaching us something in Care of Magical Creatures class," Chennelle thought. "He said a little poem. I think it was 'Yetis, yetis, their height is their fame, but one thing they hate is… The heat of a flame!!!' That's what it was." She withdrew her wand and pointed it at the yetis. "INCENDIO" A ball of fire shot from her wand, and the yetis were now hopping around like little sissies. The gang then ran pass them and proceeded up the volcano.

****

"This must represent the fire element," Seamus continued with his previous analysis, "like the fire emblem on the door."
"He may be a joker, but he's surely observant," Hermione squealed with joy, and she gave him a long kiss.
"Moving right along," DéShaun said. The smooching was too much for his "young" eyes. "I believe I see a Phoenix nest on the other side." Sure enough it was a nest of a Phoenix, and they cleverly did a Hovering Charm on themselves to cross the hot sweltering lava pit. There in the nest lied the Phoenix Talons, the second item on their list. Just as soon as Cho went to pick them up, a Phoenix cry had filled the air. The scarlet and golden bird with its gold beak, tail, and talons had ferociously swooped down, trying to protect its nest. Ron was knocked into the fiery hole as the wings of the Phoenix had brushed him.
"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Padma screamed, and Ron had stopped an inch away from being melted in the gooey hot lava. He was levitated back up, and the Phoenix still was flapping its wings in fury.
"Hey, let's try to domesticate it," DéShaun clambered.
"Yeah," Chennelle agreed. "Then maybe she can fly us to that lake over there."
"Does anyone have any herbs?" Hermione asked.
"Just one sec," DéShaun said, pulling out a weird looking wallet.
"What's that?" said Michael in amazement.
"Well, it's called a MiniLargo," Chennelle explained. "It can carry anything from Knuts to Broomsticks."
"And I intend to get my new broom out," DéShaun concluded. He pulled out a silver broom. It was shape like a lightning bolt and looked freshly bought from Diagon Alley.  Every birch twig was trimmed to perfection, there were footrests implanted on it, and words in scarlet lettering that said Lightning Jolt shone on the broom.
"I would like you to meet the Lightning Jolt. It can go from zero to three hundred miles per hour. Hurling Hex Proof and has a lifetime warranty. Better than the Nimbus Collection and the Firebolt combined."
"How the fuck did you get one of those!!!!!!?" Michael shriek like a little girl.
"Well, if you try out for the Gryffindor team---and pass---then every team member gets this. I'm the Seeker for when I play in the first and third season game. They changed the rules you know," he directed to Harry who didn't know about the new rules. "Chennelle plays the second season and finals. Whenever she's sick, I take her spot, and vice versa."
"I seriously hate you now," Michael said with friendly jealousy. "We've been frozen in fucking ice cubes trying to get this broom and you two already had it!? Oh well, I hope you'll have the decency to let me try it out once."
"Of course I would. Now, there was an herbal tree over towards the east. I'll be back in a flash!" and before you know it, DéShaun was gone just as soon as he said good-bye.
It was only a few minutes before he came back. Harry had tried to calm the Phoenix and obviously succeeded. They then hitched a ride down to the lake, resembling a smooth glass reflecting the enchanted sunlight.
"Ok, so now where do we go?" Cho asked apprehensively.
"Well, we're going to have to go underwater," Hermione said with deep thought. So they all had used the Bubble Head and Impervious Charms and dove under. They saw many things below. Grindylows, Merpeople, Plimpys, and Ramoras were swimming merrily in harmony.
"The vial of Unicorn Blood or the Fairy Wings should be due north," Harry noted. "POINT ME!" With his wand on his palm, the tip had faced to the left, which is the direction they swam in. They had finally reached an underwater crypt that they explored. There they found the Unicorn Blood, which was heavily guarded by three sleeping Sea Serpents.
"We'll have to be extra careful," DéShaun muttered, but even with his low voice, the Sea Serpents woke up, rearing their ugly horse like heads. they then rapidly swam after them. One of the serpents had wrapped his tail around Chennelle's leg.
"RELASHIO!" she squealed, and the snake released his kung-fu grip off of her leg. "I'm going to try and see if we can at least Apparate underwater. We're basically out of the over world, so it should work down here." Sure enough it did work. Chennelle had Apparated to the pedestal with the Unicorn Blood. Once the vile left its place, a strong current rushed them out of the crypt. Later on they were on shore.
"Where are we?" Cho murmured.
"Dunno," DéShaun stammered, soaked by their undersea voyage. "We're surely pass the volcano, so we must be near the finish."
"Well, let's finish what we've started," Harry coughed. They quickly got onto their feet and began to walk.
"Did you guys hear something?" Chennelle asked quizzically.
"I thought I was the only one who heard it," DéShaun replied, looking frantically around. "It sounded like thunder."
"Well, we have no protection from it. Maybe we should do an Impervious Charm so we won't get as wet."
"Good idea, Chennelle. IMPERVIUS! " They had each made each other waterproof, but that was a mistake. Instead a hailstorm rolled upon them. The hail was the size of bowling balls, and lightning crashed towards the ground. They still needed to find the Fairy Wings and their mission would be completed. They would be able to get out of the task as well as try to unfold whatever plan Minglewatts was brewing up.
"I think we should...RUN!!!!!!!!" Michael squawked like a chicken. DéShaun had duplicated his broom, and they all mounted them, trying to dodge every single hail ball that they could. It was worse than Bludgers, and with one hit could possibly break a limb. Finally, they had spotted the Fairy Wings atop a high pillar. They bodiless wings furiously flew around as if it was a Snitch.
"Time for a little Quidditch practice," Padma shouted through the thudding of the hail on the icy ground.

        They flew to maximum speed, encircling the Wings as it tried to escape. Harry made a reach for it, but unfortunately his Quidditch skill wasn't any match for them this time. Chennelle did the Wronski Feint, which also failed. DéShaun was an inch close to catching it, but the bewitched wings flew upwards when he tried to snatch at it. Padma, surprisingly, almost caught it, only if the wings didn't slip out of her two fingers. Cho zoomed beside it, made a quick grab, but barely caught it. Hermione tried to Immobilize it, but was unsuccessful due to it had evaded it. Seamus, however tried the Peskipiksi Pesternomi Charm, but forgot that they were Fairy Wings. Michael did a loop-dee-loop trying to catch it, but surely the Wings outsmarted him, for they were hiding behind his head. Now it was Ron's turn. He snuck behind Michael on his broom, reached out slowly, and... caught it as if it was a fly! The hailstorm subsided, and they advanced on to the end of the task.
All there was in front of them was a sheet of ice with words carved into it.
"So," Harry said, directing his statement to Hermione and Chennelle, "what do we do now?"
"Well, I guess we read the inscription," she guessed. It read:

From the blaze of the fire, to the
Frost of the ice, may the purest of
Heart bring forth the light.
With the Roll of thunder, and the wave of Water, may the bravest of men open the Keyhole of Wonder.

"Let's try this in a type of ritual," Chennelle said with sheer intelligence. "Let's make up a routine. That should reveal this 'keyhole'." They quickly made up a routine and tried it out.
"From the blaze of the fire," Michael, DéShaun, and Chennelle recited, touching wand tips. A pillar of fire shot out from this motion.
"To the frost of the ice," Hermione and Seamus said together, also touching wand tips. A pillar of ice crystals had emitted from their gesture.
"May the purest of heart bring forth the light," The two groups recited together.
"With the roll of thunder," Harry and Cho shouted together, now touching their wand tips together. A lightning bolt was summoned to them.
"And the wave of water," Ron and Padma said with dignity, touching wand tips as well. A pillar of water came forth to their wand ends.
"May the bravest of men open the Keyhole of Wonder!" All of them shouted together. Their separate elements joined together as one to create a beam of light that thawed out a keyhole in the ice wall. The collected items were summoned to the keyhole, and a path was revealed. Relieved, the gang stepped through, ready for the next task and a fight they would never forget.

*A/N: Whew --brushing sweat off of brow-- that was one long and adventurous chapter. Well, I hope you enjoyed. I would like to take this time to thank all of my reviewers (even angel eyes) for actually taking time to read this. Get ready for the next chapter. Please, R/R!*