(GoF) CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: The Third Task

The day before the third task, Ellie's breakfast was interrupted by the very pleasant surprise of Harry and Ginny approaching the table hand in hand.

"Okay," said Ron, eyeing them warily. "Either someone's playing a very un-funny joke on me, or—"

Hermione nudged him pointedly. "We discussed this, Ronald."

Ellie, who hadn't been privy to whatever conversations about Harry and Ginny had been had between Hermione and Ron, rose to her feet to hug the couple. "I think it's great. And long overdue, if you ask me."

"Yeah," agreed Fred, grinning. "It was what, two years ago that you saved her from mortal peril, Harry?"

"I was going to tell you," Harry told Ron as they took their seats. "Ginny just thought—"

"—that it was none of your damn business, thank you very much," Ginny finished primly for Harry. "But you're welcome to show your support."

Ellie beamed at the new couple as Ron proceeded to scowl into his breakfast, but before she had the chance to say more, Cedric Diggory approached them.

"Feel free to say no," he said politely to the group, "but I thought I might see if I could join you all for breakfast—if that's alright."

Ellie tried her best not to stiffen, glancing carefully at Fred, who looked no less alarmed than she felt. Still, this was an improvement on his previous requests to get her alone; it was probably for that reason that he gave Cedric a curt nod.

"I've been really stressing about the third task," Cedric explained as he took a seat between Harry and Ellie, "and I thought you might be able to lend an ear, Harry. That, and…" He glanced carefully at Ellie. "We did say something about working on our friendship."

Ellie couldn't quite recall whether she'd shared that tidbit with Fred already, but he didn't seem to mind too much. She smiled politely at Cedric as Harry said, "Happy to lend an ear. Believe me, mate—I'm in the same boat you are."

"It's supposed to be a good thing they're letting us into the maze first," Cedric told him as he reached for some porridge, "but I can't help feeling it's just the opposite. We're supposed to pave the way for the others, having no idea what we're up against?"

"It'll just be spells and obstacles you've already encountered in class, I reckon," said Hermione supportively.

"Yeah—which puts you leagues ahead of me, having taken far more classes," pointed out Harry. "You'll be golden, I'm sure."

"Maybe," said Cedric, "but you've certainly faced your share of rather specific dangers that I haven't."

Before any of them could reply, a new figure approached them—one that still, despite having bested him, sent shivers down Ellie's spine.

Aleks.

"This is cozy," he said smugly to the group as he came to a stop by their table. "Figuring there's an advantage in numbers? Don't you know only one wizard can become the true champion?"

Cedric and Fred both shot up from their seats. It was hard to tell who looked more murderous. Fred, of course, had the track record of already having hit Aleks in the face multiple times; then again, Aleks was the reason Cedric had been lied to about an entire relationship for nearly half a year.

"You'll stay far away from me, Harry, and Ellie if you know what's good for you, Dolohov," Cedric snarled at him. "I know what you did, even if the professors don't."

"Actually, they do," Aleks said cheerfully. "Marvelous, isn't it—that they can't seem to do anything about it?"

"Doesn't mean we can't," said Fred darkly. "I'd take fifty steps back if I were you."

Aleks raised his hands in a smug surrender. "Meant no offense. Simply came to wish my two favourite champions the best of luck tomorrow."

And with that, he took his leave.

Both Cedric and Fred remained standing for a good thirty seconds after Aleks sauntered off. Finally, Cedric took a seat next to Ellie and glanced at her.

"You'll stay far away from that maze tomorrow, won't you?" he asked. "I don't know what that prat's up to, but I don't trust him."

Ellie felt her cheeks turn pink as the realization hit her yet again that, in spite of everything, Cedric Diggory still cared very deeply for her.

"I will," she promised him. "But I need you to be careful, too."

Fred certainly didn't seem thrilled by Cedric's little breakfast visit, but he didn't comment on it all day. They spent their spare hours together, as they always did, and Ellie spent most of her class periods comforting the nervous wreck that was Harry. That evening, their group joined together in the Room of Requirement for another practice session, in which Ellie's shield held its own against seven simultaneous spells, casted by Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, Ginny, Dean, and Cedric—the latter of whom had eagerly taken her up on the invitation when she asked him about it at dinner.

The next morning, they greeted Molly and Bill by the castle gates. Bill looked as cool and handsome as ever, and Molly glowed with the exuberant, motherly charm that Ellie had grown to love so much.

"My goodness," Molly breathed as she hugged Ellie and Harry in rapid succession. "Ellie and Fred, Ginny and Harry—any other couplings I should know about?"

Ron groaned as Fred laughed. "We've been working on pairing George up with Cedric Diggory, but so far, no luck."

Everyone laughed at that except for Ellie, who still felt strangely self-conscious about Molly knowing about her and Fred. "Mrs. Weasley… would you mind if we spoke alone for a moment?"

Fred glanced sharply over at Ellie, seeming taken by surprise by this request. Ellie hadn't exactly planned it, but she still felt it necessary. After all, how much heartbreak had Molly seen her son go through over Ellie? Granted, she'd likely have seen the reverse of it too if she'd been paying attention, but only one of them was actually her child.

"Of course, dear," said Molly, who looked nearly as taken aback as her son. She followed Ellie a few metres away as the rest of them headed into the castle.

"I just want you to know," Ellie said carefully, "that I'm not… we're not…" She bit her lip. "It's for real, Mrs. Weasley. With me and Fred. I love him with all my heart, and I never would have gone into this without being… sure."

Molly looked no less taken aback than before. "Well, I… I appreciate that, Ellie," she stammered. "But… why do you feel the need to tell me this?"

Ellie bit her lip. It was hard to put into words what she wanted to convey to the woman who was, for all intents and purposes, a second mother to her. "It's been… confusing with us. Rocky, at times. I guess I feared that you might think I was playing games, or… that I might hurt him."

Molly's expression softened at that. "My sweet girl," she said softly. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't noticed the tension between you two for many years, but I never questioned you or your intentions. I've seen you just as hurt by my son as I've seen him hurt by you, and I knew all along that the true reasons for that were simply because you loved each other so much. When I found out you had finally found each other, I was nothing short of ecstatic."

Molly's words filled Ellie with a happiness so warm, she could almost cry. "I hope you know how much that means to me."

"No, Ellie," said Molly, reaching out her hands to clasp Ellie's. "I hope you know how much it means to me."

By the time Ellie, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Molly, and Bill gathered in the stands to watch the third task, Ellie was so over the moon with love and happiness, she had almost forgotten about Aleks and the shadowy threats looming over them.

Almost.

"Where is he?" she whispered to Fred as the introductions came to a close and Harry and Cedric were ushered toward the entrance. "Have you seen him?"

Fred shook his head, glancing around the stands with a dark expression on his face. "I haven't. But that doesn't mean he's up to something, does it? Maybe he just gave up and didn't want to watch."

She hoped he was right, but she had a sinking feeling that he wasn't.

It wasn't much of a spectator sport, she deduced shortly after Harry and Cedric entered the maze. It was impossible to see what was going on beyond the tall, dark walls of the labyrinth, and by the time Fleur Delacour had made her way in, she was starting to panic.

"No red sparks," Ginny pointed out a bit later when she saw that Ellie's nervous expression had only intensified. "That's a good thing. Red sparks indicate—"

But she was interrupted by the sudden, loud bang of a set of red sparks shooting up from somewhere in the maze.

"It's okay," Fred promised her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "It could be any of them. And it doesn't mean something nefarious is afoot."

Only… where was Aleks?

Her mind raced as she waited, poised on the edge of her seat, clinging to Fred's hand for comfort. She thought of the promise she had made to Cedric to stay far away from the third task. Her heart ached to change into her dog form and tear off into that maze, to check on her friends and make sure they were okay, but she knew better. She couldn't risk eliminating one or both of them unintentionally.

And that was when she heard it—as crisp and clear as the day the Durmstrang boat had shown up at Hogwarts. Aleks' voice, inside her head.

What are you doing in the stands, Emma White?

She stiffened so sharply, Fred's eyes shot over to her. But she didn't speak. She wasn't sure she was capable of words.

Surely you know what's coming, don't you? What I have in store for your precious Champions?

"It's him," she whispered to Fred—so softly, she wasn't entirely sure she was audible. "Aleks. In my head."

"What's he—"

They're nearly there now—nearly to the Cup. But it isn't just a Cup, is it? It's a Portkey.

Her hand flew to her mouth to muffle the gasp that tried to escape from her.

"What?" Fred demanded in an urgent whisper. "What's he saying?"

I'd say you have five minutes now—six, at the most. Grab on in time, and you might just make it. Miss them, and you've got no chance of protecting them. Don't worry—I'll guide you there.

She shot up from her seat so fast, everyone around them looked up at her in shock.

"Got to go to the loo," she improvised, glancing pointedly at Fred. There was no way she was doing this without him. She had tried keeping Aleks' maneuvers from him before, and it had never worked to her advantage. Besides, they were in this together now. They were in everything together now.

"Me, too," said Fred awkwardly as he followed her out of the stands.

"The Cup is a portkey," she hissed at him as she power-walked down to the bottom level, doing her best not to draw attention. "He's going to guide me to it."

"To it?" Fred demanded. "Ellie, you should be nowhere near that—"

"He's going to take them!" she hissed. "Both of them—Harry and Cedric! We have to help them!"

"Even if that were true, we don't know what it means!" Fred insisted. "Take them where? Why should we—"

Let him know the Dark Lord is involved, said Aleks smugly in her head. That should light a fire for him.

He wanted Fred to come, she realized with a heavy heart. He wanted his vengeance.

They had reached the lower level. They were concealed in the shadows well enough to transform without anyone noticing. From there, she could creep her way toward the maze in her dog form, find a way in, and follow Aleks' instructions to the Cup.

"You should stay," she whispered, looking up at Fred with a heavy heart. "He wants to get back at you, Fred—for everything you've done to him. He's going to hurt you—or worse."

"Let him try!" Fred nearly shouted. "Better yet—let us both stay here! We can't just waltz into—"

"Fred," she interrupted, her voice heavy. "It's Voldemort. That's who he's been working with."

They'd known, of course—at least on some level. Sirius had suspected it; Dumbledore had, too. They'd been right to worry. They just hadn't been right to think that Ellie would be able to stay away.

Fred was silent for several seconds—enough that she quite nearly transformed without waiting for his response. Just before she did, though, he spoke.

"Fine—we'll go. But there's no way in hell you're going without me."

Well, you knew Ellie would wind up in the mix somehow, didn't you? But what does Aleks have in store for her? Stay tuned to find out, and don't forget to review and follow!