AN: we're getting to the end of fourth year and I still don't own anything.
CHAPTER 20 - shadow maze
The evening of the spring equinox, as the sun started dipping behind the mountain ridge circling the valley where Hogwarts had been built, the four champions entered in the labyrinth in order of decreasing position in the Tournament scoreboard.
Chandra, having come last in the dragon task, got in last but found none of the others waiting as agreed. Surmising that they had been forced to move by something, she decided to try her hand at actually competing. Deciding against trying to burn her way to the center in a bout of sportsmanship, she started jogging onwards. She skittered beyond some obstacles –like the adorable blast-ended skewretts, which were certainly fireproof– and fought others face to face –like the huge spider that ended up a charred husk, which surely meant it wasn't as resistant as Hagrid pets– while searching for the others and the cup.
She did find Victor, unconscious in a clearing filled with giant mushrooms of various size and colour. After burning down a couple of stalks that were ever so slowly slithering towards the young man she covered her face with her left arm and went in to drag him away. She then threw a shower of sparks in the sky and continued down a different route.
Around five minutes after leaving Victor, Fleur jumped in front of her from behind a corner, wand poised to cast.
"I'm vraiment desolee Chandra," said the blonde anticipating the other's question "But I need to win this to prove to ma Chère that I'm more interesting than Hermione."
"You know that Liliana and Hermione aren't like that, right? But sure, feel free to win, you know I don't actually care," said the pyromancer shrugging "Wanna join forces to get to the goal?"
Fleur shook her head and said: "Can't risk it, not after Cedrìc."
"Cedric? What happened?"
"We got separèe from Victòr after having to flee from the entrance. We passed some obstacles then arrived in a dark corridor. He turned around and tried to kill me, avec pas de raison!"
"So you stunned him?" asked Chandra studying the distressed teen in front of her "Or did you...?"
"Non, I just stunned him. Like I'll do with you. Stupefy!"
The red spell flew fast, but the redhead had been watching out just for that and nimbly dodged under it since the hedges formed a too narrow corridor to roll or jump to the side. That of course left her open to Fleur's follow-up –another stunner– that would have surely found its mark hadn't Chandra thrown a small fireball in its trajectory.
Using the flash from the small scale explosion resulting from the two spells impacting, the pyromancer ran backwards and around the closest corner, managing to just barely avoiding two more spells.
"I don't want to hurt you Fleur!" she called from behind the cover.
"Zen let me stun you!" bit back the other girl "Bombarda!"
"That's not a stunner!" shouted Chandra diving to avoid the blast, surely aimed to demolish her cover.
The corner of the hedge –and a good portion of the surrounding corridor– exploded in a large shower of dirt and burnt bits of wood, and Fleur peeked from behind the destroyed part. She was forced to dodge a spray of magma before she could capitalize though.
"Cut it out Fleur!" warned Chandra getting up, her hair already ignited "You know that I'm not famous for my restraint."
The blonde girl was lying on the ground, wand still trained on her opponent despite the fact that she was trembling. Wether that was due to fear or to the hole that the molten matter was eating through the hedge where her head had been, Chandra didn't know nor ask.
"Pour ma Chère," said Fleur stilling her hand and starting a stabbing gesture with the wand.
Chandra kicked her hard in the gut, then took her wand away while she wheezed and coughed. Fleur of course didn't let it go easily, but in the end Chandra was better positioned and more fit.
"You know, winning this wouldn't have changed anything: Liliana likes you and likes messing with people's heads. It's her nature," said Chandra spinning the girl's wand around her fingers "I was willing to let you win, to help you even, but no, you had to start throwing spells around..."
She heaved a deep sigh then leaned closer, offering her friend a hand. Fleur stared uncomprehendingly at the other girl.
"Come on, I still think we're better off helping each other," explained Chandra smirking "But don't throw another explosive spell my way or I'll burn you, ok?"
Apparently the organizers had thought that Chandra's pyromancy was the only thing they needed to account for: they had chosen a plant that regrew faster than she could actually burn it, and even magma-based spells or large explosions couldn't open viable passages for long enough to let a person through. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't planned for more creative uses of those spells.
"Let me see if I've compris tous," said Fleur tilting her head to the side to show her confusion "You want to attack ze roots?"
"Yeah! Think about it: if we can't go through the hedges, we'll uproot them!" explained Chandra while wildly gesticulating like an excited kid, all thoughts of the recent fight forgotten.
"Ok..." the French witch's voice spoke volumes of her unsureness "How?"
"By exploding them!" said the pyromancer, a manic gleam in her eyes as she put on her goggles, before adding to answer the question painted on Fleur's face "I know I sound pretty bipolar, but hey, better them than you, no?"
The blonde could hardly debate that, so they got to work: she used strings of bombarda to clear the dirt away and damage the roots while Chandra cast twin streams of magma to separate the singular plants from those adjacent.
It took the two teens almost half an hour of continuously tearing down walls in a straight line and defeating or scaring various creatures –a sphinx, a manticore, a group of goblinoids with red hats, and a weird thing that looked like an infested black cloak that scared Fleur but that burned real nice– but they finally stood in a clearing with nothing else but a podium and an ornate crystal cup.
"So that's it," said Chandra replacing her goggles on her forehead and staring at the trophy dispassionately "Kinda tacky."
Fleur initially said nothing, but since the silence was stretching she asked: "Aren't you going to take it?"
"Why? I don't care for fame or money, my days as thief are dead and gone."
"But you earned it, you had me beaten!" protested the French girl, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"That's true, but you can still have it," replied the pyromancer shrugging.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither willing to concede to the other. It was a contest of wills, one that hanged completely on their mettle and beliefs. Dumbledore had said that in the maze they would have to face themselves, and that was it.
After the silence had reigned for a solid minute, Fleur said with all the determination she could muster: "Togezer. That's ze least I'm going to accept. If I took ze cup it would be an insult to my honor and your efforts."
Chandra sighed and looked up at the dark sky, then asked: "You're not going to give up, are you?"
She got no answer other than Fleur's hard stare, which was one in itself. She sighed again. Life was easier when you could solve all your problems by burning them down.
"Fine, let's go with your plan. But you're still getting the money!"
They each grabbed one handle of the cup and felt the sensation of a hook behind their navels as described by Dumbledore. What followed was a confused maelstrom of colours that Chandra couldn't really describe except with the world nauseating, but they appeared right out of the maze, on a raised dais where minister Fudge waited along the six judges. Immediately a jaunty fanfare started playing and the minister –after an initial moment of obvious surprise and uncertainty– went to shake their hands while proclaiming them the newest Triwizard Champions.
The night could have ended with a large celebration, much rejoicing and most certainly with lots of alcohol, like those kind of events always should; instead a voice from amid the tribune cried "Portus!". Before everything dissolved into another confused whirl of colours, Chandra saw a huge, glowing green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth appeared in the heavens above them.