BETA WANTED!
It was time to go back to Hogwarts and Harry realized that he was going to miss Tonks a whole lot more, his feelings were growing and he accepted that. For the last few days he had been going out in public with Tonks to have lunch, buy new things and pretty much showing the community that he wasn't scared and so should they. The population in Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and other places had dropped since the reveal of Voldemort being alive, it was like they were expecting him and his followers to just appear right there and attack.
A day before going to Hogwarts Harry had organized a meeting with the Head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones and Professor Dumbledore because if there was any chance for Voldemort's rebirth with Harry involved somehow it would be then. The questioning of Barty Crouch Junior did not say why Voldemort wanted Harry, only that he wanted him in the tri-wizard tournament.
Amelia organized a lot of the Auror force as guard for the third task but Harry was still not relaxed. Dumbledore had told him that Lucius Malfoy and others who claimed the imperious were going to be attending, this was very bothersome. No doubt the idiot Fudge invited them and believed that imperious bull. Still, it worried Harry.
Harry kissed Tonks on the lips before he, Sirius and Tonks apparated to the station. Harry said goodbye to them before catching up with the group and getting into a compartment. It was time for a prank Harry decided. Harry got the group huddled together while he told them what he was going to do so they could watch. He got out his invisibility cloak and put his hand in his pocket making sure the things were inside them. He walked out of the compartment and into the back compartment where the older Slytherins were. He opened the door and tip toed quietly and laid the two pieces of string on the floor next to the seats and quietly walked out.
What Harry had done was that he put a time delay spell of the string that just happen to be invisible and holding on to a long set of crackers. The group waited and then it happened. Multiple sounds of CRACK! were heard with girls squealing with a few boys as well actually and the rest of the boys yelling. Harry and the group were pissing themselves laughing as they saw the result of Harry's actions. It was then that the train started to go which made the group go back to their compartment.
Harry saw that Adam and Megan were sitting quite close to each other and even Oliver and Katie and wondered when they were going to start to go out. Harry pulled out the Offensive spells of the Dragonlord book and started to study and memorize the spells and their effects for the task and anything that might happen after, in between or even before.
Velox Slive - With a quick swipe from top to bottom on where the caster wishes the spell to go while saying the spell, a quick long cut will slice through the air and anything in it's path.
Contere - With the caster waving the wand in a circle and then a push through the middle while saying the spell, the object that which is being cast upon will push it's self together and crush.
Draco Ignis - With the wand just being pointed while saying the spell at the target a stream of fire will be cast.
Solidum Protector - With the caster waving the wand in a circle and a push through the middle while saying the incantation a shield will appear from the wand and move forward until the caster wishes for it to stop. The shield can go as for as the caster can see and will even stop the killing curse as the shield is of solid form.
Et Curate Bone - With the caster waving the wand up and down while saying the incantation the effected area the bone will start to mend until fully healed.
Et Curate Cut - With the caster waving the wand up and down the cut while saying the incantation the effected area will start to patch up and heal.
Eventually the train made it to the station and the group got out and onto the carriages. The students had dinner and went to bed.
Lord Voldemort was thinking over the last few months and the latest plan. His original plan was to have the cup be a portkey and it would take Potter to the graveyard to perform the ritual. The blasted Crouch had been caught and his plan was ruined, he would very much like to know how he was discovered. He was sure that Crouch did an acceptable performance as Moody but he failed.
He had been found by Crouch and he contacted much to his displeasure other death eaters who had plead under the imperius curse. He was being taken care of by Goyle Senior and Travers. Goyle was as pathetic as he had remembered and Travers was still the same quick to anger annoyance but it had to do until he had his new body.
The new plan was set. He had been told by Goyle Senior that he and others that escaped Azkaban were invited by the moron Fudge to watch the third task. Voldemort directed Goyle to tell his followers not to go and only Lucius and McNair were allowed for his plan to work and not get suspected. Of course the old fool would know but Fudge was even more of a fool and would not let either Lucius or McNair be arrested.
The people knew he was alive, he wouldn't have enough time to gather his armies so he was directing his available death eaters he had at the moment to recruit. A few death eaters to the giants, werewolves and a few other creatures and half-breeds and his army would build. Still the Daily Prophet's edition of the press conference annoyed him even further, suggesting that the people stand up to him, oh he would show them fear and they would cower before Lord Voldemort.
It was 24th of June and the day of the third task and Harry was worried. Each day drawing closer and closer to the day had worried him. Of all his little adventures and near death experiences he had just tackled it head on but the waiting made him nervous. Even before the task there were Aurors present guarding the castle.
Tonks was here and so was Sirius he could see that, they were standing guard near Harry at all times which didn't bother Harry the slightest with Tonks of course they had to escape Sirius sometimes when they wanted alone time but it was fairly good and it kept his mind off of the task but now he couldn't keep his thoughts on anything else. It was the day of the third task.
The students had left the castle and went to the built up stadium and sat down on the seats. He saw reporters to the left with Rita Skeeter right in front. Dumbledore asked for the champions to gather to him so he could talk to them.
"Now I know what you are all thinking, you really don't care for the tournament anymore do you?" He asked to which they all nodded. "You just want it over with and to be safe?" He asked and again the champions nodded. "Well if that is correct then I don't see why you can't oh say help each out some of the time or even more." He said smiling. "I mean I wouldn't care and I doubt that the others would care so just be safe and no that Aurors are stationed around the pitch. All you have to do is cast red sparks from your wands into the sky and the teachers and Aurors will be in your location as fast as they can." He finished looking to all of them before nodding and turning to the crowd.
"We are gathered to watch the final task of the Tri-Wizard cup. The contestants much enter the maze, fight against whatever lies ahead and grab the cup somewhere in the maze. Now as the points have been tallied it is Harry Potter that will go first followed by Cedric Diggory, Victor Krum and finally Fleur Delacour." He finished and as he said the names their respective school would shout and cheer their names.
He turned to the champions. "Be ready and from the sound of the cannon Harry you must ent-" He was cut off from Filch firing the cannon. Dumbledore looked exasperated before turning to Harry and nodding to him for him to enter. Harry walked to the first part of the maze with trembling legs before stepping forward, turning back and watching as the hedges closed the opening leaving Harry with no way to turn back but only to step forward.
Harry continued to walk forward until he encountered his first obstacle. It was a dementer, Harry was thinking whoever thought to bring a dementor in here must have been one of the biggest idiot's he had ever heard of until he realized he wasn't hearing his mother's screams and deducted that it was a boggart. Using the counter spell for the boggart sent it back and so Harry proceeded onward.
He kept moving until he encountered a golden mist, he shot a spell into it and saw nothing happen and so he carefully placed one foot after another into the mist to find himself upside down. He thought it must have just been a fear obstacle and nothing would actually happen except turn him upside down. He made across the other side only to come across an acromantula around the corner. Quickly he aimed his wand and shouted 'Arania Exumai' sending the spider back. It was pretty much the only thing Tom Riddle had done that Harry liked, showing him that spell.
He continued onward when he encountered his next obstacle which was an Erkling. Erkling's were elfish creatures that were three foot tall on average with pointed faces. He aimed his wand but the Erkling was quite fast and moved to peck at Harry but he was no match for him who side stepped and cast 'Velox Slive' cutting at the neck making the Erkling headless. Harry again felt guilt at killing a creature be he knew that Erkling's killed and ate on children and the Erkling was probably going to die after the task anyway but it didn't make him feel better.
He kept moving until he encountered Fleur and Victor who had found each other and decided to stay together. Harry agreed to stay with them and they moved on. They came across a sphinx who gave them a riddle which said.
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
Between the three of them they came up with the answer which was spider and they were allowed to move on. They kept going until they ran into Cedric who also agreed to join them. They kept moving until they saw the cup which was about 50 meters away and when they saw they looked at each other for a few second before they all sprinted off into the direction trying the get to the cup. They were about the same length away when they saw vines coming out of the ground and trying to wrap around their legs, they still managed to go until they came across a bundimun which was a greenish very eyes fungus that can spit out acid, this made them stop which allowed the vines to grab on to Krum and Fleur's legs dragging them down to the ground. Cedric and Harry both looked to them which allowed the Bundimun the chance to shoot acid at them which made contact with Cedric's right arm making Cedric fall to the ground.
Harry was about to help when his feet were being pulled wand was knocked out of his hand when a vine came out of the ground and hit his hand. Fleur was still screaming and Harry knew he couldn't do anything to help so he just grabbed his wand and shouted 'periculum' into the air causing a red spark to come out of his wand into the air. When suddenly the vines retracted and they sighed in piece. Fleur was about half way through and so was Krum but Cedric was knee deep, they all had lost their wands except for Harry.
When suddenly footsteps were heard and they looked up to see two figures coming towards them. It was Rita Skeeter and a man hidden in a black cloak. The man disarmed Harry and placed his under 'petrificus totalis'. The two of them grabbed Harry and pulled him over to the cup meanwhile the other champions were shouting and only when Sirius, Tonks, some of the Aurors and teachers arrive 10 seconds later did they see two figures and obviously Harry taken away by touching the cup which was a portkey.
YES I REALIZE THAT HAVING RITA SKEETER HERE IS VERY WEIRD BUT GIVE IT A CHANCE. YOU'LL SEE WHAT SHE IS DOING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.