Disclaimer:

How many times must I say it? I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR MAXIMUM RIDE!


I'M A BAD PERSON, I REALIZE THIS!

The reason I haven't updated in forever was because I had serious writers block. I had a chapter ready since January, but HATED it. I couldn't stand it actually being a part of the story, and decided to put off the entire story UNTIL I found a better way to write the chapter. I finally had to figure out WHY Max's name was put in the cup, and all of the stuff I had told myself "Oh, I can wait until later to figure that out." -.- So, last night, I had an epiphany as I was in a terrible insomnia-like state. I found the reason for which I searched a year for. It was like coming upon the question, and knowing the answer! Everything suddenly became clear! And that's why it took me a year to write this. Because Writer's Block is a [censored]. I know this is probably not a valid excuse, but I really didn't like the chapter and I feel really bad about it taking this long. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, I just wanted you all to know.

So, how's everyone's year been?


I was laying flat on my stomach, and everything ached. I groaned, getting into a sitting position. My head was still spinning, and I felt like lunch was getting ready to come back up. Tenderly, I touched my temples, and waited a moment to come back down to Earth. "Max? Cedric? Are you okay?" Harry's voice asked. I looked around, and spotted both boys a few feet away from me. Harry was in a low crouch, looking around. Cedric was already on his feet. I looked around for the trophy, which was several yards away.

"Fine," I muttered. I looked around, trying to find out where we were. Just by turning my head a little, it was obvious that we were in a graveyard. Behind us was a statue of an angel, irony at its finest. In front of us a cauldron. That's when I heard it, footsteps, coming from somewhere other than near us. "Come on," I hissed, grabbing Cedric's arm and pulling him toward me. I gave a glance at Harry, who had been reading a tombstone and now looked in what may as well have been fear, and he followed our lead while adjusting his glasses - or maybe touching his forehead? He hissed in what may have been pain or agony. We quickly scrambled, and then crouched behind tombstones that probably would protect us, but hopefully the darkness would keep us hidden long enough.

"What is it?" Harry whispered.

"Somebody's coming," I answered, trying to look around. It was dark, but not unbearably. I poked my head out from behind the grave, and looked. In the distance, I could see a man walking toward us. Short and plump, who almost reminded me of a rat. He was holding something that looked like a human head. Even by my standards, this was getting a little to freaking. "One man," I reported softly. "Holding something that looks like a head. And... I think the thing just blinked. Yeah, the head is still alive. Crazy enough." I wished that Angel was here. It would definitely help out about now.

"Th-There's an extra," a voice stuttered. He was definitely afraid, though of what I really wasn't sure of why.

"Then kill the spare," a second voice hissed. This one was terrible, and sent a shiver up my spine. I peaked out from behind the tomb, keeping my breath steady. I could see only one person, he was looking in the opposite direction. Cedric looked about ready to stand up and fight, but I grabbed his arm and yanked him, giving him a look saying, "Are you stupid? Or just have a death wish?"

Harry had moved over to Cedric and I so that we were behind three tombs in a row. "Do you know this guy Harry?" I whispered.

Harry looked out nervously, and immediately drew back. There was something I recognized in his eyes though. A fire, angry, one that made me wonder the history between the two. "Yeah," he answered. "Peter Pettigrew... He, well- he's pretty pathetic alone..." His hands roamed over his scar for a moment, he then he nearly doubled-over in pain.

"Harry?" Cedric sputtered, his eyes widening. I continued to hold him down so he wouldn't move. There was no need to get ourselves caught, and Harry was doing his best to stay quiet already. There was a random roar, and light flooded around us, the fire under the cauldron had started. We clung to the shadows.

"No," he answered. I looked back again, to see what this Pettigrew guy was doing. Almost the second I did, I looked him straight in the eye.

He pointed his wand and a red light burst out. I jumped back, landing against a second tomb and hitting my back hard against the cross of stone. I let out a gasp, and the others realized that we had been spotted. The footsteps were no longer walking, but running.

Harry cried, "Get back to the Portkey!" Standing up, he and Cedric were sprinting, but I felt frozen. I couldn't move from the pain in my back, but still tried to anyways. I had never felt so useless before, and there was a sharp pain in my wing.

Wasn't it bad enough that I couldn't fight, now I could barely move as well? If this guy didn't kill me first, I was sure that I would have died of embarrassment right there. Harry and Cedric almost immediately realized that I wasn't with them, and they turned back, ducking under the tombs to try and reach me as the man slung curses - most seemed toward Cedric. I wondered why he hadn't killed me yet, I was laying there like a pig for slaughter and this Pettigrew guy hadn't killed me. Had he forgotten me? I could barely move my wing from my fall, and I doubted that I would have been able to fly and just carry the two to the Portkey - or anywhere else if that was what it came to.

Just as I was able to move, Harry reached me, Cedric about two yards behind him.

Then, just as I was able to get to me feet, I felt something hit me in the back. I had no time to react, my body seized up and I couldn't do anything except fall forward. At the same time, Cedric looked back to me and I saw a green light hit him square in the chest. I landed on my face, and warm blood spurted from my nose. Why was I so useless!

"Cedric!" Harry cried, and then I saw him seize up to. He rose though, and floated to the statue that held him as it's prisoner. A moment later I felt myself rise as well, and the statue opened its other arm. I was held prisoner by another winged being. This was just perfect.

The second voice then hissed, "Do it! Now!"

We watched, as Pettigrew dropped what looked to be the body of a starving child into the cauldron. He turned, and pointed his wand toward the grave and from below us a bone rose. "Bone, of the father. Unwillingly, given," he stuttered. The bone burst into flames and dropped into the pot. He then put back his wand, and brought out a knife. This was a new one. "Flesh, of a servant, willingly sacrificed." He looked away and I wished that I could have too. In one swift motion the knife came down and his right hand was gone.

His beady eyes then turned to us, "Blood, of the enemy," he moved to Harry. The knife purged deep into his right arm and the knife came back tainted by Harry. "Forcibly taken." Harry cried out, then he turned to me. He didn't stop screaming, and I could almost imagine the pain he must have been suffering. Instead of cutting me though, he simply placed the knife under my frozen nose, and let it spill out. Why did he need my blood? Why was I the enemy?

Moving back to the cauldron, he began shaking our merging blood into the cauldron saying, "The Dark Lord, shall rise, again!"

I knew that it wasn't good. The man Harry had told us about, this Voldamor guy. From hearing Harry's tales, he didn't get the name for doing charity work. Harry screamed in agonizing pain, in my ear no less, that made me want to wince. Still though, I was frozen. What had the man done to me?

Pettigrew ran as fire poured from the liquid in the cauldron. A bubbling mass protruded, and never before had I wanted to runaway so badly. The form oozed and shifted, until it somewhat resembled a nose-less human. Slits for eyes, and pale as the moon. Bald as could be, I was just glad that he was clothed. He felt himself over, as if making sure he was human again. Pettigrew returned. The man slowly wandered over to the stuttering jerk, and simply hissed, "My wand, Wormtail."

Boney fingers rose to meet it, and he held it so tenderly in his hands for a moment. "Hold out your arm, Wormtail," the man ordered. Pettigrew looked thankful for a moment. He held out his missing hand just for this Dark Lord guy to snap, "The other one arm, Wormtail."

Wormtail obeyed, and the man placed his wand on his forearm. The clouds seemed to twist out of their already dark shape, and a skull appeared. Cracking its mouth opened, a snake began to twist.

Harry was freaking out as dark shapes began to fall to the Earth. A small force, probably more of this guy's lackeys. Voldemort began to talk, and I didn't understand half of what he had been saying. After a moment, we watched as Wormtail grew a silver arm, and then he turned to Cedric. "Such a handsome boy," he said, carefully putting his hand to his face.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Harry shouted in rage, as he continued to struggle against the angel's tight hold.

He turned, and started to move toward us. I wish I could have kicked Harry, it was better when he had been ignoring us. "Ah, Harry, I almost forgot you were there. And you, Miss Ride. How very ungentlemanly of me, forgetting that we have a lady in our presence." Chuckles spread out over the men. If I could move he would have had spit right in the middle of his face. "You two, are standing on the bones of my father. I'd introduce you, Mr. Potter, but word is out that you're almost as famous as me. Unlike Miss Ride here. Has anybody heard of her?"

One man stood forward, I had forgotten his name though. He had long, platinum blond hair that hung to his shoulder. "My son, my Lord," he said, "Has mentioned her several times. A nuisance."

The snake-like man turned to him and said, "Lucius, you seem to not know of Miss Ride's great importance. You see, she is not human, like the rest of us. She barely qualifies to have even a vein of magic in her blood." The group looked around curiously, confused by their master's words. "You see, she is not fully human... She is part bird." There seemed to be nervous snickering among the crowd, as if they didn't believe him.

"They don't believe you Miss Ride, would you like to... Show them?" He swished his wand, and whatever had had its hold on me was gone. I wasn't able to relax for a second though, for a green light erupted from the tip of his wand, and a voice filled my head seconds later. Not my voice, a different one.

Spread your wings. Fly.

I was in my own world for that one moment. I very nearly forgot about where I was. That was what I wanted more than anything, to get away. Everything that I had been taught about this curse was forgotten, and in that one second, that one second that I thought about obeying I felt my wings emerge from my back. One hit Harry quite hard in the face by the feel of it.

Gasps rang out from around me, but I still floated in that world, dazed and confused I tried to pull myself back to the one place I hated at the moment: Earth.

Wings back.

I didn't have to be told that twice - Harry looked uncomfortable after all. A moment later, the sensation was lifted, and I was left to struggle along with Harry against the stone.

"Yes, with such a small change to her system she became strange. A muggle, who now lives among those of pure-blood. Not only that, she is an animal. She is the symbol of all that are filthy, animals. Muggles."

"Yet you took my blood," I spat back, glaring at him dead on.

The people seemed nervous about this fact. "True, but do you know why?" I didn't answer, I just stared back at him.

"Because, just like poor Harry here, who was protected, so were you. Harry, your filthy mudblood of a mother, dying to protect you. Giving you a protection, that I could not fight against. Love. Lily Potter's love is the only thing that saved you that night, an old magic that I didn't foresee. But now Harry, with your blood within me, I too have that love. I have that protection, so now, not only do I have a magical protection about me, but..." He practically ran forward, and just touched Harry's face with both of his hands. Harry screamed in unbearable agony. "I can touch you."

When he pulled away, Harry was left nearly in tears in pain. I glared back at him, "What about me? As you said, I'm a muggle. Why would you need my blood?"

Voldemort simply looked over me and said, "Because Miss Ride, you had something that made you... exceptional. Your eyes. Your flight."

"A two percent DNA change, will that really help you in the long run? Do you have wings-"

"No," he snapped, grabbing my mouth to silence me. He puckered my lips with his boney, cold, dead-like hands and held me there for a long time. I was scared, but I wouldn't show that to him. There was more to lose than my life right now. I couldn't think of how the Flock would deal with me gone. Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Total, Fang? What would happen to my family if I showed him this fear?

He gave a toothy smile and said, "But, you have senses that even magic couldn't have put into you for more than a few minutes. A vision, that stretches far beyond what you should. Regeneration, that even counters that of magical use. Senses beyond belief that magic could only give you for a limited amount of time you have with you at all moments. Not to mention... a voice inside your head." For a moment I let myself wonder why he hadn't chosen the girl who won the lottery with mutations, but didn't say anything.

I wanted to know how he knew about that, how he had even the slightest clue of what I knew. "Why me though?"

He smiled again, "Because, you were the least talented in magic. Besides, did I want to risk becoming blind because of that pathetic child in your group?"

I swung out a foot that missed, "Don't. Say. That."

He only laughed, "Now, as I was saying. These powers that you naturally have, there must be more that you probably don't know about. But, I'll find them out before you. In due time. Just a few drops, who knew?"

He pulled away at a speed that I had only seen the Flock and I achieve. Crap. We were released, and fell to the ground. For once, I relished the Earth, and almost didn't want to get up. Then, I felt something pull me to my feet. "A duel, why not?" he asked.

I was pretty sure he didn't mean a duel like the ones we practiced at school. He meant a duel to the death. "Ladies first, right Miss Ride?"

"No!" Harry cried. "It's me you want."

"If you insist then, Potter," he cried. The two did an awkward bow, and the next second a green and red light collided in midair. Fighting against each other, I admit I stood practically frozen behind Harry. Suddenly, a white, airy substance started to swirl around. We, the lackeys and I, watched in silence as forms appeared.

First there was Cedric, then an woman I'd never seen, an old man who cheered for Harry, and then two at the same time. A man and a woman, who carefully held Harry in their arms, almost like they were cradling him. It was the man who spoke first. "Harry, when the connection is broken you must get to the Portkey." Harry looked at the man as if he and the woman were the only things in the world. "We can linger for a moment to give you some time, but only a moment. Do you understand?"

Then Cedric spoke, "Harry, Max, take my body back to my father?" Harry and I nodded numbly to him, and then it was the woman's turn to speak.

"Sweetheart," she seemed pained by the words as she spoke it, as if she wanted to wait longer, "You're ready. Let go. Let go!" she cried, and then Harry broke the chain and the ghosts threw themselves to Voldemort as Harry and I ran to Cedric's body.

He then sent out his wand and screamed, "Accio portkey!" The cup flew to us. I held onto Harry, who grabbed Cedric. A howl from Voldemort sounded, and the next thing I knew we were sitting in the grass at Hogwarts. A band playing to cheer the winner, and Harry was crying. I fell away, and sat back, overwhelmed by what was going on. My eyes scanned the crowd, until I saw the Flock that was cheering along with the rest of them. (Or at least Gazzy, Iggy, Angel, and Nudge were. Fang was just standing there with a rare smile on his face.) Then, there was a scream.

The realization that Cedric was dead spread like a wave, and suddenly we were being tossed around. Harry was crying, teachers and staff were running around trying to figure out what had happened. A man, who I assumed was Cedric's father, was cradling the dead boy. The Flock, Luna, Hermione, and Ron were trying to fight their way through the crowd toward us.

I didn't realize that I was practically being dragged away. Professor Moody was leading us through the halls, and my mind was spinning. The image of Cedric's father holding him burning in my mind and I could only think of one thing: was that how I had looked when Ari died?


Somebody is going to shoot me, aren't they? -.-

Please review, despite me not writing, I do read every review and they make me smile. :)

(And trust me, you'll thank me that it came out like this rather than the first one. The other one... I might just make a bonus chapter at the end of all of this, just to show everyone how terrible it was.)