AUTHORS NOTE! :P

Well hello my very patient readers. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but as you all know, I had the Junior Cert, and only finished a few days ago. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and understanding. You guys are amazing.

Now, this story only has a few chapters left :( But I will be getting straight into Year 5, so there won't be too long of a wait, I promise :)

Can we try and get 500 reviews by the end of this story? That would be amazing!

Now I shall answer you're reviews!

Cookie Spasms: Tests are just torture, aren't they?

Centurion Shish-Kebab: I actually never thought about that! Oh my Gosh, that's actually an amazing idea!

desertforest21: You're very welcome :)

BethZ: I really wanted to see that! Are you thinking of Wolverine? Yeah, X-Men are awesome.

AnikaandAj: I know right? Apparently, there will be 2 more Avengers movies! :O I can't wait. And Robert Downey Junior is gonna be in the next 2! Can't wait!

AquilineFeline: Well as far as I know, the name for the Supernatural fandoms is Hunters, so I have no idea where that's coming from. Thanks!

Ravenclaw Wizard Angel: I know! It was hard enough before, and then they had to go ahead and bring Castiel into it, and it made it harder to pick one!

PatrickNotStar: Should I be scared... ;) Well, here's the chapter!

almp15: Thanks. And that will be revealed more in Year 5.

ValkyrieEverdeen12: That shirt sounds amazing! And I'm guessing from your name that you're a fan of Skulduggery Pleasant? I love those books!

Patrick: Well I've never heard of that book series, but I'll definitely look into them. And that actually made me laugh so hard! I'm definitely doing that next time I prank call someone!

Artemis Snow: Sorry to say, but I really do not like Twilight. But I have actually thought of a Maximum Ride Supernatural crossover, but I have so many ideas for different stories, and I really don't want to start doing more than one at the same time, that I have no idea when I'll be able to get around to it.

Now, onwards with the story!

Enjoy!

-Rach ;)

Max's POV

Wormtail approached Harry and I, and I tried backing up as much as possible into the headstone before he reached me. Wormtail went to Harry first, and pulled the gag out of Harry's mouth with his new, silver hand. Then, with a single swipe of his wand, he had cut away the ropes tying Harry to the headstone.

Wormtail never gave Harry the opportunity to run. He kept the strong, silver hand on the back of Harry's robes at all time as he removed my gag and ropes. He pulled me roughly to my feet, ignoring me when I swayed dangerously. My left wrist was painfully throbbing from when I freed myself from the ropes. Glancing down at it, I winced. It definitely looked broken.

I looked at Harry, and he smiled sadly at me and mouthed `it's going to be okay.' I smiled back, knowing that it wasn't.

The Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around us and Voldemort. Wormtail excited the circle and went over to where Cedric's body lay and picked up Harry's wand. He pulled my wand out of his robe pockets. He thrust them back into our hands roughly and I had to hold mine in my right hand. Wormtail then resumed his place in the circle with the Death Eaters.

"You both have been taught to duel, I presume?" Voldemort said softly.

At his words, I remembered the dueling club at Hogwarts more than two years ago... Where we had leaned the Disarming Spell, "Expelliarmus." But what good would that spell do now, against Voldemort and his thirty morons? We had never learned anything that could possibly prepare us for this.

When neither of us responded, Voldemort said, "First, we bow to each other," he said, bending down a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned towards us. "Come now, the niceties must be observed...Dumbledore wouldn't want you two to forget your manners...Bow to death, Harry...Max..."

The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemort was grinning. I didn't bow, and neither did Harry. I was definitely not going to let Voldemort play with me before he killed me... I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction...

"I said bow," Voldemort said, raising his wand- and I felt like there was a massive hand pressing down on my spine, causing me to bend over into a bow. I saw the same thing happening to Harry beside me. The Death Eaters roared with laughter.

"Excellent," Voldemort said softly, and he flicked his wand and the pressure from my back was gone. I stood up as straight as I could. "Now, I don't think two on one is very fair... So I shall duel with Harry first, if you don't mind Maximum... Lucius, hold her back..."

Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the circle and grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back. Pain flared from my wrist, but I bit down hard on my lip to stop from crying out.

Voldemort smirked and faced Harry again. "And now, Harry, you face me like a man... straight-backed and proud, just like your father when I killed him...And now, we duel."

I saw the fierce determination in Harry's emerald eyes, but I also saw the pain and the fear. The uncertainty. He didn't know what to do to get out of this one. And neither did I.

The whole world turned into slow motion when Voldemort raised his wand and hit Harry with the Cruciatus Curse before he could defend himself. I fought against Malfoy's grip as Harry dropped to the group, screaming in agony and twitching on the floor, his body going into a full out spasm. I yelled and kicked out, but Malfoy only tightened his grip.

Finally, the curse stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled unsteadily to his feet. I noticed that he was shaking uncontrollably. Did I look like that when the curse was on me?

When Harry got to his feet, he stumbled into the wall of Death Eaters, who pushed his back towards Voldemort.

"A little break," Voldemort said, his slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, "a little pause... That hurt, didn't it Harry? You don't want me to do that again, am I right?"

Harry didn't answer, he just stood there, shaking and panting.

"And I'm guessing you don't want me to do it to Maximum?"

Harry looked over at me at that. He looked between me and Voldemort, but still didn't say anything.

Voldemort almost smiled. He raised his wand again, this time pointed at me.

"Crucio!"

"NO!"

I didn't even feel myself falling to the ground. There were thousands of white hot knives piercing every part of my body. I could vaguely hear myself screaming... I thought my head was going to burst open at any minute... And then it was over. I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself onto my knees. My head was spinning and I felt nauseous. Guess getting hit with the Cruciatus Curse this much in one night wasn't agreeing with me. I wanted nothing more than to whip out my wings and fly to safety, but there was something keeping my wings to my back. Besides, I wouldn't be able to leave Harry... and Cedric.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling. I looked around for Harry, and saw him being held back by two big Death Eaters. Voldemort didn't even spare me a glance. He was staring at Harry, his red eyes glistening in the darkness.

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again, and because you didn't answer, Max had to suffer. Now I want you to answer me. Answer me! Imperio!"

I watched, helpless, as Harry's face went blank, and the fierce light went from his eyes. But he still didn't speak. I saw the war raging behind his eyes. He was resisting the Imperius Curse again. Despite everything, I grinned.

Voldemort kept asking Harry over and over again whether he wanted to be tortured again, telling him to just say no, to just answer him, but Harry never opened his mouth. Then a look of frustration and pain swept over Harry's face and he yelled, "I WON'T!"

Harry's shout echoed around the graveyard. He looked alert again. But that didn't help out situation.

"You won't?" Voldemort said quietly. None of the Death Eaters were laughing now. I was breathing heavily, my heart hammering inside my chest. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is something I need to teach you and Max before you die...Perhaps another dose of pain?"

Voldemort raised his wand again, but before the curse could hit him, Harry had dived to the ground and rolled behind the headstone of Voldemort's father. It cracked as the curse hit it.

"We are not going to play hide-and-seek, Harry," Voldemort said. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you're tired of our duel? Does this mean you'll just leave you friend to die, Harry? Come out, Harry...come out and play, and then I promise, it will be quick. It could even be painless, but I wouldn't know... I've never died..."

It was then that I realised that Malfoy never grabbed me again after the Cruciatus Curse. No one was retraining me. Slowly, I went down onto my knees and crawled behind the wall of Death Eaters. I saw Harry crouched down behind the headstone, but he didn't see me.

I crawled slowly and carefully towards him, using my left elbow instead of my hand because of my broken wrist, and thankfully the Death Eaters were paying too much attention to Voldemort to notice me crawling behind them. I crawled behind Wormtail, and saw my wand poking out of his pocket. I went down onto my elbows to I wouldn't put pressure on my wrist, and reached up with my good hand and carefully pulled my wand from his pocket. He never noticed. Idiot.

With my wand in my right hand, I continued to crawl awkwardly behind the oblivious Death Eaters. Just when I thought I had made it without being seen, the Death Eater I was crawling behind turned slightly and saw me. Crap.

Move, Max. Get up and run.

Don't you think if I could run, I bloody would have?

"Hey!" the Death Eater shouted. He turned around quickly and before I could roll out of the way, the Death Eater brought his foot back and kicked me hard in the ribs. I cried out in pain. At least two of my ribs were broken.

I tucked my wand away so the Death Eater wouldn't see it. He reached down and pulled me roughly to my feet, causing pain to flare through my whole body. The Death Eater pulled me roughly around, so that I could see what Voldemort was doing. The little colour still in my face drained. Voldemort was approaching the headstone Harry was hiding behind.

And Harry wasn't moving.

He wasn't running.

He just stayed there.

Voldemort was going to kill him.

Oh God.

But just before Voldemort could go around the headstone, Harry stood up and thrust his wand out in front of him.

Ignoring the pain, I brought my foot up and kicked the Death Eater that was holding me as hard as I could in the shin. He let me go and I raced over to Harry. Harry pushed me gently behind him and turned to face Voldemort, the two of them pointing their wands at each other.

Then, at the same time, Harry yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" and I cried, "Stupefy!"

A jet of green light shot from Voldemort's wand, and two jet's of red light came from me and Harry's wands. The three lights met in midair, and suddenly my wand started vibrating so hard my hand shook, and my muscles seized in my arm. I couldn't have dropped the wand if I wanted to. I risked a glance at Harry, and the same thing seemed to be happening to him.

A thin light connected the three wands, neither green nor red, but a bright, deep gold.

And then a familiar feeling washed over me- my feet were leaving the ground. I was flying. But not from my wings. Me, Harry and Voldemort were all floating in the air, our wands still connected by the thread of shimmering light. We glided away from Voldemort's fathers headstone and came to a rest on a patch of ground that was clear of graves... The Death Eaters were yelling, asking Voldemort what to do; they were coming closer, reforming the circle under us, some of them drawing their wands.

The golden thread connecting the three wands splintered- though the wands remained connected, a thousand light beams arched over our heads, criss crossing all around us, until we were enclosed in a golden dome-shaped web, beyond which the Death Eaters circled around, their cries muffled now...

"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters. "Do nothing unless I command it!"

My head was spinning. I felt sick. I was barely able to keep my wand up. My wrist and ribs were throbbing painfully. My vision was swimming and I was finding it hard to focus on anything.

But when an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air, all of that faded from my mind. The sound was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around me, Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound I vaguely recognised, but I didn't know what it was.

It was the sound of hope. And as the sound filled the air, it was almost as if someone was speaking in my ear...

Don't break the connection.

I know, I thought. I know. I won't break the connection. But even as I thought it, than the thing became much harder to do. My wand started vibrating more powerfully than ever...and now the beam between the wands changed too... it was as though large beads of light were sliding up and down the thread connecting the wands- I felt my wand give a shudder under my hand as the light beads began to slide slowly my way... I turned my head and shared a shocked look with Harry.

As the closest bead of light moved closer and closer towards my wand tip, the wood under my fingers grew so hot I feared that it would burst into flames. The closer the bead moved, the harder the wand vibrated- it felt like it would shatter at any minute. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw beads of light heading towards Harry and Voldemort's wands.

Then, the beads of light heading towards Harry's wand started moving back, towards Voldemort's. I noticed that Voldemort's wand started vibrating harder and harder.

Right, I thought, I just have to make the beads of light move towards snake-face. How the hell am I supposed to do that?

I concentrated with everything I had to keep that bead of light away from my wand, but my head was still spinning and I was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Very, very slowly the beads of light quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, it began to move the other way- towards Voldemort's wand.

Voldemort looked astonished, almost fearful.

The bead of light from Harry's wand was now inches from Voldemort's. In the next few minutes, the one from my wand was there too, and the merged together, forming a bigger bead of light. Slowly, the bead of light moved back, and finally, it connected to Voldemort's wand.

At once, Voldemort's wand started to emit echoing screams of pain, of agony... then- Voldemort's red eyes widened in shock- a dense smoky hand flew out of the tip of it and vanished...the ghost of the hand he had made for Wormtail... more shouts of pain... and then something much larger began to emerge from Voldemort's wand, a great, greyish something, that looked like it was made of the solidest, densest smoke...it was a head...now a chest and arms... the torso of Cedric...

I almost dropped my wand from shock, but instinct kept me clutching my wand tightly, so the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick grey ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it a ghost? It just looked so solid) emerged entirely from the end of Voldemort's wand...and this shade of Cedric stood up, looked around, and spoke.

"Harry, Max, you need to hold on," it said.

Its voice was distant and echoing. I looked at Voldemort... his red eyes were still shocked...he hadn't expected this more than me and Harry did... And very dimly, I could hear the frightened yells of the Death Eaters, prowling around the edges of the golden dome... More screams of pain from the wand... and then something else emerged from from the tip of Voldemort's wand...

The dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and a torso...an old man emerged the same way Cedric had, and his ghost, or his shadow, or whatever the hell it was, fell next to Cedric's and surveyed me, Harry and Voldemort, and the golden web, and the connecting wands with mild surprise, leaning on his walking stick.

"He was a real wizard then?" the old man said, his eyes on Voldemort. "Killed me, he did. You two fight him..."

Already another head was emerging, and this head was a woman's. By now, both my arms were shaking as I fought to keep my wand still.

The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle in front of her.

"Don't let go, not now!" she cried, and her voice echoed like Cedric's and the old man's. "Don't let him go- don't let go!"

She and the two other shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of the golden web, and they whispered as they circled us, words of encouragement to me and Harry, and hissed words I couldn't hear to Voldemort.

And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort's wand... and I knew who it was straight away.

The smoky shadow of a tall man with untidy dark hair fell to the ground beside Bertha, straightened up and looked at Harry. And Harry stared back into the face of his father.

"Your mother is coming," James Potter said to Harry after smiling at me, "She wants to see you... it will be all right... hold on..."

And then came Lily Potter. First her head, then her body... she was a pretty, young woman with long hair. She fell to the ground beside her husband and straightened up to look at Harry.

I looked back at Voldemort's wand in time to see someone else emerge from his wand, and I knew who it would be, knew that I'd be seeing her since I saw Cedric emerge from the wand.

The smoky shadow of a woman with long, curly dark blonde emerged from the tip of Voldemort's wand. I stared at my mother as she fell to the ground beside Harry's mum. She smiled at me as her and Lily walked closer to us. Lily spoke in the same, distant, echoing voice as the others, but quietly, so that Voldemort couldn't hear her, his face now livid with fear as his old victims prowled around him.

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments, but we will give you time... you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts... do you understand, Harry, Max?"

"Yes," we both said at the same time, fighting to keep a hold on our wands.

"Harry... Max..." whispered the shadow of Cedric, "take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents."

I didn't have the strength to nod or speak. Harry said, "We will."

"Do it now," my mother said, "be ready to run...do it now!"

"NOW!" Harry yelled. I wasn't sure I would of been able to hold on any longer anyway. I pulled my wand upward, and beside me Harry did the same. The golden thread broke; the cage of light disappeared and the strange beautiful song died- but the shadowy figures of Voldemort's victims didn't vanish- they were closing in on Voldemort, shielding us from his gaze.

Harry grabbed my uninjured arm and together we ran as fast as we could, knocking two Death Eaters aside as we passed them. Harry dragged me behind headstones, and we were dodging their curses, heading towards Cedric's body. I was gasping for breath, but I was no longer aware of any pain. I was only aware of what we had to do.

"Stun them!" I heard Voldemort scream.

We were ten feet from Cedric. Harry pulled me behind a marble angel to avoid the jets of red light, and I saw the tip of its wing shatter as the spells hit it. I winced subconsciously.

Harry turned to me. "We need to distract them for a few seconds. Do you still have your wand?"

I nodded, gripping my wand in my right hand, which just felt strange. "What are you thinking of doing?"

"Run and throw spells at them," he said.

"Better than anything I have," I said.

So Harry dashed out from behind the angel, and I was right at his heels. He turned and yelled, "Impedimenta!" at the same time that I turned and shouted, "Reduco!" Harry's spell hit one of the Death Eaters and brought him down, mine hit a massive headstone and made it explode, which brought down about two more.

We jumped over the cup, and dived when there were more wand blasts behind us; more jets of light flew over our heads and we fell, and Harry reached down and grabbed onto my shoulder, and with his other hand he stretched up and grabbed onto Cedric's wrist.

"Stand aside! I will kill them! They're mine!" Voldemort shrieked. There was one tombstone between us and Voldemort, and there wasn't a chance that we could carry Cedric back to the cup without dying. Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. I saw his mouth curl into a cruel smile, saw him raise his wand.

"Accio!" I cried, pointing my wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew through the air and soared towards me. Harry tightened his grip on my shoulder and I caught the cup by the handle. I heard Voldemort's scream of fury at the same moment that I felt the jerk behind my naval that meant that the Portkey had worked- it was speeding us away in a whirl of wind and colour, and Cedric with us... We were going back.

Well, here it is folks. The new chapter!

Sorry if it isn't that great, I kinda rushed it so I would actually finish it and not have you people waiting for it too long.

And sorry if Max is a bit OC in this chapter. But I feel like because all the stuff that happened in The Angel Experiment didn't happen, that she's a little bit easier to freak out.

Thanks for all the reviews, and favourites, and the messages. It means a lot :)

Oh, and if any of you are on Tumblr, and you want to follow me, my URL is padfootwinchester. I'll more than likely follow you back! :)

No idea when the next chapter is gonna be up. I'm going to London (eeep!) on the 18th, and then on the 19th, going to the Warner Brother Studios :D I can't waaaaait! I'll only be in London for 4 days, so I'll get back to this as soon as possible.

As always, if you want cookies and butterbeer, you need to...

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-Rach ;)