Author's Note: Starting with this chapter, we're getting a bit of a rating bump. I don't expect this story to get terribly explicit, but I will probably try to write a little bit of romance into some of the teams, and the first one of those pops up here. As has been true so far, for those playing along at home, clues and solutions are marked. And if any of you reading have ideas on challenges you might like to see or particular teams you'd like to see more of (I'm pretty sure I've revealed all of the teams left in the Hunt), just let me know by review. As always, JK owns the Potterverse.
As they ran towards the Shrieking Shack, Harry and Lavender knew they were much closer to the back of the pack than near the lead. It was to their great surprise to find every team they knew to be in front of them (and one or two they didn't) to all be wandering around the Shack, casting all manner of spells and generally looking frustrated. Hermione wandered over from where she and Ron had been consulting with Sally-Anne, Padma, Mandy, and Blaise. "Hello Harry, Lavender. It seems they've set a very good challenge for this one, since the lot of us haven't got the first idea of what's going on here. And before you ask, everyone has tried an Alohomora on the front door, and it's still firmly closed. Good luck."
When Hermione moved to greet the next two teams arriving (Neville and Vincent Crabbe coming in just a couple steps in front of Dean and Millicent Bulstrode), Harry and Lavender exchanged quizzical looks. Sharing a shrug, they resolved to do a loop of the Shack and see if any ideas came to them. They passed by Su and Terry doing the same in the opposite direction, and Lavender checked in with Parvati and Pansy to see if they'd come up with anything. Her frown as she returned to Harry's side told him all he needed to know about that discussion. Returning to the front of the Shack as Lisa and Gregory Goyle finally made it to the area, there was something about the house that was bothering Harry, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
After giving the newest arrivals a chance to figure out the challenge, word passed that every team was to meet up in front for an announcement. Once all the participants had gathered, Hermione stepped up on a stump so that she could be seen and heard by the teams. "All right, I think it's clear that we're not making any progress here, and it's getting rather close to lunchtime." Her speech was interrupted by several loud growls from around the group, generating a few chuckles. "Therefore, I propose we take an official Halt for lunch, and return here afterwards. Any objections?" Hearing none, she stepped off the stump and began leading the way to the Three Broomsticks.
As had been explained to all of the teams at the selection ceremony, anyone participating in the Hunt could call for a Halt to the proceedings. It needed to be unanimously approved by the remaining teams, and could only be called when all of the remaining teams were in the same location. Once called, no team could work on the current clue for a period of no less than half an hour. There had been times that Halts had lasted for multiple hours, so that teams could sleep rather than trying to keep working late into the night, but those were rare occasions. Importantly, the Halt did not begin until every team had left the designated clue area (the area was magically marked, so every team knew where it began).
Just as his teammate was about to leave the area, Harry realized what had been bothering him about the Shack. He quickly grabbed Lavender lightly by the shoulder to make sure she didn't leave yet. As she made to protest, Harry held up a finger in a clear shushing gesture. Waiting just long enough for everyone to get out of earshot, he whispered, "I know where our next clue is." Immediately, Lavender got quiet and nodded for Harry to continue.
"When we got to the Shack, something bothered me about how it looked, but it wasn't until now that I realized what that was. Have you ever seen a window open here before, Lavender?" As she shook her head, Harry pointed at a window on the second floor of the building. "Then why is there one open right now? Of course, that's only half the problem, isn't it? Sure, the window is open, but how do we get a clue from that? I have a hunch. What's the first thing you ever did with magic?"
Lavender thought for a moment. "Well, the first charm we ever performed was Wingardium Leviosa, but I don't see how floating a feather up to the window will help."
Even as she was finishing her thought, Harry was shaking his head. "I don't mean what spell you cast first, I mean what magic did you use first? If you're like most of the people I've heard, your first accidental magic was probably you getting something that was just out of reach or very far away, right?" Lavender nodded slowly, but it was clear she didn't get it just yet. "So, before you knew any spells, before you really knew what you were doing with your magic, you simply summoned things, didn't you?" As Lavender's eyes lit up, Harry turned and pointed his wand at the open window and thought in his head "Accio clue." Mere seconds later, a parchment envelope zoomed out of the window and into Harry's outstretched hand. Lavender squealed with delight and hugged Harry as he tucked the envelope into a pocket for later.
"So, to lunch, milady?" said Harry with a grin, offering his arm. "Delighted, kind sir," replied Lavender, taking the offered arm and walking to the Three Broomsticks.
Lunch was a rather casual affair for the Hunt participants, the teams mixing and sitting mostly by friend group, since no one was particularly concerned about getting a leg up on a challenge they had all struggled with. Harry and Lavender were a bit quieter about ideas than all of the rest, but no one seemed to notice, given that food was a primary focus for all of them. Once everyone's hunger had been sated, the teams all walked back to the Shrieking Shack together. "On my count, then? 3, 2, 1, let the Hunt begin again!" shouted Hermione as the last team reentered the grounds of the Shack. Immediately, Harry and Lavender snuck back up the road away from the Shack to open their next clue.
Clue #4: From one of the most notorious buildings, you now seek one of the least. From a house said to be full of spooks and danger, you now seek one full of Fang and flame. Keeping your wits about you will be the Key.
As Harry read more and more of the clue, the smile on his face got wider. Comparatively, Lavender grew more and more fearful. They both finished reading at the same time, Harry with a laugh, and Lavender with a shriek. Lavender buried her face in Harry's shoulder as he tried to calm her down.
"Lavender, what's wrong? This is probably the easiest clue we've had all day!" said Harry jovially. "But it sounds so dangerous, Harry!" cried Lavender. "Fang and flame? A building not well known? It sounds like we're walking into a death trap, or some sort of dragon's lair, or…"
Reflecting back years later, Harry still wasn't sure why he reacted to Lavender's hysteria as he did, but he certainly didn't regret his choice to try and calm Lavender then with a kiss. Lavender's brain immediately shifted from thinking of all of the worst case scenarios to what the clue could mean to the sudden realization that "Sweet Merlin, I'm kissing Harry Potter!" That thought calmed her down enough that when Harry broke the kiss a moment later, Lavender tried to go back for more. Harry put a finger to her lips, though. "We'll come back to that later, trust me. But why would you be worried about where we're going?"
At Lavender's blank look, Harry tucked his hand into hers and began leading her back towards Hogwarts. "Lav, don't forget, you're with me, defeater of Dark Lords, slayer of famed beasts, and champion of the Triwizard Tournament. When I say you'll be fine, you can believe me, can't you?" Noting that Lavender looked only slightly more reassured, though she did giggle at his 'slayer of famed beasts' line, Harry finally solved the mystery for her.
"The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is getting slobbered on by a big, friendly dog, and that's only if Fang's not busy doing something else when we get to Hagrid's Hut."