Lily was still staring at the glass dome above her. Her face looked pale in her reflection, her hair was a wiry mess, and no matter how often she tried to convince herself to close her eyes she just couldn't bring herself to actually do it. When a bit of pale light began to trickle through the Lake and down into their room, she finally gave it up. The first thing she did upon getting out of bed was drink a glass of cold, refreshing water.
The second thing she did was vomit it all back up when her roiling stomach couldn't handle it. She tried to do it silently, but it was very hard to do something as obvious as throwing up stealthily. As such, within ten seconds of the first wave of nausea, Hermione was at her side, holding her hair back and whispering soothing things in a tired voice.
"It's alright, Lily," she said. "It's alright. Just get it all out. You're going to be fine."
Lily didn't believe a word of it, but she couldn't explain why she was so nervous when she'd faced much worse.
"Come on, up you go," Hermione said, hauling her up with a determined grunt. "Got to get you ready for the Task."
Lily just nodded and allowed Hermione to pull her shirt over her head. She simply had no energy in her body, and no matter how hard she commanded it to move, nothing would. Hermione pulled her "jersey" over her head for her, even wormed her arms through the proper holes, and then stood back and admired her work.
"Now we just have to hope my spellweaving holds up," she said, the nervousness in her tone betraying her. Lily just nodded again; inspired by the Cold-Resistance Runes in her gloves and boots, Hermione sewed Heat Resistance ones on the inside of both shirt and shorts. She doubted it'd do much good against dragonfire, but doing it seemed to calm down Hermione a lot, so Lily made no protest.
She was still pale and sickly when Hermione finally managed to drag her out of their shared dorm. There wasn't anything to be done about her hair; no matter how hard she tried to change anything, her Metamorph powers didn't seem to be working at the moment. She had to settle for tying it back and hoping there wouldn't be a photo-op for the papers.
"We can run some tests later tonight," Hermione said, her tone showing her own bundle of nerves. "Figure out why they aren't working properly. Does that sound alright?"
Lily just nodded her consent. She wasn't sure what Hermione would be able to get out of her corpse, but she supposed it was at least worth a shot. Better her best friend than the Ministry trying to turn her blood into a weapon.
She was really starting to wish she'd written a will instead.
"Tell you what," Hermione said, trying to put a bit of enthusiasm into her voice. "When we get back, I'll- we can have a dance! We can- we can even play your music, and- and I won't say anything about how much I hate it from now on, so you can play it whenever you want. Does that sound nice?"
Lily just nodded her consent, not trusting herself to speak. She was pretty sure that if she opened her mouth more bile would just come out of it.
"Oi, Potter!" Parkinson shouted after her when they tried to cross the common room. "Read your favourite little gossip rag this morning?"
"Just ignore them, Lily," Hermione said, trying to pull her away. Instead, Lily pulled free of her grasp, marched over to Parkinson, and snatched the day's issue of Witch Weekly right out of her all-too-eager hands.
"Better just get it over with," she grumbled, flipping it over to the advertised page
Potterwatch: The-Boy-Who-Lived Replaced By The-Girl-Who-Isn't?
"Lily, I really think you shouldn't-"
Lily just shushed her and kept reading.
Rumours abound about our favourite little Triwizard Champion. The ever-so-charming Girl-Who-Lied, after so delicately refusing a Ministry ordained interview during the prestigious Weighing of the Wands, was seen wandering Hogsmeade, on days most certainly not authorized, meeting with curious strangers, and entering the Hog's Head Tavern.
Some of you readers may remember the Hogs Head from your own times at Hogwarts. You may also remember it as a den of devious delights and illicit deals. So why, may I ask, was Hazel Potter there, being spotted by dozens of corroborating witnesses?
With the rumours about the girl's promiscuity (and certain witnesses claiming to see an exchange of gold: see page 17 for more details!), you might think the answer is quite obvious. With a little bit of digging, however, I think you will find that the truth is far more insidious and, indeed, disturbing.
First, a bit of history: everyone remembers the day of You-Know-Who's defeat. We all remember the papers and even the Ministry praising the feat of The-Girl-Who-Lived. What you should be focused on, however, is that neither source were talking about the Girl. Open any paper printed at the time, and you'll see the same result: The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry James Potter. What ever happened to him?
We're lead to believe that it was all a ploy, that Albus Dumbledore, along with James and Lily Potter, were trying to protect the girl by pretending she wasn't at all. What we were never told was why, and I find that striking. Sure, I accepted it, at first, just like everybody else, but after my own interactions with Hazel Potter, combined with witness testimony we will discuss later, I found myself doubting it more and more.
We are also led to believe that Sirius Black, the girl's Godfather, was not, in fact, a terrifying mass murderer, but is, instead, a true paragon of friendship and loyalty. We are led to believe that the one responsible for the deaths of the Potters is, in fact, Peter Pettigrew, a notorious coward who nobody would ever have trusted with a secret as important as a Fidelius. Even the Ministry acts complicit in this, going so far as to release Black and imprison a man they claim is Pettigrew.
Only, he isn't imprisoned, is he? The Ministry claims he was broken out during transport by one Quirinius Quirrell, the same man responsible for Hazel's injuries during the Bulgarian riots at the Cup. The same man that also taught Defense Against the Dark Arts during Hazel's first year at Hogwarts.
I'd like to go back to Hazel's mysterious meet-ups at Hogsmeade, if I may. The two individuals, who she met with several times, are Sirius Black and an Auror (whose identity will, for the moment, remain a secret). I think the presence of these two fully disproves the rumours mentioned earlier. This is especially helped by what these two individuals are doing with the girl; every weekend, and even some weekdays, Hazel Potter meets with these two, sometimes at the Hog's Head, and sometimes in a small cave (where they usually head after the Hog's Head, anyway).
In this cave, they practice magic. I know that doesn't seem like much of a controversy, but keep in mind that Hazel is a minor, and, therefore, not allowed to practice magic outside of the school's boundaries. Indeed, casting an underaged spell in Hogsmeade is, usually, enough to warrant several detentions, a suspension, or even a full expulsion, depending on how many offenses are incurred. The presence of a Ministry official implies that she has their full support.
But how, exactly, has this remained a secret for so long? Every magical minor in the country has the Trace placed on them the instant they begin their schooling. Hazel should still have hers, and it should still be pinging in the Ministry, outside of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. And, yet, we've heard neither a peep of Hazel's misdemeanours, outside of what I printed myself last year.
That seems strange, doesn't it? I'm sure the more conspiracy oriented amongst you would immediately think to a large, government controlled vow of secrecy (and, indeed, I fully expect such an article to appear in the Quibbler shortly), but Fudge's Ministry has proven, time and time again, to be completely and utterly incapable of even the most basic of coverups. If Hazel Potter's Trace was pinging, we would know of it. At least one Ministry worker would have reported it by now.
So, I went and asked myself. They confirmed that, not once, have they gotten any reading on Hazel Potter.
I find that very interesting. The Trace should be able to detect not only her magical mishaps, but also those around her, adult or not. And, yet, nothing. Even her little scandal before third year (see page 32 for a recap!) didn't find a thing; the Ministry only arrived at all because they already had eyes on her ("protecting" her from Sirius Black, obviously). It should have been able to detect her while she lived amongst wizards, it should have detected her when she was casting spells outside of school, and it should have detected her when she was under attack over the last summer. It detected the rest of her little friends; why not her?
The Trace can only be broken in two ways: turning 17, or death. The Trace is placed on the child the instant they are sorted in their Hogwarts Houses (or through a simpler ceremony, for those of you not attending Hogwarts). Hazel Potter has been sorted no less than twice, and, yet, no Trace is on her.
Obviously, death if off the table; she's still here. I've seen her myself. It is most definitely her. The Trace was placed on her; we know that for a fact. Her name did appear on Ministry records after her sorting. It even, mysteriously, appeared a second time when she was resorted (for more on that, see page 58, Gawkins has done a terrific job investigating the matter), disappearing shortly after. The Trace is a matter of public record; go see for yourself if you don't believe me.
This leaves only one option; Hazel Potter is of age. That she's found herself entered into the Triwizard Tournament really only confirms it; nobody under 17 was supposed to be chosen.
I mentioned the Boy-Who-Short-Lived because I can't help but wonder; was he really a nonexistent entity, a trick, or is something worse going on? Is Harry Potter really dead? Was Hazel Potter meant to replace him? Did Dumbledore manufacture a hero out of thin-air, using the only resource he had available? Is that why nobody ever saw the girl until she arrived at Hogwarts?
Come to think of it, when she arrived, she appeared to be much younger than 11 (being much smaller than the rest of her years). And, yet, somehow, she's turned into the abnormally tall girl we see today. Was it all a trick? Was her small stature meant to convince us, to hide her real age? Is the Hazel we know today a completely different girl from the one who was Sorted? Did Hazel Potter perish in her first year?
Is that the real reason Quirinius Quirrell is on the run? Was he truly out for revenge, or did he simply get an inkling of the truth, and try to get to the bottom of it? To expose it all? Is our current Hazel Potter actually a Metamorphmagus after all (laughable, but see the Quibbler for more information), disguising herself as a much younger individual, simply to keep the ruse up?
I hate to sound like a deranged individual, but as my father always liked to tell me, if something smells rotten, then it is a reporter's job to find the rubbish. I'm asking questions, and I encourage you all to do the same.
Because this all really stinks.
"That's enough, Lily," Hermione said, snatching the paper from her hands to a chorus of laughter from the best Slytherin House had to offer.
"How much are you going for these days, Potter?" Parkinson asked before Hermione could drag Lily any further away. It did leave the girl wondering why that was the part she chose to focus on, though.
"More than you, that's for sure," Lily said. "Some of us ask for a bit more than two knuts."
Lily enjoyed the laughs she earned, that time, even if it didn't do a thing to settle the nerves still laying in her pit of a stomach.
"You shouldn't stoop to their level," Hermione grumbled as they crossed the sitting space.
"Why not? It's the only thing that gets them to shut up for a bit."
"I thought Parkinson was trying to be friendly!" Hermione said, really starting to get riled up.
Lily shrugged. "She comes and goes. I'm used to it. Doubt she'll ever make up her mind."
"I don't understand why they all keep printing that complete rubbish!" Hermione said, changing the topic. "I mean, really! Hasn't anyone ever heard of libel?"
"No."
"It's when someone slanders you through print," Hermione explained with a deep, exhausted sigh. "Papers have to be very careful in the Muggle world about what they say. Even if somebody committed a crime and got caught doing it, they all have to say 'alleged' whenever they refer to something. Otherwise, they could get into a lot of trouble."
"Well, there's your issue," Lily said. "Wizards don't have none of that. Believe me, Sirius has been trying for ages, now."
Hermione sighed again as they finally made it out of the common room. "I suppose it's just another thing to add to the list of changes. Speaking of which, we really should do another recruitment drive."
"One thing at a time, Hermione," Lily said
"Has apparition been going well?" Hermione said casually.
Lily nodded. Truth was, she still couldn't manage it without leaving something behind, but at least now it was just pieces of clothing rather than her body. Tonks laughed loud enough for Sirius to hear outside when she lost her skirt, and she was very glad Skeeter at least didn't see that part.
"Do you think you can use it during the task?" Hermione asked.
"Who knows?" Lily said, her stomach going tighter when she saw who was waiting for them (her) at the entrance of the dungeons.
"Hazel, my girl," Bagman said, throwing an arm around her shoulder in an all too friendly manner. "Sleep well? Ready for the task?"
"No," Lily answered to both questions.
"Listen," Bagman said, dropping his voice a bit. "If you're worried at all about the task, I could offer you a few pointers. After all, it's not fair that you've been forced to enter, is it? Consider it a little apology on behalf of the Ministry."
Lily was very tempted, even if Hermione was giving her a concerned look for even considering cheating. Thankfully, she was saved from having to give an answer one way or the other by the arrival of her least favourite person in the world.
"A word, if I may," Snape said, clawing her free of Bagman's grip.
"I'd really rather not," Lily said, not quite pulling herself free.
"We won't be long, Granger," Snape snapped at the girl trying to follow them. "I do not believe Potter requires your babysitting services at this particular moment."
"I'll see you at breakfast," Hermione said, nervously heading towards the Great Hall instead.
Snape pulled her over to a corner of the Entrance Hall and then, with a flick of his wand, silenced all the chatter around them with a very familiar spell. It took all of Lily's willpower to not call it out; if she did, she knew for sure she'd never use a single one of his spell's ever again, and the ones she could get working were very nice spells to have in her repertoire.
"What are you going to do about the dragon?" Snape asked coolly.
"What do you care?" Lily asked, not bothering to hide that she knew.
"Answer the question."
"I have a plan."
"That is not answering the question."
"I don't have to answer it if I don't want to."
"I am your Head of House, and you will obey me."
"What do you care?" Lily asked, letting a bit of her anger go. "Trying to get me killed, is that it?"
"I am trying to assist you."
"I don't need your assistance."
"Potter," Snape growled, his jaw set at a hard line. "I suggest you think very carefully about what you plan to do. A dragon makes your previous encounters look like the daydreams of a petulant child."
"Well, this petulant child will be fine, thank you very much. She's beaten a Basilisk, after all."
"With the assistance of two magical artifacts, no less. And, even so, you nearly got yourself killed."
"Yeah, well- I-"
"You will find a vial of Flamefreezing Potion has been provided in your morning's juice," Snape said, closing his eyes in an effort to calm himself. "I suggest you drink deeply."
Before Lily could say anything to further endanger herself, Snape was flicking his wand again, returning sound to their world, and then walking away. Lily considered shouting after him but decided she really didn't need the papers saying anything else about her.
"You have to eat something, mate," Ron said half an hour later after she touched neither food nor drink.
"I'm going to be sick," Lily said, not at all trusting her stomach. She kept staring at the cup of pumpkin juice in front of her, trying to convince herself to take at least one sip. It was just so hard to get over-
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Bagman called out from the dais, interrupting the genial chatter of meal takers. "If I may have your attention; it is time to begin the First Task."
"Oh, Merlin," Lily said into her plate, the sound drowned out by the cacophonous cheers around her.
"Champions!" Dumbledore said over the din. "Please, come forward."
Lily stood on surprisingly sturdy legs, Hermione and Sae both giving her a quick squeeze on her hand and arm respectively as she left them, Ron and Neville trying to give her encouraging compliments and words. They were all soon drowned out in the sea of voices and faces she had to wade through as she approached the staff table with the other two Champions. At the very least, Fleur looked just as nervous as she did, and she even received a wan smile. Lily decided to forgive her after all. They'd both probably be dead before the day was over, after all.
"Hem hem," Umbridge said, trying to garner all attention on her. Lily was pretty sure only the Champions and staff could hear her.
"Now, now!" Bagman said, all congenial smiles and laughs, his voice carrying and silencing the chatter around them. "Please, give us your attention so we may begin!"
"Thank you, Ludo," Umbridge said in a sickly-sweet tone. Lily was pretty sure if she'd had anything to eat, she would have lost it there. "Now, if you will all turn your attention to the ceiling, we shall all see the task together."
Being completely honest with herself, Lily'd almost completely forgotten about the enchanted ceiling. She only ever noticed it at all when it had something special going on; it normally just reflected the weather outside.
Today, though, it changed from the cloudy overcast to a clear vision. Above them all sat three, towering mountaintops, a large stadium built around them all to house the spectators. And, of course, one on each mountain, sat a nest of eggs and-
"Dragons!" Bagman shouted over the renewed cheering. The dragons were soaring in the air, although Lily was sure that wouldn't be the case in actuality; nesting dragons never left their brood unattended.
"Each Champion will receive one dragon each," Umbridge said, smiling again and making Lily sicker. "They will race to the tops of their respective mountains where they will find a nest waiting for them."
"In each nest," Bagman said, taking over, "will be a single, golden egg. It is the responsibility of each Champion to obtain that egg by whatever method they so choose and then make it back down the mountain."
"Ve can slay the dragon, then?" Krum asked, his voice deep and heavily accented. Lily got the feeling Krum didn't know much about dragons. She doubted even Dumbledore would be able to kill one by himself.
"You may fight the dragons, although I certainly do not recommend doing so," Bagman said. "But any permanent damage done to dragon or real eggs will result in a steep penalty to your points total. You are trying to steal the egg and nothing more. The First Task is to test each of your abilities to think resourcefully, and not every situation can be solved through brute force."
"'ow are we choosing dragons?" Fleur asked. "'as one been selected for us already?"
"Good question, dear girl, good question," Bagman said, laughing as he accepted a bag from Umbridge and gave it a good shake. "Potter, you go first. Just reach your hand in and see what you will see."
Lily took a deep breath. Her hand was shaking as she reached into the burlac sack. She expected to find slips of paper, each with the name of a dragon written on it. When something sharp clamped down on her hand, and she pulled it out on instinct, she found a miniature, living replica of a Chinese Fireball firmly stuck to her palm.
Lily could hear cheering and screaming around her, but her mind turned cloudy and focused only on the creature resting on her (slightly) bleeding hand. She found she couldn't move, not even her eyes just to focus on something else. She was stuck on the manic, yellow eyes as it roared out at the crowd.
She was also stuck on the jet of flame that erupted from its jaws, sending a small amount of smoke and heat into the crowd, and turning Lily's skin closest to the fires a bright pink.
"Oh, Merlin," she whispered, wishing she was anywhere else right now.
And then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Fleur smiling at her, just an inch shorter, holding the Hungarian Horntail in her own hand.
"We can do this, Lily," she said, nodding firmly and then letting her hand fall back to her side. Lily nodded in return, wishing very much the hand was still there. She watched as Krum drew the Swedish Shortsnout, the cheering crowd growing even louder. Krum smirked, and Lily couldn't help but feel like the man from a cold, mountainous area had an unfair advantage facing a dragon with ice breath. That feeling went away when her dragon once again belched out scalding flame, smoldering the ends of her hair.
The Champions were each led out of the hall by Professor McGonagall as Bagman and the other judges stayed behind to continue riling up the crowd. McGonagall was saying something to each of them, but Lily was back to not being able to hear anything. They continued following until reaching a set of horseless carriages, one for each of them. Fleur was directed to the front one, and Lily kept watching her up until the moment she disappeared behind the closing doors. She watched even further as the carriage set off and took to the sky, flying towards the distant mountains.
"Potter," McGonagall said, putting a hand gently on her shoulder and snapping her back to reality as Krum's carriage, too, set off. "Are you alright?"
"No," Lily said, swallowing down the bile and walking towards her own carriage.
As she lifted her foot to enter, she was very surprised to find three people waiting for her, one of which was immediately throwing her arms around Lily and planting a fond kiss on her cheek.
"Easy, Molly," Arthur said, putting a hand on his wife's back. "Give her a bit of air."
"What are you all doing here?" Lily asked, a smile coming to her lips unbidden as she looked between the Weasleys and Sirius.
"All family members get free tickets," Sirius said with a shrug.
"Where's Remus?" Lily asked hopefully.
"Minding the store," Sirius said with a frown.
"Again?" Lily asked, her cheer dropping just a bit.
"It's been running us ragged, truth be told," Sirius said, scratching warily at his nose as their carriage began lifting off. "You'd think all the negative press would cause a boycott, but people are actually buying more things. Flourish & Blotts even closed early every day last week, while we were open well past the listed time."
"Good," Lily said, at least getting a bit of enjoyment out of her misery. Even, so, she couldn't help but feel that Sirius was lying to her. He kept showing up, he kept making time.
Why couldn't Remus?
"How have you been holding up, dear?" Molly asked. "Having any girl troubles?" Lily imagined the look she was receiving was supposed to be clever or sly.
"No," Lily said slowly and only after Sirius placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Figure out how you're going to handle the task?" Sirius asked hurriedly, trying to change the subject.
"I've got a plan," Lily said, taking a nervous nod.
"Which one did you get?" Arthur asked. "Charlie said all but the Fireball are just freshly adults, so they won't be as dangerous."
"Oh, lovely," Lily said, her heart sinking again. "It's a good thing that's what I got, then."
"Here," Molly said, pawning a large tin off to Lily's lap and giving her husband the side-eye. "You looked a bit thin in the paper."
Lily cracked open the lid to find layer upon layer of wonderful, warm fudge. She knew better than to tell Mrs. Weasley that she wasn't hungry, so even though her stomach was still killing her, she lifted a piece to her lips.
She was surprised when she found herself crying as she chewed her way through it.
"It's alright, Lily," Sirius said, pulling her closer when it wouldn't stop.
"S-sorry," Lily said, trying to wipe at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I don't kn-know where th-that came from."
"It's alright to be scared, Lily," Sirius said.
"I'm n-not!" Lily said. Or, at least, that wasn't why she was crying. She didn't just know how to explain the immense feeling of warmth and relief she was feeling just sitting in here with them, Sirius holding his arm tightly around her.
"Eat, Lily," Molly said, patting the tin. "You'll feel better, I promise."
Lily just nodded and stuck another piece of thick fudge into her mouth, occasionally sniffing or wiping at her eyes again.
It took ten minutes to get to their destination, by which point Lily was feeling thoroughly cried-out. She was sure she looked a complete mess, but as she swallowed the last piece of fudge down, and as Mr. Weasley opened the door for them all, she climbed out of the carriage feeling much more confident about herself.
They came out onto a smooth, rocky platform, right at the base of the stadium. The ring of seats was almost as large as the Quidditch World Cup's, although it was significantly wider. Lily wasn't quite sure what the foundation was built on; parts of it seemed to be floating on thin air. There was a crowd of visitors from all over queueing up to get into the stands, as well as a gaggle of reporters near an entrance further along that was guarded by aurors and robed Ministry workers.
"Good luck, dear," Molly said, giving her one last, tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"You'll do great, Lily," Arthur said, joining his wife in taking her other side.
"Bye," Lily said, watching them head towards a different entrance for as long as she dared.
"Let's get you to the Champion's entrance," Sirius said reluctantly.
Lily nodded her consent and followed along at his side. Neither of them spoke, but Lily didn't need him to. Just his presence meant a lot to her. When they passed the reporters and they began shouting questions at her and snapping bright pictures, Sirius walked closer to shield her from as much as he could.
Lily was sure he even would have joined her through the entryway if a familiar auror didn't stop him.
"Sorry, Sirius," Tonks said with a grim smile. "Only Champions allowed past here."
"Just remember what you've practiced," Sirius said, turning to face Lily and planting two strong hands on her shoulders. "Take as much time as you need, don't even worry about the race, and make sure you keep calm. Panicking won't do you any good."
Lily nodded again, her left hand clenching.
"I love you, Lily," Sirius said, abandoning pretense and pulling her in close for a hug. "You're going to be alright."
Lily didn't say anything. She just wrapped her arms tightly around Sirius's back, wondering if this was the last chance she'd ever get to say anything to him. She just couldn't find her voice; not with so many people watching them and snapping photos.
"Go," Sirius said, moving her gently past Tonks. "I'll be right behind the judge's stand, if you need to look for me."
Lily tried to put a bit of a bounce in her step as she stepped into the dark entrance. The aurors hardly even spared her a glance. One of them just opened a little side door and ushered her inside, where she found a stoic Fleur and Krum, the latter of which was pacing around the room in a long, heavy stride. Fleur offered her a kind little smile but said nothing. Lily was fine with that; she was pretty sure if she opened her own mouth, she'd be sick, and she got the feeling the other two champions felt much the same.
They waited in that room for two hours as the crowd filled the stadium above, the rumbling in the room getting louder and stronger as the cheering and chattering strengthened all around them. There were refreshments provided, but not a single one dared to touch them. Lily just watched Krum pace, wishing she could find the energy to do the same, sitting at Fleur's side. At some point, the French girl grabbed her hand in a vicelike grip, and then continued sitting in their companionable horror until the door finally opened and Bagman and Umbridge arrived inside.
"Right," Bagman said, clapping his hands together. "Excited, then? Ready to get started?"
Krum nodded, but Lily and Fleur showed no signs of acknowledgement. Lily felt very strange things when she noticed Umbridge staring at her hand still interlocked with Fleur's, but she didn't let go.
"We're going to go grab our seats at the table," Bagman said, gesturing to Umbridge at his side, "and when you hear us call for you, that's your cue to head outside. The aurors will lead each of you to your starting positions, and when the cannon goes off, you'll begin your climb."
"Are ve allowed to use magic?" Krum asked, voice thick.
"Yes!" Bagman said, "but not for the purposes of climbing. It wouldn't be much of a race if the lot of you shot straight to the top, would it?"
"Hem hem," Umbridge said, trying to take control, still staring at Lily's and Fleur's hands. "Until you reach the top, you will use magic only to interfere with your fellow competitors. Once you have reached your own summit, you will focus your magic only on your own dragons. Once you have the egg, you will focus only on getting back down. Do you understand?"
Lily nodded along with Fleur this time.
"You won't be able to hear any of the commentary," Bagman added, "but you will be able to hear the crowds. We don't want any of you to know what the other Champions are up to, after all. You won't be able to see the others once you get to the top, either. Just the dragon and nest provided for you."
"Excuse me," Umbridge said, her eyes finally wandering down to Lily's knee, her hand pointing at her weak one. "What is that?"
"My brace," Lily said.
"I'm told she had a bit of an injury last year, Dolores," Bagman said. "Keeps it on to keep it strong, you see."
"Oh, well, that just won't do," Umbridge said, her smile not reaching her eyes. "The rules are very clear: you are allowed to bring nothing but your wand and the Ministry approved uniform. You will have to remove it."
"I can't," Lily said in disbelief.
"Come now, Dolores," Bagman said, that mirth finally leaving his voice. "It's just a brace. It won't harm anything."
"You said it yourself, Ludo," Umbridge said. "It is meant to keep the knee strong. That means it, no doubt, has Runes of Strength on the inside, no?"
"Yes," Lily confirmed through gritted teeth.
"Then it has to go," Umbridge said, and, without waiting for any further comment or argument, vanished Lily's brace with a wave of her wand.
"Well, now," Bagman said, sputtering. "I- err-"
"If you'll excuse us," Umbridge said, dragging Bagman away by the arm. As soon as she was out of the room, Lily released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She felt close to tears again, wondering how on Earth she was supposed to get up a mountain without her brace, Pomfrey's warnings to always keep the thing on reverberating through her skull.
The champions lulled back into their private moments. Krum kept up his pacing, Fleur squeezed harder onto Lily's hand, and nobody said a single word until the door opened again a half an hour later.
"It's time," Tonks said, giving each of them a reassuring smile.
"Good luck, Lily," Fleur said, giving her hand one last little squeeze before pulling away entirely. She was second out of the room, right behind the fast walking Krum. Lily took up in the rear, her head pounding and her stomach twisting. She was very much so regretting that fudge, now.
Her headache only got worse as they neared the light at the end of the tunnel, the steel shell around them quivering under all the noise. Lily squinted into the sunlight as they came out in the ringed arena to a chorus of cheers. Lily couldn't even begin to guess how many people there were watching. Far more than Hogwarts was housing, that was for certain. Lily wondered briefly if they'd get their money's worth before she died.
Tonks and the other aurors led them towards the center. There were three mountains climbing higher into the sky, although not high enough to leave the view of even the lowest seats. She could just hear the rumbling growls of territorial lizards above them. Poor little things were probably terrified of the crowd.
She had to shake her head to remind herself that those "poor little things" were probably going to eat her.
Lily was given a position near the base of the mountain on her right, Fleur the left, and Krum was led forwards to the furthest one.
"Good luck," Tonks whispered as she left her.
Lily hardly had the time to gather her thoughts before a cannon fired off from somewhere nearby. The roar from the crowd was nearly deafening, and Lily placed a shaky hand on a nearby bit of stone and began hauling herself upwards.
She made it only a few feet before the stone right above her head exploded, sending sharp shrapnel down onto her head. She clung desperately to the side and glanced wildly about before spotting Viktor Krum sending a similar blast towards Fleur next.
"Right," Lily said, doubling her efforts and climbing up as fast as possible. She chose a diagonal route, trying to get out of Krum's reach, but that just seemed to change what spells he was trying to use, even if they all seemed to be variations on "make Lily's life as miserable as possible."
She nearly slipped as she reached the halfway point, when his newest attempt to dislodge her turned the top layer of rock into flowing water. She fell several feet, just barely catching herself on a jutting rock, and her knee hit the stone mountainside with a hard crunch.
"Right," she said again, clenching her jaw to offset the sharp pain and drawing her own wand. "If he wants to play, we'll play."
Lily lined her shot up carefully while Krum was distracted on focusing on Fleur. Just as he swung his wand, she swung her own and vanished a meter's worth of stone right from underneath him. The crowd was screaming as he fell, but he managed to grab a new holding just ten feet down. Fleur seemed to take that as her own chance to strike. Or, at least, that's what Lily was assuming, since she certainly did not envelop Krum in a stony dome.
Krum tried a couple more times to interrupt her climb, but from his much lower position, there just wasn't much he could do, especially not after Lily conjured a thick wall right below her to keep him from hitting her directly. That gave her an idea; while they weren't allowed to use magic to climb, she could certainly give her a nice little walking space. She used that advantage to work her way carefully to the opposite side of her little peak, the crowd screaming their disapproval at something another Champion was doing, where Krum had no chance of seeing her. She couldn't see either of them, either, but she didn't much care about that. She was far more focused on the rapidly closing distance between her and the top.
She managed to make it right to the edge, the crowd screaming her name in horror for some reason, and then pulled herself up halfway just in time to be met with the orange eyes and yellow body of the Chinese Fireball.
She figured it would be just her luck to come up right where the dragon was nesting. Why would the Ministry place the nest at the center, after all? That would have made far too much sense.
Very briefly, her eyes locked onto the golden egg at the center of it all. Very briefly, she thought about just making a go for it.
Very briefly, she realized she was incredibly stupid.
The dragon breathed in deeply and opened its mouth, a bright, terrifying orange lighting up the back of its throat. Lily did the only thing she could think of.
She let go of the mountain.
There was a searing pain in her hands as she fell, and she just barely managed to grab back onto a nearby jutting of stone in time, perching on her screaming knee and clinging her now very toasty hands to her chest and swearing loud enough to hear herself over the screaming crowd. Feeling sick and her entire body trembling, Lily pulled herself close to the stone and tried to take a deep breath to clear the pain from her brain.
She could hear the dragon roaring above her and moving closer to the edge. She could even feel little bits of rock falling onto her head from above. She knew she needed to move or she'd die for sure, but she also knew that she'd never be able to climb anywhere with her hands in such bad shape.
So, she did the next only thing she could think of. She raised her left hand upwards, wand held in slick and raw fingers, and cast a spell, hoping that it wouldn't disqualify her if she'd already climbed the mountain once.
Ascendio.
Her entire body was tugged upwards just as the dragon peaked its terrible face downwards. It followed her arc through the sky, and Lily could see the bright orange building in the back of its maw. The dragon moved faster than she could, tracing her path keenly and with accuracy. Lily could hear the crowd screaming again, but that also could have been herself. On instinct, Lily moved her wand towards the ground and pulled.
She hit the ground hard on her right side, and she felt a bone shatter in her arm. She could hear the dragon roaring and the stone moving. She could hear thousands of voices crying out her name in horror as she nearly toppled over the edge completely, just barely stopping herself in time with one leg dangling, her bad knee almost overwhelming the pain in everything else. The dragon was facing towards her, the maw now a bright yellow and red, smoke billowing from its nostrils, and Lily screamed her defiance before throwing herself towards the rock that was still moving in her direction.
She fell against the hot stone, the dragon's breath threatening to cook straight through into her. She pressed both hands against her ears, the pain in her right arm astronomical as it moved, to block out the sound, and shut her eyes tight so she didn't have to look over the dizzying edge of the peak.
I'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodie-
Lily started laughing. It figured that all it took to make her want to live was to throw her against certain death. She knew what she had to do to make it end, but, try as she might, she couldn't get any of her limbs to move. It was as if her body belonged to somebody else. All she felt was the heat surrounding her and the sweat pouring down her skin.
And then the heat was gone, and she felt a cool breeze. Her ears were still ringing, and when she looked, there was steam rising from the ground all around her, molten and melting rock oozing around the corners of her little slice of safety.
The dragon had stopped its stream of death. She was still alive.
She still had to get that egg, or it would never end.
She breathed deeply. It was now or never. She could go for it and die, or she could stay here and die.
"Merlin," she whispered, removing her trembling hands from her ears. The Basilisk was easier than this.
She took the moment to wipe her sweaty palms off and to readjust the grip on her wand. She glanced around at the roaring, cheering crowd, wondering how many of them were lifting their voices for her. She really wanted to see Hermione right now, but she had no earthly idea where she'd be seated.
We practiced for this. Just go. We can do this.
She breathed again, her wand tapping against her leg. She could hear the dragon moving, it's chain clanking against the stones. She didn't think it'd be able to get a good angle on her, but she wasn't keen on finding out for sure.
Now or never. Go.
Still, her legs wouldn't move. Her bad one was shaking uncontrollably, and even just trying to move made her feel nauseous. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and moved one hand to touch the other, pained fingers playing with the hot steel around her fingers.
Another deep breath. She wondered how her parents would feel, if they'd lived to watch her compete. Would they be cheering, or would they be just as terrified as she was, right now?
Were they watching her now? Were they hoping she'd come to join them, or were they praying she'd stay down here?
Another deep breath. She raised the hand to her lips and gave each ring a quick kiss. The metal was hot enough to hurt, but she didn't care. Another deep breath, and she felt eerily calm.
Lily opened her eyes and touched her head with the tip of her wand, flicking it out to the right, towards where the dragon was moving.
Geminus Aediffico.
An image of herself appeared from the tip of her wand, sprinting around the corner into another jet of terrible flame. Lily touched her wand to her head again and then flicked upwards, and another image of herself climbed the rock and vanished from sight. Again, to the left, and a third Lily ran. She heard the dragon roar, felt occasional blasts of heat, but she did it again three more times, sending them in different directions.
She could hear the dragon scrambling across the mountaintop, trying to figure out what was happening and strike at the real Lily. She just kept adding new ones to confuse it. Lily stopped only when the dragon's breath hit the stone she was hiding behind again, sending sparks and shards of melting stone tumbling down onto her body, sending her into a panicked frenzy of pats to put out the tiny flames. Then, Lily leaned over slowly, peering around the edge for a good look.
There were dozens of Lilys running about, sprinting and jumping, some waving their arms and silently antagonizing the great beast. Some were different sizes, some wore different colours, but not a single one could make a sound. Not by their mouths, anyway. Their feet still made as if boots on rock. It took ages to get right, hours and hours of study and practice. She still needed to work on the speed of the spell, but she'd get there in due time.
The dragon itself had its long, yellow body curled around the clutch of eggs at the center, its long whiskers darting in every direction as it tried to get a sense of the danger. It's eyes were sharp and flicking between the fake images. It was no longer sending flame, instead focused on conserving and figuring out the danger, but the remains of its previous jets were scattered around the mountaintop; pools of melted, oozing rock made the idea of getting towards the end, towards the eggs and her goal, a daunting one. Lily stayed crouched for a moment longer, briefly ducking back into her hiding spot when the dragon turned her way.
One more deep breath. One last glance at the crowd. It was a mix of colours, blue, bronze, yellow, black, red, green, and gold. She found the judge's table, an ecstatic, red-faced Bagman talking into a microphone, no doubt giving riveting commentary. Umbridge at his side, lips pursed, watching her field hungrily, as if wishing she was the dragon Lily was facing. Karkaroff at her side, only watching Krum's mountain, Dumbledore leaned forward, hands perched in front of him, keenly watching her own with a twinkle in his eye. Maxime was at the end, and Lily could have sworn she was staring back, face green and sickly.
She saw Sirius sitting behind them, his hands gripped tightly onto the railing in front of him, jaw clenched. His eyes never once left her.
Lily breathed.
It didn't matter what her parents wanted. They weren't here anymore. But Sirius was, and the last thing she wanted was to disappoint him by getting herself killed.
She breathed again. She couldn't get to the egg as it was. She'd burn to a crisp as soon as she set foot onto the mountain.
Another deep breath. She practiced for this, and knew she could put out the flames. But with her leg in such bad shape, if the dragon figured her out, it was all over. She needed it to stay confused long enough to get to the nest. She'd deal with getting down the mountain afterwards.
She breathed again, and then moved out from behind the boulder. The dragon was, thankfully, looking the other way. She crouched onto her good knee and raised her wand to her lips. Then, she blew.
Glaquiliaustri.
A heavy mist spread from the tip of her wand, freezing crystals of ice and wind blowing across the mountaintop. The instant the cold touched the hot surface, there was a great hiss and a blast of steam and wind nearly knocked Lily completely off the edge. The heavy fog encompassed her completely, sending her into a hazy world of nothingness. The only thing her senses could detect were the sounds of the crowd and the dragon growling ominously somewhere ahead.
Lily took another deep breath. She didn't have long before it would clear, and she needed to move quickly. If the dragon saw her before her clones, it was all over. She tapped her wand against her bad knee and sad a silent apology to Pomfrey, hoping she'd forgive the indiscretion so long as she didn't die.
Episkey.
One more deep breath as the warmth spread into her aching joint, allowing her to stand (if shakily) and prepare to run.
Lily touched her head and then flicked rightwards, away from the dragon, and a copy of herself ran in that direction, the false image stumbling slightly to mimic her limp. She waited until she heard the dragon turn in that direction, waited until she saw a quick burst of orange fly that way, weaker than before as the dragon felt the chill.
Lily herself went the other direction, over the slick, icy surface of the stone. She ran straight ahead, towards the edge of the peak and the clutch of eggs. She moved as quickly as she dared, breaking into a sprint as soon as she could make out the yellow scales of the Fireball, and then, as she neared it, she vaulted over the dragon's body, sticking her landing in the center of the nest. She could see the gold, could practically hear the crowd roaring in their excitement as her hands scooped it up and her legs kept running, she could hear them scream as she dropped the freezing slippery metal.
It bounced off the ground, making an echoing clang that froze her down to the core.
And then she heard the dragon roaring, heard its claws scrambling across hard ground as turned back towards her, angry and terrified that something managed to breach her nest.
She didn't have the time. She neared the edge of the mountain, swearing to herself as loudly as she could, crouching and scrambling to both grab the egg and move.
And then she leapt. The flame from the dragon's breath caught the tail end of her body, singing her hair and igniting her clothing, but she didn't have the time to worry about it. She could hear the crowd roaring their approval and dismay again, could hear Ludo Bagman shouting something, but she didn't have time to worry about that, either.
She was falling, and very quickly.
Time slowed around her again as her mind scrambled for any way to save herself. Ascendium could, but at this speed, it'd also tear her arm from its socket. Dissendium would only kill her faster. Arresto Momentum couldn't be cast on oneself, it had to be a different object. Spongify would make the ground soft, but from this height everything might as well have been concrete. Dissendium would only kill her faster, and-
She already thought of that one.
She could summon her broom?
Merlin, that would have been a great idea, she should have thought of that much sooner. Come to think of it, she probably could have just summoned the egg to her, rather than jumping over a dragon. She certainly hoped the other Champions didn't think of it. Perhaps she should-
No, no time for that, she needed to do something now or she died anyway.
Lily swept her wand in a great arc forward, her hips twisting as she prepared to land on her back, praying that whatever great power above would heed her.
"Geluverto," she shouted, pouring every ounce of strength and power she had into it.
Ice appeared in front of her, formed from the very air in her path, and she slid down the frigid incline, spiraling towards the sweet, lovely surface, the crowd roaring their approval far above. She didn't quite land as gracefully as she wanted to; it was hard to control your slide on ice, and when she hit solid ground, she rolled several times before coming to an abrupt stop when her head hit the stone surface hard. She thought she managed to play it off fairly well, though, hopping to her feet right after, blood pouring down the side of her face.
"AND POTTER'S DONE IT!" Ludo Bagman shouted. "POTTER IS THE FIRST DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! SHE'S DONE IT!"
"First?" Lily said, followed by more laughter as she fell to her knees, the egg tumbling to the ground as her manic emotions overcame her and turned to tears of relief. She laid against the cool stone, staring upwards toward the sky, as she heard people running towards her.
"Don't move her!" she heard Pomfrey's commanding voice say. "Don't even touch her!"
"Pomfrey!" Lily said, starting to feel incredibly dizzy. "I did it!"
"Merlin's taint, Potter, what were you thinking?"
"I did it," Lily said, groaning as she tried to shift off the ground. Her vision was starting to grow a bit spotty, and she was starting to realize that a good portion of her body was in complete agony, her right arm and her bad knee especially. And why did her back feel simultaneously freezing and burnt?
"Don't move, Potter, weren't you listening?"
"You told them not to move me."
"Hold still," Pomfrey said. Lily let out a bit of an embarrassing scream as Pomfrey prodded at some of her tender flesh.
Forgot that was there, she thought, growing sick upon Pomfrey holding up her crisp and oozing hand.
"Good sense in not trying to heal it," Pomfrey said, poking her fresh wound with the tip of her wand. "You'll have to spend the night in the Hospital Wing, but I can get you back into shape. Might have to wear bandages for a week or so, dragon fire can be nasty."
"Right," Lily said with another uncontrollable chuckle. She was just so happy.
"Broken arm, too," Pomfrey said, tapping that with her wand before moving down to her other hand. "Nearly lost this. Might just be able to save your fingers, but you'll lose the rings."
"No!" Lily said.
"Potter-"
"Can't lose them," Lily said, moving the aching hand protectively to her chest. "They were my parents."
"Fine, Potter. I'll do my best to save them, I promise. Just stop moving."
"Mmkay."
"Your knee is a mess again," Pomfrey said, not even daring to touch the thing. That made sense. Lily couldn't even bring herself to look at it. "Might need to bring in a Healer from Mungo's. Don't think I can salvage much of this myself. Why weren't you wearing your brace, Potter?"
"Wasn' 'lowed to."
"Potter, focus," Pomfrey said, snapping her fingers in her face.
"How'd tha' get there?" Lily asked. She tried to lift her good hand to wipe some sweat from her forehead and was very surprised to find it wrapped in clean bandages.
"Potter?" Pomfrey asked, snapping her fingers in front of Lily's dazed gaze as her head fell back. "Did you hit your head?"
"Took a tumble," Lily said, laughing again.
"Potter? Hello? Potter, whatever you do, don't go to-"
Lily didn't hear the rest, because she was too busy falling asleep.