Kindred Spirits

by Tailkinker

This is a work of fan fiction based on the Harry Potter series and the Sailor Moon franchise created respectively by J.K. Rowling and Naoko Takeuchi. The characters and settings belong to their respective owners and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered as part of the official canon of either series.

The Third Task

"Before you begin," said Ludo Bagman, "you will be given an envelope containing the five challenges that you must overcome in order to complete this Task. You will then have fifteen minutes to make your plans before the Task begins. In addition, we must quickly examine your chosen devices, to determine that they are the ones you selected prior to the Task. Ms Delacour?"

Each Champion had been permitted to select a single magical device to bring into the Third Task, but had to register it before the Task began. To avoid even the accusation of favouritism, they were not permitted to register it with their own Headmaster or Headmistress. Fleur held up an amulet, and Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that is the same amulet that Ms Delacour showed me earlier."

"What does it do?" asked Ami, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"You may discuss that during your planning session. Mr Diggory?"

Cedric removed his cloak—he was the only Champion wearing one—and held it out. Karkaroff glanced at it, and nodded. "Same one."

"Mr Krum?"

Viktor wordlessly held out his Firebolt, and Headmistress Maxime stepped forward to examine it. "Serial number seventeen. It is the same broomstick."

"Ms Mizuno?" continued Bagman.

Ami held up a small device. Harry thought for a moment that it was a very small laptop computer. But whatever it was, he reasoned, it certainly couldn't be that.

"I doubt very much that there is any other device like that in the Wizarding World," chuckled Dumbledore. "And finally, Mr Potter."

Harry stepped forward and presented his broomstick to Meiou-sensei.

She took it, turned it over in her hands a few times. "Firebolt number thirty-seven." She frowned. "I note one charm on it that is not part of the standard array for the Firebolt series. I noted the extra charm when Mr Potter, but didn't think anything of it at the time."

"That would be my Charms Master's doing," said Dumbledore. "There was some...concern...over the broom's provenance. Professor Flitwick added a monitoring charm, just in case something untoward happened."

"It's certainly the same broomstick," said Meiou-sensei. "But I am concerned about that additional charm. Would your Charms Master be too offended if I were to remove it?"

Dumbledore hesitated, then drew a small bell from his pocket and placed it on the table before him. "If the other charms on the broom fail or are interfered with, this bell will ring. If I allow a neutral party, whom we both can accept, to take possession of this bell through the duration of the Task, will that ease your concern?"

"It would," said Meiou-sensei. "Might I suggest Professor McGonagall?"

Dumbledore blinked. "Minerva is my Deputy Headmistress, and Mr Potter's Head of House."

"Her integrity is also without question," countered Meiou-sensei. "Even my own students respect her fairness. I would have no objection."

"I shall ensure that she receives it before the start of the event," said Headmistress Maxime. She picked up the bell from where it sat in front of Dumbledore.

"Are the judges all in agreement?" asked Ludo. "Then here are the challenges." He withdrew an envelope from his robes and placed it on the table. "Your fifteen minutes begins as soon as we have all departed."

The Champions watched the judges file out, then Ami turned to the others. "All right," she said. "I know what broomsticks do. But what do the other items do?"

"My amulet gives me a certain ability to control magic," said Fleur. "When I activate it, I can draw the energy of a spell and redirect it. Unfortunately, it does not work on innate magics or potions; only on spells. Also, it doesn't work for long before overloading."

"My cloak creates an illusion of myself," said Cedric.

"Those are good," said Ami. She hefted her own device. "This is...essentially magical computer."

"Really?" breathed Harry.

"It can scan for magical effects, though its range is limited, and it can analyze many things."

"Where can I get one of them?" asked Harry.

"It is family heirloom," said Ami. "I am certain it is the only one of its kind."

"Oh."

Ami picked up the envelope and opened it. "The tasks are...Treasure hunt. Debate—really?" She frowned. "Obstacle course. Potions challenge. And final is Casting Puzzle." She looked up, suddenly seeming uncertain. "Sorry...I am used to solving problems. I do not mean to take over."

"No worries here," said Cedric cheerfully.

"You doing fine," grumbled Viktor.

"Sorry...So, Harry. You feel up to debate?"

"Er..."

"I should take the debate," said Cedric. "In Hufflepuff, we enjoy them."

"I should take obstacle course," said Viktor. "On Firebolt, should be very easy."

"My computer is very well suited to the treasure hunt," said Ami. "So that leaves the Potions challenge."

"Fleur's probably better than me there," said Harry quickly. "Snape's always telling me I'm rubbish at Potions."

Ami frowned. "You know where that leaves you."

"Yeah," said Harry. "The Outsider."

The Task had been designed for four competitors, not five. And there apparently wasn't time to add another challenge. So the Judges had ruled that one participant would be permitted to assist any of the other four, but could not take part in the final challenge—the Casting Puzzle, as it turned out. But this was a harder position than it seemed at first, as the Outsider could only be in one place at a time.

But Cedric was quick to come to Harry's defence. "That might be the best place for him. Of the three Seekers here, I personally think Harry might have the most natural talent." He eyed Viktor, and said, "Next time you see him might be at the 1998 World Cup."

"What's a Seeker?"

Harry, Viktor and Cedric all stared at Ami as though she were insane. Even Fleur looked a bit nonplussed.

"Must be a European thing," mumbled Ami. Louder, she said, "Anything else you think we need to cover?"

Nobody spoke up, and Ami smiled.

"Then let's get ready."

"Quidditch is very popular in Japan," said Viktor quietly. "I play there for World Cup."

"I know," said Harry. "That it's popular, that is. It's mentioned in Quidditch Through the Ages." He adjusted his Quidditch pads, and donned his helmet. "You're not wearing your pads?"

"No need," said Viktor. "No Bludgers."

"We don't know what there will be," countered Harry, but Viktor just shrugged.

""Thirty seconds," called Ludo Bagman, from outside the tent. Harry and Viktor grabbed their Firebolts, and hurried towards the tent exit.

"You as good as Cedric say?" asked Viktor.

"I'm okay," said Harry with a shrug.

"Mm." Viktor nodded. "We should play before end of Challenge."

"Ten seconds." Fleur, Ami and Cedric hurried to join Harry and Viktor. Harry threw a leg over his broom, and watched as Viktor did the same.

The whistle blew, and the five of them rushed out of the tent. Harry immediately pulled back on his Firebolt, rising above the Task's arena. It was the same arena used for the First Task, but was now subdivided. Where the dragon's nest had been was a circular area, currently filled with a white magical fog that concealed its contents. The rest of the arena was split into fourths, though with narrow corridors running between them. It was a good thing that Krum had brought his broomstick, as the obstacle course was on the far side of the arena from their starting point. Harry could see several spinning and swinging structures, and felt certain that Viktor would regret forgoing his Quidditch pads. The potions challenge was equally distant; Harry dived back down, and came to a halt next to Fleur.

"Hop on."

She did so, sitting side-saddle behind him. He immediately accelerated, producing a gasp from the French girl, and popped up over the arena. As the wind rushed through his hair, the crisp spring air brought a smile to his face. He swung a bit wide to avoid the hazy inner circle, and dropped her off at the edge of her area.

"Have fun!" He grinned, and shot back into the air.

He could see Viktor working his way through the obstacles. Each zone contained one of four pieces of the key needed to unlock the central zone. Once the first Champion entered a zone, they were not permitted to leave it until the central zone was unlocked. Among other things, it was Harry's job to carry the four key pieces to the central zone. And to make matters worse, each key piece had to be placed on the opposite side of the central zone relative to its origin.

Viktor was banking and turning through the obstacle course. The sheer speed of the Firebolt meant that he often overshot his turns, and he hit each trigger with a spell while passing, rather than pausing his flight to take a shot. It was brilliant flying, and while he did get hit once by a sandbag, he completed the run in just a few minutes, and grabbed the now-exposed key.

He turned and headed straight for Harry, and threw the key his way. Harry dove, snagged it before it hit the ground, and pulled the broomstick through a sharp vertical turn. He flew over the central zone, and dropped down next to the waypoint. The key was little more than a shaft with a rune at each end; he slammed it into the socket on the waypoint, and the visible rune glowed green.

He got back into the air. Viktor might be the hottest thing on a broomstick, but if any of the others were as quick, he'd have another key in a moment. He glanced over to the "debate", and gasped.

Cedric Diggory appeared to be in a vigorous argument with a mirror. A mirror that Harry recognized: the Mirror of Erised, which showed a viewer their deepest desires. He dove towards the Hufflepuff.

"Cedric," he yelled. "Is the key in the mirror?"

"Not now, Harry," snapped Cedric. "He's claiming that enlightened self-interest is better than altruism!"

"Ignore it," insisted Harry. "If the key's in the mirror, then you have to visualize having it in your possession!"

"...What?" Cedric shook his head. "What are you saying?"

Harry landed next to the other Seeker. "I've encountered this mirror before. Dumbledore hid the Philosopher's Stone in it. I got it out because I didn't want to use it. There might be some similar trick here."

"But it's a debate—"

"It's a distraction!" yelled Harry. "This competition is about magic, not debating."

"...Right." Cedric pulled out his wand. "Let me analyze this..."

Harry saw green sparks from the other side of the arena, and rose back into the air. It seemed as though Ami had found her key. Her breath was short and a bruise was reddening on her cheek. She handed the key to him.

"Finding it wasn't hard," she said. "But I had to fight off a giant spider to get it."

"Glad you're okay," said Harry. He took to the air, and flew over the central zone again. He jammed the key into its socket, and the rune at its base glowed red.

"I've almost got mine!" Fleur was near the border of her zone, working over a forge and crucible. She was holding a set of long-handled tongs. She scowled, cast them aside, and yelled at Harry again.

"Hit me with a fire spell!"

"Incendio!" He launched a dart of fire at Fleur. When it hit her, her amulet glowed, and she turned back to her forge. She picked up the crucible with her bare hands, and dumped the contents over a crystal on her workbench.

The crystal dissolved, revealing the rune key. She grabbed it and tossed it to Harry. He snagged it out of the air, and nearly dropped it immediately. "Damn! It's still hot!"

Cedric had come running up to him, as the receptacle for his key was near where Harry was standing. He slammed it into the receptacle, and it glowed blue. Harry launched himself into the air with the last key, and flew it to the final receptacle. He shoved it home, and it glowed golden.

The haze in the center zone cleared, revealing a large pillar. The pillar was composed of four segments, all spinning in different directions at different speeds. Harry could see runes and targets painted on the segments, but he allowed his broomstick to drift away from the center zone. This was the final part of this Task, and he couldn't take part, or he'd forfeit all of his points for the Third Task.

The other four Champions moved in, and Harry saw Ami pull out her computer again. She tapped a command into it, then yelled, "Top layer needs Incendio. Second layer needs Reducto. Third layer requires Stupefy. And bottom level requires Expelliarmus! All spells must hit within two seconds, or they all reset."

The Champions took aim with their wands. Cedric called out, "On three! One...two...three!"

All four fired their spells, and much to Harry's surprise, all four hit. The pillar came to a halt, and Bagman's whistle sounded again. It was only at that time that Harry realized that the watching crowd was going nuts.

Harry considered his score card. Ami had done very well in the planning and analysis parts of the Task, but had fallen behind a bit on the execution. Still, she rated highly. Fleur had made cunning use of her amulet, but she was the last to retrieve her key; he regretfully put her in last. Viktor had trounced his Challenge thoroughly, but had offered little in the way of teamwork; he rated him below Ami. Finally, Cedric. He'd done well, but he'd ignored their plans to have Harry run the keys around, and he'd gotten caught up by the Mirror. He rated him just above Fleur. Overall, that put Ami on top, followed by Viktor, then Cedric, and finally Fleur. He jotted their names onto the score card, and handed it to Ludo Bagman.

"How exactly are points being determined?" asked Ami.

"Each person who rates a top position on a score card earns four points," said Professor Dumbledore. "Three points are assigned for a second position, two for a third and one for a fourth. The total is then multiplied by four, to bring the points in line with those awarded for other Tasks."

"Up to sixty-four points, but an average of forty," calculated Ami. "Whereas other Tasks have earned us a maximum of sixty, and an average of forty-five point one."

Ludo Bagman had finished his sums, and stepped forward again. "I have the final scores, as assigned by the Champions to each other.

"In the lowest position, Fleur Delacour scores twenty-four points."

Fleur scowled at this, but didn't argue the point. Still, she picked up a smattering of applause, mostly from the Beauxbatons contingent.

"In fourth place," continued Bagman, "Ami Mizuno picks up a respectable forty points."

The applause was a bit warmer, this time. Ami had made herself popular at Hogwarts.

"Tied for second place are Harry Potter and Viktor Krum," said Bagman. This occasioned much louder cheers.

"And finally, taking the top points for the event, is Cedric Diggory, with forty-eight points!"

And this time, the cheering was deafening. Cedric grinned.

Harry leaned over to him. "You never used your cloak."

"Never really needed it," he admitted.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. You earned those points, mate."