Descent into the Maze
"CEDRIC CEDRIC CEDRIC" the crowd cheered.
"Looks like Diggory won," Malfoy stated as if it wasn't obvious.
Then the screams started.
"He's dead" voices started to shout. Murmurs in the crowd began to stir. Hermione moved in closer to the gap that she could peer through.
Then Cedric's father started to sob, loud gasping cries that caused a wave of nausea to run through her.
"THAT'S MY BOY, THAT'S MY SON" the man screamed, choking on his tears.
Hermione unconsciously reached for the boy next to her.
She couldn't tell if it was just her but the sky seemed to darken, almost simultaneously with the start of Mr. Diggory's screams. Suddenly the sky broke out in a burst of color.
Green, The Dark Mark was in the sky. A glowing image of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth loomed over the converted quidditch field.
Draco let out a hiss "I'm being summoned he murmured", loosening his hand from Hermione's clammy grip.
She looked over and gasped. He really was one of them, he had a black, intricate brand. The skin around the Dark Mark looked irritated, as if it were going to peel open.
Hermione stepped back.
"Wait, Granger, remember whatever you see tonight, I didn't- I didn't want to do it, for you to see this," he said, gesturing to his arm.
"How could you? You killed Cedric?" she cried out.
"I didn't,he did," Draco replied, groaning in pain.
"I have to go, Hermione, you have to stay alive," he said, he rested his forehead against hers, took a deep breath, and ran out toward the field.
What the fuck was happening?
Wisps of smoke permeated the air, but fire didn't emerge from the grey clouds, bodies appeared. Figures clad with silver masks and flowing robes. All surrounding the body of the Cedric Diggory.
They raised the corpse, and now, on further inspection, she couldn't believe people thought he was alive when he appeared back. His body looked like he had been lashed, thick bands of bloody beaten flesh were all over his body. His head had been cracked open, and what Hermione could imagine was blood and brain matter oozing out and dripping onto the grass.
Then they started to attack, the figures with masks, the death eater.
They began with Mr. Diggory, he was bound and gagged, but he was still making choked crying sounds. A noose appeared around his neck, and the man's eyes widened in fear, they levitated and hung him from the Hufflepuff flag post. As if that wasn't bad enough, they started to cast the Cruciatus curse at him, his body contorted in pain, as they shot curses at him, his oxygen was quickly getting cut off by the noose. It was the most painful death Hermione had ever seen
The students were running in all directions, it looked like some were trying to fight but all Hermione could see was a mass of confusion. Kids screaming and sobbing, reaching and calling for their friends.
Wait, Harry, where was Harry? What if he was dead? What if he was still in the maze? She crept out from under the bleachers. Holding her wand out in a dueling stance she checked for any death eaters by her proximity, she sprinted out towards the maze, Harry had to be in there, she needed to find him. She had to find him before you-know-who could get to him first.
She booked it past her professors, each facing off an equally deadly opponent.
"HERMIONE" screamed a voice.
Hermione made the mistake of looking up, it was Lavender, she was running towards her, Parvati and Ginny at her rear, why was she coming? She needed to go to safety.
"Lavender wait!" Hermione shouted
a blast of green hit Lavender square in the back. The girl's body propelled forward, her eyes widened and her limbs were giving out looking similar to Harry's arm after having all of his bones removed. This was worse though. Her body made a sickening cracking sound as she landed facedown on the ground, blood trickling out of her nose.
She was dead
Hermione couldn't breathe. She shook her head in disbelief raising her wand
She heard cries close to Lavender, people screaming her name. She knew that this opportunity was not going to occur like this again. She watched as exchanges of spells became more violent and the cries by lavenders body distracted the Death Eaters
Hermione ran. Into the maze, away from the battle, and towards her best friend.
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Hermione darted into the twisting pathways of the maze, her heart hammering in her chest. The cries and screams from the battlefield grew distant as the towering hedges swallowed her whole. Shadows shifted unnervingly, making it hard to distinguish where the hedges ended and the danger began. She tightened her grip on her wand, refusing to let her fear get the best of her.
"Harry!" she shouted, her voice sounding pitifully small against the towering labyrinth. The path ahead forked into three different directions, each one cloaked in darkness.
"Think, Hermione, think," she whispered to herself, frantically scanning the ground for any signs of his presence. Footprints, a loose piece of cloth—anything. But all she could see were endless twists of green and shadow. Without a clear direction, she chose the path to the right.
The maze was pitch black but it was not silent. The screams from the outside were still cutting through the air, hissing and snapping sounds were coming from all around her. Something had caught her wrist. It was pulling her towards the hedge. Vines snaked across her arms and legs and one curved around her waist Hermione recognized this plant. It was a Devil's Snare. Hermione recognized it from her run-in from 1st year. The deadly plant was notorious for its tendency to use its tentacle-like tendrils to trap victims. Hermione remembered that a simple "Lumos" could sever and destroy it.
She cast a "Lumos" but to her dismay, nothing happened to the plant. It was larger than she had thought it to be. It was too strong. She thought back to her herbology textbook " Devil's Snare is a plant that thrives in damp and dark environments so it recoils from warmth and light. Conjuring magical flames is a good way to keep it at bay." Fire! There was no way for her to kill it without fire.
"Incendio" she choked out.
The tendrils beginning to cover her mouth and binding her wrists shriveled up allowing her to propel her body forward. The plant was still holding onto her legs dragging her back towards the hedge.
Hermione aimed another "Incendio" at the plant, but it bounced right off the thick tendrils that were starting to tower over her body.
Before she could even think of any other solution she barked out "Pyrus". Feindfyre shot out of the tip of her wand. The flames started to spread rapidly, incinerating almost everything they were touching. The curse notoriously created magical flames of huge size and heat. But they were incredibly destructive and even harder to put out or control.
She ran. Away from the flames, away from the battle outside of the walls.
Every muscle in her body was on edge. The maze seemed to warp and tighten around her, and the air grew suffocating. Her thoughts kept flashing back to Lavender, to the horrifying image of her lifeless body crumpled on the ground, eyes staring blankly ahead. Hermione's breath hitched, and she fought to keep the tears at bay. This wasn't the time to break down. Not when Harry was out there—maybe hurt, or worse.
The path split again, this time into two narrow corridors. She stilled, listening carefully for any sound, any clue. Then, faintly, she heard it: a distant cry, a boy's voice. Her heart leapt.
"Harry!" She turned sharply to the left, running faster now, the dirt and grass blurring under her feet. The voice grew louder. She pushed forward, ignoring the biting branches that tore at her robes and skin. Finally, she skidded around a corner and froze.
There, slumped against the hedge, was Harry.
"Harry!" She dropped to her knees beside him, relief and panic battling in her chest. His face was pale, his glasses cracked, and his clothes were torn. But he was alive. He looked up at her with glassy eyes, blood trickling down his temple.