Harry Potter and the Potter Grimoire

Chapter 14: Waters of Despair

Fleur flexed her wrist with a wince. Ever since the ball, Professor Flamel was forcing her to train as if her life, and the lives of her family, depended on her victory. A complete overhaul of her last 7 years of education in under 20 days, left her body sore and her mind mush. Still she continued to blast plates, banished into her direction by an enchanted platter that Aimee was holding.

"Pathetic Fleur! If you can't land three spells to each of the plates, you won't make it to the second task! I'll make sure of that!" Professor Flamel snapped as she sent a trio of hexes at the veela. A cry erupted from Fleur's throat as one clipped her ankle in her attempt to dodge.

"Are we not being harsh with her Madame?" Aimee asked as she conjured more plates for the platter. Perenelle's mouth twisted into a grimace. Most wouldn't have recognized what the Hogwarts Chosen did, but she remembered the duel she and her husband got into with a Potter back in the 15th century. It was that duel that forced them to use the Elixir of Life to survive, and even that was close. She remembered the euphoric feeling of the elixir giving way to the shuttering reality that even with it, they were being decimated by that woman and her stoic mask.

What few knew about the Elixir was that it perfected humans if it was in the body. Not only did it grant immense healing powers, on par with Unicorn blood, which was a key ingredient, but it granted humans a body that was nearly superhuman. Reflexes, strength, mental acuity, all these things enhanced to the peaks of what could be considered possible. To this day, even though she had weened herself to a single drop of the Elixir a month, she was spryer than most of the people at her school. Yet, she and her Nicolas could not beat a single woman who bore that mask, while both were full of pints of the Elixir.

"Fleur isn't nearly ready. Krum has knowledge that she does not, and Potter... Potter killed two dragons with brute force, and even before then, he was holding his own as a fourth year in a Task designed to kill fully grown Magicals. We are talking about keeping her alive. If she hates us, I can live with it. Goddess knows, she can't hate if she is dead." Perenelle spoke softly, as she flicked a stinging hex at Fleur's wrist which wasn't tight in the corkscrew movement of her spell.

Aimee nodded tightly. With a deep breath, she started to conjure plates by mass, and between conjurations, started to blast stunners and disarming spells towards her friend.

With a growl, Fleur blasted fire at the platter, before starting to duel both women at once.

Viktor Krum winced as he rewrapped his torso. He hissed silently as he knotted the bandages, soaked in potions. Smooth, soft hands gently placed themselves on his shoulders, kneading the tense muscles.

"Love, you need to rest. Please." His fiancé spoke softly in his ear. Fredrick was worried, though he didn't want to show it. Viktor nearly never hid things from him, unless it was extremely bad or a gift. To hide his pain... Fredrick shuddered softly as he pulled lightly on his man's shoulders.

Viktor closed his eyes, a single tear falling down his face as he felt a harsh tug on his heart. Without a protest he laid beside Fredrick, and pulled him closer. Within minutes, both were back asleep.

Sirius swore as a blast of an icy slurry was shot at him from his Godson. He layered defensive wards around him with several flicks of his wand and shut his eyes. He looked deep inside himself, past the screams that were residues of his time in Azkaban, deeper to his last time in his family home. He remembered his mother, the hag, screaming at him, calling him ungrateful and a disgrace as she brandished her wand. His father, looking pained but not doing anything. His brother, hiding behind a door, a flight up the steps. He remembered what he said, that the Potters would never treat him like dirt. He remembered his mother becoming silent for a moment, then her voice a spike of ice.