Dark

Chapter 42: Final Task

He felt the familiar pull behind his navel...

He heard the loud cheers and shouts of people around him and realized that he had just teleported to the stadium.

He held up his right arm and nodded before retiring to his tent, not wanting to deal with people at the moment. As he expected, he was the first to finish and had gained a friend.

As they didn't want to risk the exposing of a contestant's identity, they were made to wait in separate smaller rooms in the 'entrance hall' of the tent. His room had a shower and a change of clothes so he decided to take a quick shower and lay on the bed to take a quick nap. He was awoken about an hour later by a Healer he hadn't met before.

"Hey! I know you!" he said as the man walked through the door.

"How so?" the Healer, dressed in lime-green uniform asked curiously, As far as he knew, he had never met the supposed Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry took a second to look at the man and he finally realized where he had seen him. He looked different without the large scars littering his face. Fenrir had gotten to him at the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Your name... It's uh- Ed right? Ed Woodwork?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "But how do you know that?"

"I uh- we have an indirect history," he answered, getting up from his bed and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I see..." he furrowed his brows, "I'll run some basic checks, and if you don't mind, you are quite a marvel in the Curse Damage world uh- Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

***

"Good evening," he bowed his head.

Dumbledore looked from Harry to Ashe and back again.

"What might be the reason that you called me on this fine evening," he said formally, his robe hood still obscuring the sight of his eyes.

"Unfortunately, Mr Marvolo, the Thief here has not yet told us," Mafalda said passive-aggressively as she gestured rudely to the bushy-bearded ex-Headmaster.

Ashe looked over to the still utterly confused man.

"Enlighten us, Headmaster," he said impassively.

He pulled on the back of his hood exposing stormy-grey eyes, free from emotion or much colour at all. The eyes that Dumbledore had so willingly bet his honour on. If he even had any, that is.

"You- you-" Dumbledore cursed himself. Why had he done this?

Dumbledore had been 'escorted' out of the Ministry by force and the other Wizengamot members bid their farewell and left, leaving Ashe and Harry alone.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"I'm Ashe remember?" Harry recognized that voice.

"Tom?"

"Don't. Use. That. Name." Harry smiled.

"Of course it's you," he chuckled, "How did you-"

"Know? You are not the only Parselmouth in the World, you know?"

Harry shook his head, "Of course...Parselmagic,"

***

They had all finished the Task alive though only the first 5 could progress to the Last Task; a few of which Harry knew.

"Congrats Harry!"

"You too, Chief," he smiled as he sat down on the couch. The Chief Warlock of Singapore, Colombia and Britain as well as the Ministers of China and Finland lazed on the couch completing paperwork and having snacks for the rest of the night. The Third and Final Task would be on the day after tomorrow and this would be their last chance to chill.