The New Trio and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 15: Thunderbolts and Lightning

Harry decided to change the subject. "So, what have you two not finished revising, then?"

*

As he stood in the tent, dressed in his Triwizard Champion outfit, Viktor still hadn't managed to completely shake his nerves. He and his fellow champions had had a Portkey thrust under their noses, instructed to take hold of it, and yanked off to somewhere in the English countryside. That, he had managed to see before he and his fellow group one champions had been ushered into a dark blue tent that had animated lightning flashing over it occasionally. Inside, Bagman, Avery, and the three heads of the participating schools had gathered them together. "Now," exclaimed Bagman, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "When the first plan for the tournament was scrapped as being too dangerous, we felt we had to come up with another idea that was just as impressive so that the viewers wouldn't be disappointed. The task that you three have before you now is nowhere near as dangerous, but still dangerous enough to get you motivated to succeed and get your blood pumping."

Avery had so far looked utterly bored by Bagman's attempt at waxing poetic, and butted in with a roll of his eyes. "Only one champion will participate in the task at a time, in a predetermined order. The first champion to enter the task will be the Durmstrang champion, then the Beauxbatons champion, and finally the Hogwarts champion. Your objective is to collect the Japanese runic puzzle box, which you will need to solve and open by your second task on the fifth of January. Any questions?"

"Oui, Monsieur Avery," said Margaux, who sounded almost like she was... simpering. "'Ow long would you say zis task will take, approximately?"

Avery's bored expression seemed to soften slightly. "It should take you somewhere between half and hour and forty-five minutes. Any longer than that will get you a half-point deduction per minute. Anyone else?"

Neither Viktor nor Cedric said anything; Viktor too caught up in internally panicking that he was going to be first, and Cedric that he was going to be last. Both regretted wanting to be a part of the tournament. Avery continued. "Good. Now. Krum, you have ten minutes to get ready, and at the sound of the cannon, exit out that door," he indicated the tent flap opposite the one they'd first entered through, then left through the first door with the other judges following behind them.

Viktor grabbed Cedric and sat down on one of the three beds, ignoring the eye roll Margaux sent at them. For the remaining ten minutes, the two quizzed each other in low whispers, and when the sound of a cannon pounded through the quiet tent, Viktor stood on shaky legs, faintly green about the face, and exited the tent through the correct flap.

Before him stood two beautiful Japanese women who were wearing Kimonos, but he could see that they were, in fact, a kitsune and a nogitsune in their semi-human forms, because they each had fox ears in place of human ones and three fox tails were flicking around behind them. He knew that one was a kitsune and the other a nogitsune because the former's tails were pure white and the latter's were a blood red colour; all forms of kitsune had pure white tails, and nogitsune were the odd ones out, having their coat and tail colours darken the more they allowed their inner fox spirit to take over. Both of the creatures blocked a path.

The kitsune smiled kindly and tilted her head. "Welcome, Champion. One of the paths behind us leads to hardship, and the other to prosperity. In order to pass us, you need only ask one question, but you may not ask more than that. To aid you on your way to figuring out which question to ask, I can tell you that I will only speak the truth, and my friend will only speak lies."

Viktor's stomach gave a small flip. This, he supposed, was where the "logic and powers of deduction" that Dumbledore had talked about came in, but even though he enjoyed riddles, he always took ages to figure them out, and he had a limited amount of time. He had actually heard of some form of this one before, but it involved being in a windowless room with only two doors, and in front of each door stood a man, but he didn't quite remember what the correct question had been.