Alvara

Chapter 20

"Did you . . . hang on . . . I need to catch my breath."

Alvara waited. Well, not really, she was agitated and bouncing on her feet. She'd just seen the five contestants line up. Harry and Cedric were to go first, followed by Lucien, then Viktor and finally, Fleur, all determined by their scores so far.

Shay doubled over, breathing hard, seeing as they had both sprinted from Hogsmeade and Alvara was the one that did track, not Shay.

"D'you say brother?" Shay asked once she was breathing normal again.

Not thinking properly, Alvara nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Shay stared at her friend. "Um, can I ask who's your brother?"

As Alvara answered, the two Hogwarts contestants took off and the cheering began. Shay just caught Alvara's absent "Harry."

The cheering crowd drowned out Shay's surprised cry of "HARRY POTTER?!"

Alvara shook herself out of her daze. "Poodle-eyelashes," she grumbled. In trying to reduce her swearing, she'd resorted to phrases and words that made no sense. "I'll explain later, I promise. Just . . . watch Lucien and Harry."

Trusting her friend to explain, Shay nodded. They watched helplessly as five students were thrown into the death maze that used to be the Quidditch field, heart in their throats when Lucien almost got himself stabbed by a vicious thorny plant. Alvara's heart nearly jumped out of her throat when Harry encountered the same plant. She didn't care who won, she just wanted her boys out of the maze.

They saw Harry and Cedric make it to the cup in the centre at the same time. As the boys argued over who should grab it -- they were far too fair for their own good -- Lucien made his way into the clearing. Three America students, all very well-trained in certain advanced magic that they really shouldn't be trained in noticed the slight blue hue starting to surround the cup. If the boys had argued longer, others would have noticed too. They seemed to come to a solution where they would both touch the cup together to signify a joint win.

Shay, Alvara, and Lucien all but yelled, "Harry, no!"

And as Lucien dove to pull the younger boy away from the cup, both Cedric and Harry grabbed it, all three boys vanishing into thin air.

■■■■■

"A Portkey!" Alvara shouted for possibly the twentieth time as she paced the spot where the cup had been furiously. Shay watched helplessly, knowing little else could be done to calm her at this point.

Everyone was worried, but none more so than Alvara, who was beginning to grow angry, more at herself for being so oblivious than anything else. Shay was grateful for Darian, who kept her from going into a frenzy like Alvara and promised he'd try to restrain Alvara if the girl decided to "launch herself into the air" or something of the sort.

As Alvara crossed the spot once again, she noticed a piece of parchment on the grass. She recognised it and picked it up.

Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, And Prongs request that Messer Potter ask for assistance in opening the map.

"The Marauders Map," Alvara whispered to herself. Harry had mentioned it once. She was momentarily distracted by her father's nickname on the parchment, but she shook it off almost instantly.

She sent Shay a very intense stare and pocketed the parchment as she left the spot with no further words. Shay glanced at Darian, who gestured in the direction of her friend. She smiled gratefully and followed.

Alvara made her way right to the back of the crowd where two identical redhaired boys were trying to calm a younger ginger boy and girl and a bushy haired girl.

"Fred, George, how do you use this?"

Alvara handed the parchment to the two boys. The five Gryffindors recognised it instantly. "The Marauders Map!"

"How'd you get it?" Hermione asked.

"Harry dropped it," Shay said, seeing as Alvara wasn't going to stop staring the twins down.

"I know you know how to use it, Weasleys. Harry said you gave it to him. Don't worry, he just mentioned it in passing. Now, show me how to use it or I'll hex you both until you have shit coming out of your ears and tears from your ass."

The twins shared a terrified glance.

"Oh, all right," one of them said.

"Thank you, George," Alvara said politely, a drastic change.

George pulled out his wand and tapped the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Happy?" Fred asked.

"Very," Alvara mumbled, studying the map. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she kept her eye out for any strange names that weren't supposed to be there. After all, someone had put Harry's name in that goblet.

She noticed a name she hadn't seen or heard before heading up to the castle. When she looked to the entrance she recognised the professor with the fake eyeball. She knew him, he was a renowned Auror. Alastor Moody.

So why did the Map call him Bartemius Crouch?

"How do you get rid of the writing again?" Alvara asked.

Again, one of the twins tapped the parchment with his wand. "Mischief managed," he said.

"Thank you, Fred."

"How can you tell them apart?" Hermione asked. "You just met them nearly a month ago."

"Different wands," Alvara muttered absently, her mind elsewhere while she pocketed the Map.

"We'll hold onto that for Harry," one of the twins said, reaching out to grab the Map.

Alvara turned a deathly glare. "Fred Fabian Weasley, I will end you."

Fred backed up instantly. Alvara turned to Hermione. "Also, it's because I like George more."

"Oi!" Fred shouted. "I'm right here."

Alvara smiled a sugary smiled. "Thanks for the help, boys. Shay, walk with me."

Shay waved to the slightly surprised group and followed the black haired witch. "What the hell, Allie? What's going on?"

"Someone put Harry's name in that goblet, Shay, I know it. The dumb twit isn't smart enough to ask someone and he isn't old enough to cross the age line. The cup was a portkey. According to Luce, Smelldemort wants to kill him. I'm willing to be it's all a trap."

"Back up, who's Smell . . . whatever you just said?"

"Voldemort," Alvara corrected as the walked up the stairs and into the castle. "Now, the Marauders Map is bewitched to show the real names of everyone wherever they are in the castle. You've seen Alastor Moody here, right? I've heard he's the new Defence Agaisnt the Dark Arts professor. Thing is, on the Map, he's got some other funny name. My guess is Moody's . . . someone Crouch, I can't remember, under Polyjuice Potion or something who's here on Cold Emo's orders."

"You're going too fast. And I don't just mean with your words."

Alvara slowed to a stop and pulled out the Map from her back pocket. "What did George say again? Oh right, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She tapped the parchment with her wand and watched as the castle appeared before them.

"There," Shay said, pointing. "Bartemius . . . poor guy, no wonder he's on the other side of the tracks. Probably in it to get his parents for that god-awful name."

"Funny, but not the time. Where are we?"

Shay pointed, and Alvara quickly closed the Map. "Mischief managed."

Shay knew better than to ask about what she'd seen. Silently, she followed Alvara to the Potions master's quarters.