The Cursed Chronicles: Year 6

Chapter 42

A few weeks flitted by like they had been whisked away by the wind. Despite her friends' insistences that there must be some way to convince him of her innocence, Katrina steered clear of Albus once she made it out of the hospital wing. It made her situation easier, and she didn't want to cause Albus any more pain. 

The worst part was Thomas. Despite the fact that he had almost no chance at winning, his fervor for his plan only grew. There were affectionate exchanges every day which made Katrina sick to her stomach. Since the last task, he was paranoid that she was keeping things from him to keep him from winning the task, so he'd quiz her every chance he got, which grew irritating fast. 

Katrina noticed that Rose may have been avoiding her, which she supposed was fair. For Albus' sake, she wanted Rose on his side if anything. It was slightly disappointing to lose her too.

On the bright side, Katrina and her friends went to Hogsmeade any chance they got, and Katrina's anxiety had been significantly better, which she accredited to the fact that she had told her friends. Not having to hide her burdens from them was a huge weight off her shoulders.

By the time March rolled around, Katrina had settled into a new pattern. It felt uncomfortable, and she knew she couldn't hide from her friends the days she almost walked to the Slytherin table instead, or almost grimaced at Thomas' approach instead of smiling. But it became normal. It was something she'd get used to in time. 

She almost forgot about the cup and the tasks.  That is, until one morning Mid-March, breakfast was interrupted by an announcement from McGonagall. 

"All champions should meet by the womping willow this Friday at 8:00 PM. Wands are allowed, brooms are not, and other magical items must be pre-approved. Please bring them to my attention by tomorrow if you wish to use them, and the panel of judges will discuss them and get back to you by Friday morning if it has been approved or not. Punctuality is important, and evening wear is to be expected. For students who wish to view the task, it will be broadcast to all common rooms and to our visiting schools' respective housing. Thank you, please enjoy the rest of your day."

"Evening wear?" Bella wondered immediately. "That sounds a little....unconventional for a task, doesn't it?" Katrina nodded. 

"But to be fair, this whole deal has been a bit unconventional, hasn't it?"

"I suppose so," Bella agreed. 

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully for a Wednesday. After classes, the four girls spent their afternoon under a tree by the black lake. They sat there, talking and studying until it was almost dark. Most students had been inside a long time ago. The threat of Delphi lingering put many at unease. They probably should have gone straight to the carriage, but Katrina really wanted a certain book from the library. They hurried through the open hallways towards the library.  

Katrina thought she imagined the quick drop in temperature, but suddenly she heard shouting from around the corner. They stopped where they were. Thomas came barreling around the corner. He was white as a sheet, and he looked terrified. 

"Help!" He cried when he saw them. "They're coming after me you've got to help me!" None of them had to ask what he was talking about. Even before he had rounded the corner they could see the intense frost creeping around the walls, and feel the strong gust of bitterly cold wind that snuffed all the torches in the hall. As he neared them, the birds came around the corner. They were deathly silent. There was an entire mass of them, great black birds, but they didn't make a sound, only moved towards them like a catastrophic mass of death. 

"Behind me!" Katrina said, grabbing his arm, and pushing him and her friends behind her. She whipped out her wand and cast the strongest defensive spell she'd ever attempted. A bright dome of light surrounded them, and the birds fell over it, covering the outside with black feathery bodies. The beating of their wings thumped against the magical dome. She held it, hoping they would go away, but she could feel her energy draining. She wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer. Thomas was cowering behind Bella, who was trying to shove him off. 

Finally, she couldn't hold it any longer, the dome dissolved and she collapsed to the floor, and stared horrified, as the birds swooped in. The next ten seconds was a blur of feathers and screams of fear. She thought for sure they were all done for. But after some time had passed, the birds condensed. Bella was shoved away and fell to the floor, and then the birds spiraled upwards and disappeared.

 Katrina looked around at her friends. Bella was on the floor where she had fallen. Parisa had pressed her back against the wall and stared at where the birds had been in shock. She looked around frantically, and spotted Sabrina behind her, passed out on the floor. Thomas was no where to be found. 

"What just happened?" Parisa squeaked timidly, still staring at where the birds had just been. 

"Delphi just abducted Thomas," Katrina explained weakly. 

"For some reason," Bella said, a little short on breath, but appearing to be the best off of all of them. 

"What is going on?!?!?" Katrina turned as the lights flickered back to life, to see several professors running towards them, Professor McGonagall in the lead. 

"We heard screams," Professor Finnigan explained. 

"What are you girls doing about the castle this late at night?" Professor Slughorn demanded. 

"Give them some space," Professor McGonagall insisted. 

"We were going...to get....to get a book...from...from the....library..." Katrina managed between breaths. She was starting to get dizzy. Madame Pomfrey hurried to her, handing her chocolate, before moving to Sabrina. Bella explained to the teachers what happened, and the all looked at each other and started talking like they weren't there. 

"That's two students!" Flitwick exclaimed. "I've said all along that we should have taken last time as a cautionary tale! The triwizard tournament brings nothing but trouble!"

"Neither of these students were harmed in a task, Flitwick," Professor Finnigan reminded him. 

"But both of them were champions," Professor Longbottom pointed out. "Perhaps Delphi is making a point!"

"Enough!" Professor McGonagall demanded, and the teachers fell silent. "We will talk about this later. For now, please escort these students to bed."