Shifted: Book One

Chapter Thirty One - Duelling

The six stood opposite each other in the middle of the grave yard, whilst the other death eaters stood back and still, as told. Cedric faced Goyle, a tall death eater with an evil grin. Harry faced Voldemort, his skull-like face and piercing pale eyes. And Hazel faced Lucius, his lip quivered with rage and disgust.

"Look how brave you all are to die", Voldemort sneered.

"You're family would be so proud, especially your muggle mother-", he chuckled before Harry called out a spell.

"Expelliarmus", he casted as it was blocked against Voldemort's wand.

Voldemort let out a patronising chuckle, he looked at Harry pathetically.

"I'm going to kill you, Harry Potter", he announced, pointing his wand to his neck.

"Over my dead body", Hazel called out.

She suddenly hit Lucius; a cobalt blue bolt zapped out of her wand and struck right into his chest, causing him to fall back. Goyle suddenly casted a spell to Cedric, with Cedric blocking it and duelling with him. Voldemort, with his sneering voice, casted a spell at Harry. He swiftly blocked the spell and casted one back. The three champions duelled the three death eaters as though their lives depended on it, and for Harry and Cedric, it did. Hazel now knowing she couldn't die didn't make her any less brave, she still feared for her life. But her bravery grew and her determination to end this hate was at an all time high.

"Expelliarmus!", Lucius hissed, his cold eyes raging with fire. His curse just scraped Hazel's arm as she attempted to dodge it. She grabbed onto the bleeding wound that burned and boiled her skin. She yelled in agony but continued to fight Lucius. Cedric rapidly glanced at Hazel and her injured arm before being struck by Goyle with an 'Avada Kedrava' curse.

Cedric's lifeless body slammed to the ground. The light left his eyes and his skin turned grey. Hazel heard the thud of a body fall to the ground, her hurt eyes flooded with tears of grief and guilt. Using all her anger and pain bottled within, she struck Lucius until he was hit several times, causing him to apparate away in fear. Hazel ran over to Cedric's dead body after casting a spell over Goyle.

"Depulso!", she yelled, blasting Goyle back and hitting his head against a grave stone, making him fall unconscious.

"Cedric?", Hazel wheeled, she stroked his ice cold cheeks and ran her fingers through his soft hair.

She sobbed into his chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his ripped shirt. She held him in silence, rocking him slowly as her tears soaked her chest. She felt guilty, if it wasn't for her scream distracting him, he would still be alive, and Hazel couldn't live with that guilt. She held him in her trembling arms whilst behind surrounded by flying specks of red and green lights dropping from the beams of Harry and Voldemort's wands.

A stream of green light erupted from Voldemort's wand and clashed with the red stroke that emerged from Harry's. The two bolts of power connected as one, creating an orbit-like sphere of red and green that floated between the two wands as Harry casted a charm and Voldemort, without remorse, casted out a curse. A wind picked up from inside, Hazel's tears flew off her stained cheeks. Harry gripped onto his wand with strength, he gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes, stopping himself from being blinded by the bright light created. Voldemort pointed his wand, he seemed as though he had all the strength.

"Do nothing, they're both mine to finish", Voldemort required before a silver-ish force field caged them in.

Hazel looked around in confusion until she saw blue phantoms stood by Harry. It was his mother, father and Cedric.

"Harry, when the connection is broken, you and Hazel must get to the port key", his ghostly father demanded.

Harry focused on the blinding ball of light between their beams whilst listening to his father's request.

"We can distract him for a moment to give you some time but only for a moment, do you understand?", he said.

Harry nodded, with tears overflowing in his eyes, they ran down his face and onto his bloody and torn clothes.

Cedric, who was stood beside his mother, looked to Hazel who was still cradling his lifeless corpse.

"Hazel, thank you for saving me before. This isn't your fault", he reassured Hazel as her tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down.

"Take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my father", he requested, sounding almost ready to be with his father when he reacts to his dead temple.

Hazel sniffled and nodded her head, she could hardly see anymore, the lukewarm tears created a glossy layer over her traumatised eyes.

"Let go, sweetheart you're ready, let go!", his phantom-like mother demanded, as Harry let go, and the three spirits raced into Voldemort and the death eater's faces, blinding them for a few seconds. Hazel, still clinging onto Cedric's stone cold hand, grabbed onto Harry's as he swiftly summoned the cup.

"Accio!", he called out trembling.

The cup flew over to his hand and it transported them out of the graveyard and back to the entrance of the maze, where the crowd cheered and chanted for the champions who had finally returned.