Update Monday!
Only one chapter for this year 😯
"Lumos." We both whispered as we walked through the dark maze. We walked in silence together for a while before we reached a fork. The hedges looked a shade darker here, but that could be because there was no light other than our wands.
I blew out a trembling breath and hugged Harry tight. "Be careful." I whispered.
He nodded against my shoulder. "You too."
I offered him a small smile, trying to hide my own nerves. "See you at the finish line." Then we parted ways.
The maze grew darker every few feet and I let a ball of light float before me giving me more light than the Lumos charm did. Sometimes the hedges rustled like something would jump out of it, but so far nothing. Just a dark, creepy maze. I breathed in deep and slow, trying to calm my racing heart.
No, death eaters. There will be no death eaters. I mumbled to myself.
I was debating if I should turn into Loki or not. But before I could decide, a horde of Blast-Ended Skrewts hurried their way over to me. They were enormous.
"For fuck's sake!" I grumbled. I pointed my wand at them. "Bombarda!" At least five of them blew up in front of me. "Sorry, Hagrid." I mumbled. I tossed the other ones in the air with a wave of my wand and ran.
I turned left, then right. Left again, straight ahead. I was getting out of breath from the continuous running. I stopped and doubled over, heaving short breaths. Just as I regained my normal breathing, green bolts of light shot towards me. I ducked just in time before the killing curse could hit me. I looked around but no one was there. Another green flash. Nobody was actually trying to kill me, so the only thing it could be was... My eyes widened. I jumped to my feet, faced the first green bolt and yelled. "Riddikulus!" The green bolt turned into a ball and exploded with a dusty puff.
I started moving again and changed into Loki, the white light still following me in the maze. Three times I reached a dead end. The maze looked so much smaller on the outside. When I turned from my last dead end, and I plucked a leave from the bush in frustration, I saw red sparks fly up in the air. My heart stammered a bit. Who could be in trouble? Harry, Fleur, Viktor? At least it meant they were being rescued, that they were safe. I hope. Students have died in previous tournaments... I shook those thoughts away and focussed back to the present.
I saw branches above me trying to grab onto the presence here, like they could sense me but since I was Loki, I was partly hidden from it. I couldn't imagine being grabbed by those branches, being pulled into the thick bush, being choked to death.
I came to a two-way passage, I looked from left to right, trying to decide what way to go. But suddenly I was being lifted in the air by nothing. I scrambled and kicked as Loki, but I couldn't get down. I let out a high-pitched howl, that echoed through the maze. The invisible force that kept me in the air, made me curl into myself.
No! No! I won't let myself get beaten like this! I changed back. "Finite." The invisible force faltered for a moment but held on. "Finite Incantatem!" I cried out. And I fell to the ground. I fell on my wrist first and heard a loud, sickening crack. I gritted my teeth together, trying not to scream out in pain. I couldn't turn into Loki anymore. It would hold me back.
Taking deep breaths, I stood up and held my broken wrist to my chest. With my wand in front of me, I started moving forward again. Another dead end. Then... Viktor.
He had pointed his wand at me, his eyes crazed. Glazed over with an enchantment. "CRUCIO!" He shouted.
I ducked to the side, but the curse hit my already injured arm. I cried in pain as I fell to the ground. "Viktor! Viktor! Snap out of it!" I yelled even though I knew it wouldn't help.
I heard another set of footsteps coming closer and I knew who it was. "Harry, stop!"
He skidded to a halt right in front of Viktor. "Krum." It sounded like a growl.
"He's been bewitched, Harry!"
Harry raised his wand as I started to scramble to my feet again. I walked up next to Harry, my wand pointed at the Bulgarian. We shared a look, then together, "Stupify!"
Viktor Krum fell to the ground, a thud sounded when his broad back hit the grass. Before Harry could ask me how I was doing, I shot up red sparks in the air.
"Let's go." I tugged his sleeve.
"It's just the two of us." He said. "Fleur was taken by the Devil's snare."
"You shot the red sparks in the air for her."
"Yeah." He glanced around. "Should we split up again or work together?"
"We work together so well." I shrugged with a smile. "What do you think about winning together?"
"I'll be happy to share the spotlight. Or maybe I should let you win." He pondered for a moment. "I'm in the spotlight too much already."
I chuckled. "No, together." I squeezed his hand. I flinched a little as my broken wrist moved against my chest.
"Are you alright? Krum... did he?"
"Just once, it wasn't that bad." I lied. "I broke my wrist earlier, but Pomfrey can fix it when we get back. So, I'm fine." I said.
"If you're sure." He said hesitantly.
"I am. Now let's get going. I want this nightmare to be over."
We stayed side by side, holding up our wands as we hurried through the maze. Ducking from sudden branches that came out of the hedges. Or jumping over large holes in the ground that could swallow you up. We hit dead-end after dead-end. I ignored the pain as we kept going. The maze got darker and darker, which made me think we were getting closer. We hit a long narrow path, that went straight forward.
We saw movement in the narrow path and we both stopped. I let the ball of light fly closer. It was a Sphinx. It had the body of an overlarge lion, and great clawed paws. And a yellowish tail that ended in a brown plush. She turned her head slowly to me and Harry when we came closer.
Harry raised his wand, but I pushed his arm down. The Sphinx was pacing back and forth, blocking our passageway.
Then she spoke, her voice deep and hoarse. "You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."
"So...so will you move please." Harry said and I almost laughed.
"No." She said as she continued to pace. "Not unless you can answer my riddle." No surprise there. There is always a price. "Answer on your first guess, you may pass. Answer wrong, I will attack. If you do not answer, you can walk away freely."
Harry and I looked at each other, having a silent conversation. I turned back to the Sphinx. "Alright. Can we hear the riddle?" I asked.
The Sphinx eyed me and Harry both slowly. She sat down on her hind legs.
First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of the middle, the end of the end,
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search of a hard to find word,
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?
Harry gaped at her while I repeated the riddle in my head.
"Can - Can I hear it again, please?" He asked.
The Sphinx looked like she was about to sigh, but she repeated it, nonetheless. I was now pacing back and forward while she recited the riddle.
"A person in disguise..." I mumbled.
"Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies." Harry said after. We repeated the riddle to each other, trying to figure it out.
"A sound often heard in the search of a hard-to-find word...." Harry repeated. "Euh.. Er."
Our eyes widened as we looked at each other. "SPIDER!" We looked at the Sphinx.
She smiled and stretched her legs, then she moved to the side to let us pass. We turned right and right at the end, we saw the glow of the Triwizard Cup glowing brightly. We were tugging on each other's sleeves in excitement. We started running.
But we couldn't get there that easy. Suddenly, an Acromantula spider started to crawl down the maze's hedge. "Harry, watch out!"
Harry ducked and rolled out of the way before the spider could launch on him. "Flipendo! Stupify!" It didn't do anything to the spider. Harry was casting his own spells on the other side of it. "Harry! BM on three!" He nodded.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Bombarda Maxima!" The spells hit the spider on both sides and then he exploded. We were both covered in bits of Acromantula and blood. I spit out some of its blood as Harry retched from the pieces in his mouth. I stepped over a piece of leg towards Harry and grasped his shoulders.
"Okay?"
"Okay." He nodded. He scrunched up his nose at our clothes.
I chuckled. "Let's get the cup so we can get cleaned up."
Harry laughed a little. "Good plan."
We hurried to the cup, we smiled at each other before we simultaneously grabbed the cup.
Instantly, I felt a tug behind my navel. The cup was a portkey. We swirled through the air, we smiled at each other, happy this was over. The wind whipped against our faces before we landed with a hard thud on the ground. I expected to hear cheers and applause, but there was nothing. It was absolutely silent. We stood up and Harry let go of the cup. We weren't back. We were at a graveyard. It was empty, dark and silent. I looked over to one of the tombstones. Harry kicked a pebble to the other side of the ground.
"Where are we?" I asked. I knew it was a graveyard, but where? And why?
Harry shook his head. His eyes flashed in fear. "Do you think it's part of the task?"
"No," I said softly, looking around. "This doesn't feel right." I lifted my wand and Harry did the same, looking, waiting for something to happen.
I had the feeling we were being watched. Then I heard the shuffle of feet, coming closer and closer.
"Someone is coming." I whispered and pointed my wand at the place where I heard the sound come from.
It was dark in the graveyard, so it took a while before I or Harry recognised the person coming into view. Pettigrew. Something was definitely off here. He held something in his arms, it looked like he was cradling a baby or a bundle of fabric. Harry lowered his wand a little and shot me a confused look. I looked equally confused but didn't lower my wand.
Then Harry crashed to his knees, he clutched his forehead and screamed.
"HARRY!"
But before I could go to him, I heard a raspy voice, it didn't belong to Pettigrew, it said. "Kill the spare."
Pettigrew raised his wand towards my chest. "Avada -" Oh shit, I'm going to die! Moony, I love you. I lifted the cup without realising it. "Kedavra!" A green bolt of lightning flashed my way.
"NOOO!" Harry's agonizing scream was the last thing I heard.
The memory of my mother being killed flashed before my eyes. The curse hit me, and I flew meters backwards, and then everything was pitch black. And I was lost. I was... gone.