Holy fuck! Lockhart really has absolutely zero survival instincts!
I had heard from Sona and my mom that Sirzechs was usually a pretty chill guy, but that did not mean a bug like Lockhart could just go and insult Lucifer, the most powerful devil in history, to his face like that!
The second those arrogant words left his lips, the air in the room grew so heavy it pressed down on my chest.
My lungs felt tighter, and every competent mage in the room instinctively shuffled back, their eyes wide as they sensed the sheer power rolling off Sirzechs. A low hum of energy prickled along my skin, raising goosebumps on my arms. My breath caught as I realized he was barely letting any of it show, and yet it still felt like the walls themselves might crack under the pressure.
Lockhart, being the useless idiot he always was, seemed oblivious to all of it!
He actually tried to puff himself up taller, like he had just won some invisible contest. His incompetence had hit a new level if he could not even feel the weight of that aura pressing down on all of us!
Dumbledore immediately stepped in between them. "I apologize for his rudeness," he said, before his newest professor ended up nothing more than a smear on the wall. "We do not insult guests like that, Professor Lockhart," Dumbledore scolded, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Ah... Right... My apologies." Lockhart didn't sound sorry. If anything he looked a bit confused as to why Dumbledore was urging him to the other side of the room.
Mum looked like she was about to laugh her ass off and was doing her best to hold it all in.
Krum finally broke the tension, his thick Bulgarian accent rolling heavily over his words. He squared his shoulders and stared directly at my mum. "Are you part of the first task, woman? I vant to get started already," he said impatiently.
My mum tilted her head playfully, her pigtails bouncing as she clasped her hands behind her back. She gave a cheeky giggle that echoed across the chamber. "Tehehe! Yes, I am part of the first task, and a few more in the future too. After all, I am funding most of this tournament!" she announced proudly. She spun in place once, the glittery ribbons around her costume sparkling as she struck a pose, her chest bouncing shamelessly. "I am Serafall Sitri, Harry's mummy and So?tan's amazing big sister!" She thrust her arm into the air dramatically, her smile wide and bright. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we? The first task will be a survival challenge in enemy territory!"
Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to explain further that in just a few minutes, the six of us would be teleported to random spots within Hogwarts castle and grounds. The entire castle to the edge of the forest. We were not allowed to leave the castle grounds for the next two hours, no matter what happened... Or we automatically fail the first task.
The other Durmstrang guy finally spoke up, his accent not as thick as Krum's. He furrowed his brow and asked, "What happens during those two hours, exactly?" His tone carried a mixture of suspicion and eagerness.
Before Dumbledore could answer, my mum stepped forward with a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. She clasped her hands together dramatically and leaned in. "Every single student from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons will be hunting you down, trying their best to capture you," she announced, her tone sing-song and far too cheerful for what she was actually saying. Then she added with a little wink, "And they will be very motivated after all, because the students that manage to capture any of you will receive a reward of ten thousand galleons!"
I nearly choked on my own breath. Ten thousand galleons? My mind raced as I did the math in my head. That was one hundred thousand pounds in British currency!
Were they trying to start a freaking riot???
I could hear the sharp gasps from the other champions echoing my own disbelief.
Fleur swore softly under her breath in French, and Gabrielle's jaw dropped.
Remus stepped forward. "There is one more thing you all need to know. None of you will be allowed to use your wands. You can only rely on your wits and whatever 'wandless' magic abilities you possess." he explained and gave me a sorry look. As if he thought I'd be devastated to hear that.
The words made Krum's eyes widen before he let out a vicious curse in Bulgarian. The other Durmstrang boy joined him, muttering angrily in their language. I understood everything they were saying with my natural devil linguistic abilities-they had very colorful language.
Fleur gasped and Gabrielle's jaw dropped, both sisters staring in shock. But after a moment they composed themselves. They clearly remembered they had innate fire magic at least as Veela's. Of course, I'd protect my french lovers as well, if I was able to meet up with them in those two hours.
Depending on where we all got teleported.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my mum smirking knowingly at me and Sona. That look said it all. She had rigged this first task in our favor. Both Sona and I only carried fake wands for appearances.
One by one we stepped forward and placed our wands into Remus's waiting hands. His expression was calm and reassuring as he collected them carefully, sliding each wand into a small enchanted satchel at his side. "You will have them returned in a few hours," he promised us. "And you have my word, every single student has been told they are only permitted to use non-lethal magic against you. Anyone who disobeys that order will be severely punished." He looked directly at me as he said it.
Yeah...
I didn't think the Slytherins-at least some of them-would care about that...
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fleur clutch Gabrielle's arm for a moment before letting go, both sisters clearly shaken but trying to hide it. I shot them another reassuring smile. "You both will crush this. The other students should be terrified of your amazing power-wands or no wands!"
"Thank you, Harry..." Fluer said with a small blush.
"You truly are magnifique, mon amor!" Gabrielle added with her own lovely smile.
"Good luck, everyone!" Mum chimed in suddenly, her cheerful voice cutting through the tense silence. She blew me and Sona an exaggerated kiss. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she snapped her fingers. The floor beneath us lit up with brilliant blue runes as six massive teleportation circles flared to life, humming with power. My stomach lurched in anticipation as the magic rose up around me, swallowing us all in a blinding flash of light...
I opened my mouth to take a breath, but instead of air I felt cold water rushing down my throat. For a terrifying second I thought I was going to drown as the icy liquid filled my lungs. Panic clawed at me and my chest tightened. Then, all at once, the fear melted away as I realized I was fine. My lungs did not burn. The water moved in and out of me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Of course-I was a Sitri. A devil of water. Why wouldn't I be able to breathe underwater?
I forced my eyes open and found myself completely submerged, the world around me glowing with strange, muted light. Long strands of green aquatic plants swayed lazily with the current, brushing against my arms and legs. Tiny silver fish darted between them, scattering in all directions when I moved. The lake bottom stretched out beneath me, soft silt puffing upward in clouds whenever I brushed against it.
For a moment I just floated there, taking it all in, realizing I had to be on the bottom of the Hogwarts lake. Apparently that counted as within bounds too, since the teleportation magic had dumped me here.
I breathed again, deliberately this time, letting the cool water fill my lungs and leave just as easily. It was almost soothing. I could actually survive down here as long as I needed. Part of me wondered if I should just stay hidden in this watery world for the next two hours? I doubted any students would find me down here.
"Demonic invader! You will die for entering our home uninvited!" a shrill voice echoed through the water, and I whipped around instinctively.
The sound had come from a cluster of mermaids swimming towards me. Mermaids were kind of uglier than I was expecting. Bummer... But also...
At least a dozen mermaids were closing in fast. Their sharp eyes glowed with fury, and each of them clutched long, jagged tridents.
And I felt they weren't alone either?
I pivoted quickly, scanning the shadows to my left, and froze when a massive shape stirred in the murk. The water rippled violently as something far larger began to get closer.
Was that a fucking kraken?
...Yeah, it was a fucking kraken, and its massive tentacles were shooting right at me through the water, moving faster than I thought something that size could. It definitely did not like me. Was this what it felt like to have Aquaman's powers, except all the sea creatures were out for blood instead of listening to you?
Because honestly, this kinda sucked.
The first thick tentacle lashed toward my chest, churning the water so hard I almost lost my balance. I twisted my body and shot my left hand up, calling on my magic with a surge of panic and anger. The water around my palm shimmered blue as a magic circle flared to life, and I poured my will into it, shaping the spell by instinct and imagination.
"Not today, you overgrown calamari!" I shouted, my voice bubbling out in a rush of air.
A jet of razor-sharp hydro magic blasted out from the glowing circle, slicing clean through the tentacle that was about to wrap around my waist. The kraken's scream vibrated through the water, low and guttural, the sound echoing in my bones.
Dark blood billowed out in a cloud, staining the water around us.
All hell broke loose. The merfolk who had been circling nearby exploded into motion, their eyes wide with fury at the sight of the kraken's blood. One of them hurled a trident, the weapon whistling past my head as I ducked and spun. Another one screamed, "You have angered the guardian!"
"How dare you filthy demon creature!"
"You will not leave this water alive!"
Great, now I really pissed off the locals...
I wondered how the others were doing?
XXX
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Chapter 16 (~8200 words):
— Sona —
Sona Sitri landed on her feet on a cold stone floor. She took a steadying breath and blinked into the dim light, her devil eyes quickly adjusting to the lighting. Dark, damp walls surrounded her on all sides.
She was deep in the Hogwarts dungeons.
Immediately, her mind kicked into high gear. Sona mapped out a dozen strategies in the space of a heartbeat, analyzing escape routes, possible hiding spots, and ways to defend herself if things got ugly. She needed to survive the next two hours without drawing too much attention to just how dangerous she really was.
She could use some "wandless" water magic if she had to, but how much was too much? Sona had no intention of showing off all her cards.
Her inner planning was cut short by the echo of hurried footsteps somewhere up the corridor. The sound bounced off the dungeon walls, making it difficult to tell how many people were coming. Sona pressed herself against the cold stone wall.
"I think I heard something down here!" a student's voice rang out, nervous and loud. Others followed, shouts echoing as the group rushed in her direction.
They turned the corner, completely unprepared for her ambush. Sona let herself smile, just a little, before she flicked her wrist. Three students barreled into view, their wands out, but she was faster. She called water to her fingertips and sent a sharp blast straight at them. It hit all three square in the face, soaking their robes and sending them reeling.
The shock made them sputter and curse, and their wands clattered to the ground in a mess of wet limbs and embarrassment.
One of the wands rolled right up to her boots and stopped. Sona stared at it for a second, almost in disbelief.
Was it really going to be this easy?
She grinned, tossing out half the plans she had made as she bent to snatch up the wand. Now she had another "fake wand."
They might have confiscated hers, but no one said she could not just grab a new one off the ground. That was not cheating. She was in enemy territory, and honestly, stealing from the enemy was just good strategy!
She aimed the wand at the three students, watching their eyes go wide with panic. But she did not need a wand to work her magic. Sona let her real power flow secretly. Ice blossomed beneath them and surged up in a sudden rush, trapping the three students up to their necks in solid, bitterly cold ice.
One of the boys shivered, his teeth chattering. "So cold," he gasped.
Another girl tried to wriggle free and then swore, "Holy fuck, I'm gonna freeze my tits off... let us out! AND GIVE ME BACK MY WAND!"
"Now I feel like Malfoy!" the last one grumbled. Which was actually a bit funny to Sona, because he was a Slytherin.
Sona ignored the whining of the frozen Slytherins, her thoughts racing as she took in the situation. Down here at the very bottom of the castle, she was practically boxed in with only one way out. The stone corridors might have given her cover, but they also worked against her. If more students showed up she could get boxed in.
She knew she could crush any single one of them, or even a handful at once, but what if she got swarmed? There was always a point where numbers could overwhelm even the strongest magic, and the idea of being forced to reveal her true strength in the very first task would be embarrassing!
Staying put in the dungeons would be asking for trouble. No, the smart thing was to move, fast, before anyone else could rally or spread the word about what had just happened. She needed to get to higher ground, someplace open where she could see them coming, someplace with more than one escape route, so she could dictate how the fight would go if it came to that.
Let them try to chase her on her terms, not theirs.
It was a damn good thing Sona had a near-eidetic memory and could map out a castle in her head like it was a city grid. She moved fast as she zigzagged through the corridors.
She made for the nearest staircase, and came skidding to a stop at the sight of five students blocking her path. These ones wore yellow and black-Hufflepuffs. They spotted her at once, and their faces lit up with excitement, the kind that always came with the whiff of money.
"There she is!" one of them crowed, a tall kid with curly hair. "That is our ticket to ten thousand galleons!"
