Hagrid snorted, shaking his head in amusement. "Bloody hell, for that kind of money, I'd burn this hut down myself if I could, Harry. Too bad teachers are not allowed to participate."
We both laughed at that. I stood up, giving both the new black dog and Fang big pats on the head. The new stray wagged his whole body, pressing against my leg, while Fang drooled and whined for more scratches.
"Be good, you two," I said quietly, ruffling their fur one last time. I caught Hagrid's eye and gave him a grateful nod. "See you soon, Hagrid. See you later."
If my mother Lily used to visit him a lot, that meant he was good people. I should stop by in the future and see if he can tell me any stories about her.
He gave me a wave and a big, gentle smile. "You too, Harry. Good luck out there. Don't get caught. No son of Lily Evans would ever come second place in a bloody magic tournament!"
With that, I slipped out of Hagrid's hut and right back into the fog I had conjured. I could not see much further than my own outstretched hand, but my senses were wide open, picking up every sound, every faint magical pulse from the students stumbling through the mist.
Their voices were everywhere. It was like walking through a sea of confusion and desperation.
"Has anyone seen Harry Sitri? He was just by the lake!"
"He cannot have gone far. Keep searching!"
"Bloody hell, where did all this fog come from? I cannot see shit!"
"Merde, this is not fair! I lost my group-someone grab my hand!"
"Oi! Watch it! That was my foot, you git!"
"He has to be close. Cast Homenum Revelio again!"
"There's like a hundred people out here, what bloody good is that spell going to do!? It's just gonna detect all of us!"
"Just find him! The reward is ten thousand galleons!"
"That money is mine, you wankers! Don't get any ideas!"
"Eat shit, frenchy! That money will be ours!"
"No it won't! Stupify!"
There was a flash of red in the mist, followed by the sound of a thud.
"Oy! What are you cursing randomly for in the mist? We can't see who is who!?"
"That's the idea! I bet Harry Sitri is hiding in here with us right now! Just start casting stunning spells at every shape that moves! If you hit him you get 10,000 galleons. If you hit someone else... Well, that's just less competition isn't it...?"
...Oh shit...
The realization hit me just before everything erupted! I knew exactly what was about to happen, so I did the only sane thing-bolted for the blood castle! The fog around me exploded with light as every single student in the mist seemed to lose their damn mind at once.
"Stupefy!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"There! Over there!"
"Watch it! That was me, you idiot!"
"Fuck you!"
"Just keep firing! We will hit him eventually!"
Red and blue flashes shot through the swirling fog, spells ricocheting off trees, mud, and the occasional unlucky student. It was absolute chaos. Teenagers were shouting, screaming, and casting stunning charms in every direction, most of them missing by a mile. I could hear bodies hitting the ground over and over as dozens of people got caught in the crossfire.
Someone near me yelled, "Was that you, Cedric?" followed immediately by another "Ow! Why are you using stinging hexes! Use stunners you idiots!" That was followed by another thud, as whoever was speaking got knocked out.
All the while, spells kept flying. The air literally buzzed with magical energy. I did not even bother trying to sneak. It was every man for himself out here!
"That was not Harry! That is my sister you dick!"
"Too late! She is out cold now!"
Suddenly, I felt something slam into the center of my back. My whole body seized up and, for one terrifying second, my vision went completely black. Everything around me faded out-sound, feeling, even the night air-just gone. I blinked furiously, but after a heartbeat the world snapped back into focus.
Damn, that had to have been a stunner...
I shook my head, more annoyed than scared. Good thing devils had strong innate magical resistances, or I would have faceplanted right there in the mud. It would take a hell of a lot more than one or two cheap shots to bring me down!
I did not slow down. I burst out of the last tendrils of mist, my feet pounding across the wet grass as I hit the little stone bridge leading straight to the castle entrance. I risked a glance back and saw the fog glowing with stray flashes of red and blue, students still shouting and hexing each other in the distance, bodies strewn everywhere.
Just ahead, two Hogwarts students stood on the bridge. They barely even noticed me sprinting by, shirtless and mud splattered up my jeans and lower chest. Instead, they were too busy gawking at the madness out on the grass, watching their friends get stunned, hexed, and trampled by the growing mob. One of them finally glanced at me and did a double take, eyes wide as if suddenly realizing that a champion was passing them by.
The other just shook her head and muttered, "Nope, I am not getting involved with that... "
I let out a rough, breathless laugh as I kept running.
I had to force myself to slow down as soon as I slipped through the big castle doors. The air inside Hogwarts was heavy with tension, the stone halls echoing with shouts, hurried footsteps, and the crackle of spells being cast in distant corners.
I could feel magical signatures everywhere-clusters of students moving in tight groups, voices bouncing off the high ceilings as they called out to one another, plotting and searching for any of the remaining champions.
I pressed myself into the shadows.
Just around the bend, I caught the tail end of a frantic conversation. "Sona Sitri is barricaded in the dungeons, no one can get to her yet! There's a giant freaking slab of ice, a bunch of people are melting it."
Another voice chimed in, "I heard that those sexy french bitches Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour are holed up on the seventh floor, burning anyone who tries to reach them!"
I heard my own name mentioned next, along with Viktor Krum's. Apparently no one inside the castle yet had the slightest clue where either of us were. Huh, I didn't take Krum for the sneaky type. I guess I was right about the other nameless Durmstrang guy instantly failing though.
Ten or so students tore past me, wands raised and robes flapping, so focused on their own hunt that they missed me crouched behind a suit of armor.
Sona, Fleur and Gabrielle... I could admit to myself that I loved all three of them. I did not want any of them getting hurt.
Even if this was supposed to be a safe competition, I knew how quickly things could spiral out of control. One lucky spell, one stupid mistake, and someone could really get hurt or worse.
I ran through my options, biting my lip. Sona was powerful-she was stronger than me. I trusted her to handle herself. But Fleur and Gabrielle were outnumbered and under siege at the top of the castle it sounded like. They had pretty decent magical reserves. More than the average adult human wizard, but still, how long could they hold out?
Sona should be fine for now while I check on my Veela lovers. It sounded like she was behind an ice wall as well. I made up my mind and slipped from behind the armor, already planning the fastest route up to the seventh floor.
I hurried up the stairs when the coast seemed clear, doing my best to move quietly but still quickly. The castle was a maze of echoing voices and footsteps, but the second floor was eerily empty. I was just passing by the bathrooms, keeping my senses open for trouble, when someone turned the corner right in front of me.
I started to relax when I saw who it was. "Oh, hey, Krum!" I called out, lowering my guard just a little. "You been hiding out on this floor so far?" I tried to play it cool, because honestly, it was the six champions against the hundreds of other students-there was no point in us fighting each other. Not when this was the first of potentially many challenges. No need to make official enemies this soon.
But something was wrong. Viktor did not answer, did not even blink. He just stood there, clutching his wand so tightly I could see the tendons in his hand.
I took a cautious step closer, concern prickling at the back of my mind.
"You alright, man? You look like hell," I said. That is when I really looked at his face. His eyes were milky white, unfocused, staring straight through me. My own blue eyes widened as I watched him slowly raise his wand, the tip glowing with a sickly green light.
"Viktor, what the fuck are you doing? Snap out of it!"
There was no mistaking that spell-
"Avada Kedavra!" Viktor finally spoke.
— Dumbledore —
Time seemed to slow down for everyone watching. Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the scene unfolding through the magical scrying mirrors. Viktor Krum, his face utterly blank and eyes milky white with obvious mind control.
The IMPERIUS curse!
And it got worse as they all witnessed a SECOND unforgivable! Krum leveled his wand and unleashed the sickly green light of the Killing Curse at Harry Sitri!
The entire Great Hall seemed to gasp as one, terror and disbelief echoing around them. Dumbledore could see students and staff leaping to their feet, hands flying to mouths, some already screaming.
"NO!" Lupin cried out.
Dumbledore thought he was about to watch a bright young student die.
Instead, something extraordinary happened. Dumbledore watched, astonished, as Harry threw up a glowing blue hand between himself and the killing curse. Harry's SLAPPED the Killing Curse in midair, sending it spinning away like it was nothing more than an inconvenience!
The most lethal spell in the wizarding world. Known to be impossible to block or survive. And Harry slapped it away...
Dumbledore collapsed back into his seat, his heart still pounding. He watched as Harry moved forwards quickly, almost becoming a blur, as he punched Krum across the jaw. The young foreign student under the Imperius curse dropped unconscious but Harry caught him before he hit the floor hard.
"Ha! That's my son!" Lady Serafall stood up and cheered proudly as the rest of the staff, students and judges finally realized what just happened was real.
"A-As expected of my p-prized student..." Lockhart said nervously...
Every instinct as a headmaster, as a protector, screamed at him to call an immediate end to the tournament. Yet he knew, painfully, that his hands were tied. The ancient magics woven into the Goblet of Fire bound the champions to compete, their powers and even their safety held hostage by the rules of the ritual.
No teacher, not even Dumbledore himself, could interfere without risking all their lives-or their magic. Thankfully, all Hagrid had done was give Harry some tea, so that hadn't been considered cheating by the goblet.
Sadly for Viktor, the unconscious Durmstrang champion could not be rescued or treated yet because he had not yet been "eliminated" by the official rules. He had been knocked out by Harry-a fellow champion-and not tagged by one of the hunting students. Viktor would have to be left lying there, until a student found him or the time ran out.
Someone had exploited the chaos of the first task to strike at Harry, right under his nose. They had used the Imperius Curse on Viktor Krum, forcing the boy to attempt murder with the Killing Curse itself. Dumbledore clenched his hands in his lap.
His mind raced. Who would dare something so bold, so cruel? Was it the same shadowy figure who had tormented poor Ron Weasley for years? He silently vowed that whoever was behind this would be found, and would answer for endangering his students!
But for now, the first task continued and it looked like Harry was moving his way to the seventh floor to rescue his girlfriends. Two of them at least. Dumbledore honestly wasn't even sure how many young witches Harry was in the process of wooing...
'Ah young love...' Dumbledore thought to himself. The most powerful magic of all. He let out a small chuckle despite everything that just happened.
But could Harry get there in time before the Weasley twins managed to get past the two Veelas' fire magic? It looked like those two mischievous twins were cooking up an interesting magic powder concoction on the fly, potentially something to snuff out the flames?
He glanced at another floating mirror.
It also looked like Sona Sitri's ice wall had finally melted, although she had booby-trapped that dungeon to hell and back. Very impressive. He would even be nervous entering such a trapped area. And it seemed like Draco Malfoy was leading the charge with a small army of students. They ran down the stairs into the dungeons at full speed. That was not going to work out well for them...
XXX
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Chapter 17
Chapter 17 (~8000 words):
— Draco —
They finally managed to melt that damn bloody ice! Draco hated that fucking ice! Not only was it the source of his humiliation-it had also been so freaking cold! It took over 24 hours for him to thaw out after that bitch Sona Sitri had frozen him.
The teachers all claimed it was accidental magic, or the Weasley Twins, but he knew it was her. Sona had frozen him on purpose.
She was lucky that she was beautiful. Draco had it in his noble pureblood heart to eventually forgive her. After she was properly disciplined by her future Lord Husband properly of course!
Originally, Draco had only planned on making Sona Sitri his mistress. She was gorgeous, and exotic-someone he would enjoy having in his bedroom but never truly considered as a match for a prestigious Malfoy heir like himself.
But that changed. His father pulled a few strings and managed to discover who had made that absurdly generous donation to Hogwarts a few days ago.
The gold all came from the new Sitri family!
That alone was surprising, but it got more interesting-no, more infuriating-when his father tried to push further. He went to Gringotts to have the little beasties give them more information on the new family.
The goblins outright snubbed him-refusing to reveal anything! Those little beasties had never said no to his father before!
The goblins would only act like that if they were dealing with someone whose power and wealth dwarfed even the Malfoys. Something Draco had thought impossible but the message was clear.
The Sitri family was on a whole other level!
For Draco, that changed everything. If the Sitris had that much power-and that much money-then Sona was no longer just some foreign witch to toy with...
She was an opportunity!
Draco's ambitions shifted, and he started imagining her not just as a mistress, but as a future Lady Malfoy. Of course, she would need to be properly broken in and disciplined to fit her role. But Draco was confident that, with the right motivation, he could mold her into exactly what he wanted.
